Bernhard Lederer is a German-born watchmaker who has worked independently in Switzerland since the 1980s; his company now presents itself simply as Lederer, with the tagline ‘Independent Watchmaking since 1986’. A member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) since 1985, he spent decades developing complicated movements for other brands before returning with watches under his own name in 2020. The company is based in Neuchâtel, where it says about 98% of components are made in-house.
Lederer is known for the Central Impulse Chronometer (CIC), launched in October 2020 as the first chapter of a series dedicated to the masters of escapements. Building on research by Breguet and George Daniels, its movement uses two independent gear trains, each with its own barrel and a 10-second constant-force remontoir, feeding a patented dual detent escapement. The CIC won the Innovation Prize at the 2021 GPHG, and the 3 Times Certified Observatory Chronometer version won the Chronometry Prize at the 2024 GPHG. The range now includes 44 mm and 39 mm models, among them the InVerto, which shows the movement on the dial side, and Longitude editions in white and cobalt blue.
