A couple years ago, I published in French a novel about a watch collector, Une course contre la montre. I also did a blog post about my journey writing it. A few of of you asked for it an English version. With some help from AI, it will be coming as of tomorrow, in a 24-part series. Below is an introduction.
Herbert is a man of precise habits. On the surface, his life is as steady as a Swiss escapement: a stable marriage to Élisa, a teenage son, and a “tame” passion for horology. Over the years, he has carefully orchestrated a collection of twelve timepieces—a consolidated assembly that represents his life’s work and his hard-won domestic peace.
But the gears of his life are about to be thrown into a frantic spin.
The one watch Herbert has hunted for decades—a piece so rare he had long ago abandoned hope of ever seeing it—has suddenly surfaced for sale. It is the ultimate “Grail,” and for Herbert, acquiring it is not an option—it is a necessity.
The price of admission, however, is staggering. To claim it, Herbert must liquidate his entire beloved collection in just over three weeks. As the clock ticks down, he must outmaneuver a powerful rival collector and navigate the secretive, high-stakes Swiss collector world.
With every sale, Herbert risks more than just his watches. He is betting his marriage, his finances, and his sanity on a single prize. In this race against time, Herbert will discover that even the most perfect mechanism has its breaking point.
Intrigued? You can start reading here as of Sunday, February 15.
