Introducing Wei Koh Debuts Legare, A Watchmaker That Asks Horological History “What If?”

There are countless stories in the world of watchmaking that focus on technical achievement, daring design, and ground-breaking use cases, but all of those stories have one thing in common: they actually happened. 

For Legare, a freshly established watchmaker founded by industry legends Wei Koh and Guillaume Têtu, it instead imagines a history of watchmaking based on innovations that almost happened. The founders call themselves "horological archaeologists, uncovering forgotten possibilities and bringing them to life through contemporary watchmaking," which reads as a nice statement of intent against a backdrop of more familiar independent watchmaking stories.

That debut release is the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted, built on one of the least-known and most interesting footnotes in the industry – that of Albert-Gustave Piguet’s early years in watchmaking. In 1932, he was a seventeen-year-old student at the Vallée de Joux School of Watchmaking, where he completed a pocket watch with two large split bi-metallic balance wheels, the rates of which were averaged by a differential.

Piguet would go on to become one of the early 20th century’s more important watchmakers thanks to his hand in the development of the renowned Lemania calibre 2310 (one of the truly legendary chronograph movements), but his twin balance wheel innovation was a much less celebrated achievement, with just six examples understood to have been created between 1932 and ‘34.

Legare revives Piguet’s early twin balance wheel concept with one question: what if the idea had never been abandoned? It’s expressed in the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted in its most visible form, flipping the movement so the twin regulating organs can be seen on the dial side, with two independent balance wheels beating away visibly at 21,600 vph, mated by a differential averaging their rates with the goal of improving accuracy.

It would be easy to mistake this for the kind of resonance watch that F.P. Journe has made so famous, but it isn't; the two balance wheels remain independent, with the differential acting as a “mechanical mediator” between them. If all that wasn’t enough, the team at Legare has managed to keep the movement package impressively slender thanks to a side-angled lever escapement, which is most commonly seen in a tourbillon.

Somewhat unusually for a watch of this visual complexity, Koh and Tetu have opted for a grade 5 titanium case, measuring a universally wearable 37.5mm in diameter and 9.95mm in thickness, with a stepped bezel and sharply cut lugs that nod to designs from the 1930s and '40s. The finishing of the case is very well done (a particular challenge in titanium), with a blend of brushed and mirror-polished surfaces to emphasise the depth of the case and dial, while the caseback is secured with a piece of sapphire crystal to give an uninterrupted view of the rear of the movement (and to guarantee 50m of water resistance).

Like many high-end independent watchmakers, Legare uses a network of specialist manufacturers to bring the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted to life, all of which are located within around 100 kilometres of Neuchâtel. The movement was created in partnership with PURTEC; cases and buckles are from UM2 (with finishing executed by Polissage des Franches-Montagnes), the dials from FABRIKA, and the hands by WAEBER HMS.

The Chapter 1 AGP Inverted arrives with two different versions that are available, including the Elegant that’s executed using untreated German silver, and the Darth that’s rendered in black rhodium. Each version is limited to 25 individually numbered pieces and has an RRP of CHF 81,944 before taxes.

Wei Koh has had one of the more varied careers in the watch media landscape, founding Revolution and The Rake in 2005 with respective focuses on watchmaking and classic men’s style, and more recently releasing an independent watchmaking-focused documentary series called Man of the Hour and being announced as the President of the Jury for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Guillaume Têtu has enjoyed an equally diverse career in the industry on the brand side of the equation, with stints at TAG Heuer, Hautlence, and Ralph Lauren’s watchmaking division. 

Together, their expertise covers just about everything you might need to establish a new independent watchmaking operation, and Legare’s Chapter 1 AGP Inverted is an impressive debut release for the pair. What’s particularly interesting about the brand is its mission statement of exploring the “what ifs” of the watchmaking industry, which is a novel approach to a market segment that typically focuses its storytelling on the background and watchmaking expertise of founders. 

The Chapter 1 AGP also ticks most of the boxes that collectors are looking for in 2026, with plenty of visual intrigue, excellent finishing across both the case and movement, and a size on the wrist that nods to historical proportions without straying into homage territory. There are no doubt countless examples of technical innovations that almost made it to serial production, providing the Legare team with endless opportunities to revive interesting and unusual solutions to timekeeping challenges.

Brand: Legare
Model: Chapter 1 AGP Inverted Elegant / Darth
Reference Number: 8LC1-AGP01-A Inverted Ti5 – Elegant; LC1-AGP01-B Inverted Ti5 – Darth
Diameter: 37.5mm
Thickness: 9.95mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Dial Colour: Untreated German silver (Elegant) and black rhodium (Darth)
Indexes: Applied
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Leather

Calibre: LC1-AGP01-A / LC1-AGP01-B
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Double balance wheel

Price: CHF 81,944 excluding taxes
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 25 pieces each

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