Alcée Montfort is a French watchmaker and engineer, best known for founding Maison Alcée with her husband Benoît Montfort. With a background in engineering and a deep passion for craftsmanship, she has worked across prestigious luxury houses, including Hermès, Cartier, and TAG Heuer, refining her expertise and exposure to material sciences, manufacturing and watchmaking. In 2020, she co-founded Maison Alcée, where she blends technical innovation with artistic expression. Her work has earned widespread recognition, including the GPHG Audacity Prize for the Persée Azur Watchmaking Box Set.

Alcée Montfort: It's a difficult question. On the one hand, all five of us in my family are engineers, including myself. I do love science and physics, but on the other hand, I always thought engineering by itself was not the best for me. I had an inkling that I wanted to pursue something more creative. Of course, we all became engineers because, in France, engineering is a valued career if you do well at school. In my parents' minds, it made sense to become an engineer first because you could then do anything you want afterwards. At the time it didn't concern them if I decided to pivot into a more creative field because at least I had established a strong foundation. Most importantly, thanks to engineering school, I had the opportunity to work for some beautiful houses, like Hermès, Cartier, and TAG Heuer. Thanks to this, I discovered the beauty of craftsmanship.

AM: When I was little, my parents would ask me what I wanted as a present every Christmas. And every time, I'd tell them I want something to make, something to do by myself. Like pottery or mosaics, I really like making things with my hands. I never asked them for the usual things like dolls or toys. And so, I made everything when I was little, including mosaics, pottery, candles, soaps, chocolates, and sweets. I loved it because I could create my own little bubble. My own little world.

I come from a big family so that it can be noisy and busy, but I found a great sense of achievement making something alone with my hands. Sundays were always family time. With my dad and my brothers and sisters, we used to make LEGO, mechanics, and models—these are beautiful memories, and I believe moments like this shape who we become as adults.

AM: I loved making things as a child, but I put that aside towards adulthood because I felt the objects I created weren't beautiful enough and that DIY was no longer valued as a means of creating beauty. But my parents had always told me, "Alcée, you can do anything." We were never expected to study engineering to become engineers. And so, because of that, we were conditioned never to become the stereotypical engineer.

AM: Regarding luxury goods, I think what many French people like is handiwork—we call it the intelligence of the hands. There is something noble about having intelligence around handiwork. I find there's an almost philosophical approach to manual work because when you work with your hands, you're involved in creation—similar to the approach taken by a farmer or a winemaker, working with the land to make a product.

It's the same for me now. We work with materials and turn them into extraordinary products. There is something profoundly simple yet wonderful about creating with one's hands. There's some science involved, but above all, it's about putting the craftsman in the spotlight and helping them make an object that is the stuff of dreams.

AM: I think Hermès is perhaps one of the most beautiful brands because it puts artisans at the centre, and the artisans and the products it creates are the focus. This includes the materials, the colours, and the tools used – everything involved in creation results from meticulous work. And, of course, scientists come in to assist the artisans. But it's simply helping the artisans who are central. What I love about excellent craftsmanship and being an artist is seeing all the beauty of what people can do when they work with materials.

I was a 21-year-old trainee at Hermès, tasked with conducting scientific research on all the physical parameters that interacted with each other in printing on silks. Every component has to be calibrated, from the temperature to the angle and the process of colouring the silks. It is very scientific and manual. After my three-month internship, I worked in leather with them for six months because I immensely enjoyed the experience. Working with their products and craft was what I loved about the industry.

AM: At Hermès, I began working with silk in Lyon, France. After some time, I took a year-long study break, spending the first six months continuing my work at Hermès—this time with leather—before embarking on a personal adventure to South Africa, where I taught maths at a rural high school. Later, at the recommendation of Hermès’ Industrialisation Director, I pursued a six-month internship at Cartier. He told me, “Alcée, for your last internship, you must go to Cartier,” encouraging me to learn from them before returning to Hermès.

Why? He explained that Cartier is very good at production and organisation – they're great at running production workshops quickly and efficiently in a slightly more Germanic way, which is stricter. He was saying this because Hermès workshops are quite different. There's leather and tools everywhere, it's very creative and very French. But it's not as streamlined as Cartier. I went to Cartier on their recommendation and did a 6-month internship before being hired by Richemont to work at their after-sales department. At Richemont, I discovered all the brands within the group and witnessed how the watchmakers approached each repair with deep respect. It was a beautiful process—every watch had a story, some were very old, others once belonging to renowned celebrities.

Following my time at Richemont, I worked at TAG Heuer as a manager of a movement assembly workshop and further expanded my knowledge of watchmaking. So I've always loved what I've done. However, I left TAG Heuer to follow my husband, Benoît, who now works with me at Maison Alcée. After arriving in Reims and being pregnant with my first daughter, I thought, why not set up my own business? That way, I'd be free to look after my children while running the business. It also served to fulfil me and help preserve traditional art forms.

AM: Yes, of course, that's the aim. Being an adult doesn't mean you can't revisit your childhood love for making things with your hands. Being an adult isn't always easy because we're often stuck behind a computer, but sometimes, you must create a space for yourself and learn how to make things again. When you do this, you're focused, and there's a great sense of pride when you bring the creation to life. Through this, I've realised that the best solution for anyone who wants to understand how their watch works is to assemble it themselves.

To this day, I find it touching when some of our customers assemble the Persée Clock with their child, grandchild, or partner. It's a beautiful moment because this experience will be unique to them, and the finished object will be associated with those memories.

We had to develop our own movement to enable curious people without watchmaking backgrounds to assemble their own clock. And that doesn't happen quickly. At first, I made many phone calls to watchmakers, and they all told me, “No, it's impossible". Then, quite by chance, I got in touch with Thierry Ducret, who is one of the best watchmakers in France, having been awarded the Meilleur ouvrier de France en horlogerie (best watchmaker in France), which is the highest title you can get in watchmaking. Thierry Ducret is a discreet, humble teacher at Morteau High School (Lycée Edgar Faure Morteau).

Despite being busy, Thierry Ducret told me straight away, "Alcée, yes, we're on board with you in this adventure". Thierry is passionate about passing on his know-how, even to those who may never make watchmaking their profession. If watchmaking is to survive, we must pass it on to the curious because when you discover the process of creating something, you appreciate it even more.

In addition to Thierry Ducret, the team comprised Jean-Marie Desgrange, a teacher at Morteau High School; Antoine Tschumi, a Swiss designer; Benoît; and me, both engineers.

AM: So we all got together for an initial meeting to explain the project and a second time to see the designs put forward by Antoine Tschumi—he showed us five designs, which were all beautiful. Quite frankly, all five were beautiful. One design was extraordinary because you could put it horizontally and vertically. What was nice was that the pendulum clock had a different style. When placed vertically, there was a very stylish hourglass aspect to it, but horizontally, it was somewhat like Star Wars, very modern—and we liked the possibility of offering enthusiasts the choice of saying, "Well, today I'm going to put it horizontally, and tomorrow I'll put it vertically". So, in the end, it was immediately apparent to us that we would choose this design, and then we needed to optimise it, of course.

AM: The first stage was from October to December at the end of 2022, when we sold 10 clocks to ambassadors—the first ones to join us on this journey. They took the journey alongside us and gave us helpful feedback on what was working and what we could improve. Working with them was like a friendship; the goal was to validate that they could assemble the clock. Some were quite good at manual work, others not. Some were patient, others not so much, some intellectual and others not. So, it was essential to see if this experiment was feasible and if there were steps that were too complex. So, during the last three months of 2022, we created this relationship with them to ensure everything was working perfectly, to make sure everything was just right so that the year after, we could then offer the following 40 other clocks to make up the 50.

The idea was to pass on watchmaking expertise to anyone curious about it. And by "anyone curious," I mean people who have never worked in watchmaking, people who may not be meticulous or skilled with their hands. We had to make this practice accessible to everyone while pushing the process as far as possible.

AM: First, regarding the watch movement, we wanted it to have the exact mechanism as a wristwatch but on a larger scale. This allows the apprentice to follow the steps while understanding how their watch works, just on a bigger model. We also designed the movement in an elongated "baguette" shape to make it easier to see and understand the function of each component. In traditional watches, the movement is usually circular, making comprehension more challenging. So, our approach was to make everything as logical and straightforward as possible. Next, our movement is entirely visible—even the barrel. Usually, you don't see inside the barrel, but we ensured you could, so you can observe the mainspring inside. This helps in understanding power reserve—whether the watch is at the beginning or end of its power reserve. The entire design was carefully considered to ensure users could grasp how their watch works. More than that, it was made so they could explain it to others—perhaps to a guest visiting their home—by showing how they assembled it and how the mechanism functions and sharing the knowledge they have learned.

Secondly, the tools. It was crucial to develop tools that made assembly possible for everyone. For instance, the screwdrivers—Benoît worked extensively to find a partner who could create softer materials for the screwdriver tips to minimise the risk of scratching. So, if the person assembling it slips, it will be more the screwdriver that takes the impact rather than the watch. Of course, it doesn't eliminate scratches entirely, but it significantly reduces them. Everything in the design was carefully considered. Another example is the oil applicator, which was calibrated to dispense exactly the right amount of oil into the movement. All the tools were designed for non-initiated watchmakers and beginners with no prior experience in horology.

AM: The book was the most challenging part of the project. The amount of work that went into it was colossal. On the one hand, it had to guide enthusiasts step-by-step through assembling their clock while teaching them about the history of watchmaking. At the same time, it needed to be engaging, something they would enjoy reading—full of anecdotes—while also highlighting critical points in some of the more complex, very complex steps, where users needed not to rush through the process.

So, the book was a tremendous amount of work; it took several months to ensure any curious person could genuinely learn. Again, I want to emphasise that anyone can successfully assemble their Persée Clock, no matter their background. But beyond that, we ensure they gain deep knowledge and understanding along the way. This isn't like building a LEGO set—it's an actual learning process where you assemble, understand, and master how it all works. Initially, we wanted the process to be a completely offline experience—just the book, no digital content. However, we realised that some clients find it reassuring to have videos accompanying each step. So, we created short video segments for every phase of assembly. This way, users can check that they've done everything correctly before moving on to the next step.

However, perhaps the most valuable feature Maison Alcée offers is personalised support. We create a private discussion group for each client—usually on WhatsApp—where they can directly communicate with our watchmaking team. For example, if you purchase a set, once you receive it, we will set up a chat group for you, and we'll let you know that our team is available to answer any questions you have and check with you to ensure everything is working correctly. Our clients love this because sometimes, they make a small error at the start and need a little reassurance to keep going, or they want to check that the chime sounds right when the hour passes. They need an explanation so that we can validate what they've done. Some only ask one question at the start, and one at the end, but at least the support is there so people can be sure of what they've done. Ultimately, everything was designed to create a perfect experience—especially for someone without prior watchmaking knowledge.

AM: One of the most rewarding aspects is hearing back from our clients. Some of the testimonials we've received have been incredibly moving. One father told me that assembling this clock was one of the most beautiful moments of his life—comparable to hearing his baby’s heartbeat for the first time in the womb. He likened the pause of the pendulum or regulator to that fleeting moment before his child’s heart began to beat.

Another client shared a story about his teenage son. They had grown apart due to the father's demanding work schedule and gradually lost their connection. For Christmas, he gifted his son a Maison Alcée clockmaking set. Every evening during the holidays, they spent two hours together assembling it. The beauty of this experience is that it doesn't require words. The father and son reconnected—just like when they used to build LEGO sets together ten years earlier. He told us that this was his most cherished memory because it allowed him to rebuild a connection with his son. The personal feedback we get from our clients is indeed incredible. That, to me, is what true luxury is about. It's not just about owning or consuming a product—it's about having a deeply personal experience and creating memories far more valuable than any material possession. And in the end, the clock they assemble will never be just another watch to them. They won't sell it. They won't part with it because it carries a deeply personal story that makes it far more valuable than even the most expensive products in the world.