Back in the old days, in the newslettten days of yore, I liked to tell you about the wild adventures of people who made history on a particular day. I like to draw on their exploits, their deeds, to congratulate them but also to teach you something, or refresh your memory. It's now 2024 and things need to change. That's why I've decided to stop talking about people who've already had enough light shone on them, and move on to talk about equally incredible fates that have remained in the shadows. Because these people decided not to make a big deal of it.

In this year 2024, it's time to shine the spotlight on those who have woven the thread of their lives away from the limelight. Today, allow me to tell you the story of Marcelle, a woman as discreet as a sock lost in a washing machine. Marcelle was an artisan watchmaker, a master of time in a world where everything accelerates. In his small workshop, nestled in the beating heart of a forgotten town, he worked with a precision and passion that defied the years. Yet Marcelle never sought recognition or honors. Her happiness lay in the simple clicking of gears, in the brilliance of a perfectly assembled mechanism.

His contribution to the world of watchmaking was immense, though little known to the general public. She revolutionized techniques, inspired generations of young watchmakers, yet remained a woman in the shadows, content with her discreet labor. Her contribution to watchmaking? Revolutionary! But Marcelle, true to her style, preferred to leave the revolution to others. Her thing was to make the seconds happy and the minutes memorable, all without a sound except the reassuring ticking of her creations.

So, at Patricia Blanchet's, we thought: "Hey, what if we celebrated all the Marcelles in the world?" Those who, in the shadows, make the world go round as surely as Marcelle aligned the cogs. People who, like good waffles, are indispensable, but rarely in the spotlight. Do you have a Marcelle in your life? A discreet genius, a maestro in the shadows, an everyday virtuoso who, like a stray rabbit, deserves to be found and celebrated? Share their stories with us, and I'll be happy to write about them in future newsletters.

Here's a bravura piece that should make your ears fall in love (I've certainly suggested it here before, but I like to repeat myself sometimes):