Being quite unusual is what makes these watches also quite fantastic. Ochs & Junior (Ochs und Junior) is no ordinary watch maker because founder Ludwig Oechslin has no desire to make "ordinary" watches. He takes Bauhaus design to its minimalistic threshold, with a collection a timepieces that expresses his personal ideal of what a watch should be, and what a watch should display.

If the sentiments he harbors sound a bit like the dedication of an artist, then you would be correct. This is art - functional, luxurious, and extremely time consuming, but still art. Ludwig runs with a very creative crowd that includes watch makers among many others. This affords him a diverse intellectual perspective, and his inspiration for the Anno Cinquanta collection of watches comes equally from the world of horology, as it does the greater industry of functional goods.

Each timepiece in the collection is hand-made using precision machinery and years of expertise. The movement is hand-made by watchmaker Paul Gerber, and is his own unique design. It uses a solid white gold rotor and has over 100 hours of power reserve. The beautiful movement is made completely in Zurich Switzerland, and is neatly displayed through the timepieces sapphire caseback window. If the rotor doesn't look like white gold, it is because it is unfinished and has developed a special gray patina.


The gray patina of the dial (like the automatic rotor) is unlike that which you will find on any other watch. The eccentric name of the timepiece comes from the 50 openings on the dial for the annual calendar. Sometimes the Anno Cinquanta watch is referred to as the Anno 50 watch. The 43mm wide case comes in either white or red gold, or in sterling silver. The case is quite simple, done in two parts. The lugs are connected to the caseback and the top part of the case is one piece.

Aside from the time (hours, minutes, and seconds), the watch displays the month, day, and date - though in a most eccentric of manners. There are no indicators, and no reference as to what you are looking at. Merely a dial that looks as though it were rendered from a sophisticated sort of code. Och & Junior is proud that their annual calendar watches use much less parts than those from most annual calendar watches. A fact that might make them less prone to requiring repair or service.

On the outermost dial you'll find 31 openings - this is for the date. A disc with an orange dot behind the dial moves to indicate the date. In the middle of the dial there are two smaller rings of small openings. The top ring has seven openings and is for the day of the week, and the lower ring has 12 openings, which is for the month. It is easy to disregard the Anno 50 as not being user friendly given the lack of visual instruction as to what you are looking at. This would be lumping the watch together with the rest of the world's timepieces. Ochs & Junior clearly does not fit this mold.


The design and construction of mechanical wrist watches is highly sophisticated, so it the person who is enjoys them. The type of person who wears an Anno 50 watch learns how to read the dial and relishes in the fact that most onlookers are unable to read the dial. It is part of the joy that accompanies teaching oneself a new skill that others do not have. The Anno 50 is an ideal watch for days when one wants to be at their most mysterious.

Ochs & Junior timepieces are sold in a handful of boutiques in Switzerland, but they are the type of brand that enjoys hearing from potential new owners directly - part of the service you get from just such a brand. The Anno Cinquanta timepieces start at about 35,000 euro is silver, up to about 40,000 euros in red gold, and up to 41,500 euros for the white gold version. Prices exclude the VAT and shipping costs.

By Ariel Adams

Nothing compares to the beautiful classic elegance and sense of artistic wonder like the result of guilloche machine hand operated engraving. When mixed with hand engraving, you get results just like this, and no one does it quite like Jochen Benzinger in Germany. Let me clarify. Germany-based Benzinger is one of the finest specialty watch engravers in the world. Their work is a mix of personally branded watches, as well as engraving work for select watch maker clients.

Benzinger watches take Swiss mechanical movements and performs numerous forms of engraving (both hand and machine), as well as movement skeletonization. Pictured are a number of examples where you can see the results of this amazing craft. I find it easy to fall in love with these watches as they combine a mixture of classic design, and a masterful attention to detail as done by dedicated professionals. The best part is that Benzinger watches are an impressively good value in terms of price.

Above you'll see the Benzinger Volkskelett Floral watch. A fully floral pattern engraved and skeletonized watch that uses a Swiss Unitas 6498 hand-wound movement. The German made steel case is 42mm wide, while the strap is alligator. Notice that fantastic level of detail in the decoration. A combination of hand and machine engraving techniques greet you, while a stylized "JB" (Jochen Benzinger) sits close to the crown on the dial. Screws and hands are blued, while the hands are done in a Breguet style.


Here you have the caseback view of the Benzinger Zeitfenster watch again with a hand decorated Unitas 6498 movement. Instead of being totally "see through," the watch has a PVD black, decorated plate in the middle of the movement. The watch has a classic Breguet style dial and hands, with partial skeletonization - allowing for a good mix between an open movement, and classic elements. The case is also 42mm wide in steel, and serves as fantastic statement for what Benzinger is capable of.


Next is a beautiful watch, as seen from all angles. This is the Offene Subskription IV timepiece. Notice the high level of classic decoration on the dial, and continued on the back. This watch displays mostly the beauty that can be achieved from guilloche machine engraving. Once again we find a Units 6498 movement, and can see how dynamic the movement is, having a new look each time it is decorated differently. The coined bezel on the watch and wide level of decoration make this a serious classic and object of desire.

This is an engraved rotor from Bezinger's Chrono Drache, a Swiss Valjoux 7750 movement based watch. The front of the watch (not pictured) is subtle with a guilloche decorated dial, and an easy to use chronograph. Flip the watch over and you'll be impressed with the dragon form engraved on the automatic rotor in 18k yellow gold.


Last you will find the face of two more Benzinger watches. Highest is the 3/4 Skellet watch using a Unitas 6497 manually wound movement with a subsidiary seconds dial at 9 o'clock and a mostly sketelonized dial. A watch like this is a good choice for people who want the beauty of a skeletonized dial, but also want to preserve legibility. Below it you have the quite modern looking Benzinger Subskription Black VI watch with its use of circular shaped to create the distinctive dial design. It once again uses a manually wound Unitas 6498 movement, with a PVD coated middle plate and a large amount of guilloche engraving on the movement and dial surfaces.

All Benzinger watches are made with quality in mind using sapphire crystals, carefully made Pforzheim region parts where available, and a focus on wearing comfort and usability. Most watches are either limited editions or very limited in production.

By Ariel Adams

From Finland comes boutique watch maker Antti Ronkko who nicely epitomizes independent watch makers from the region. His Minute Repeater watch creation combines his personal tastes and ability to craft watch cases and dials, with an early 1900's Touchon & Company manually wound minute repeater pocket watch movement inside.

The case itself is all handmade by Ronkko costing him 100s of hours. It is 48.5mm wide in 316L steel, being comprised of three parts. This large size is due to the fact that movement itself (coming from a pocket watch) is 39.5mm wide alone. The lugs are integrated into the case as part of one uni-body construction.

Most minute repeater watches include a slide lever on the side of the case to active the minute repeater function. Ronkko wanted to do something different, so the this watch uses the a twist of the bezel to charge and then activate the minute repeater. It is a clever use of a winding bezel. I further enjoy his stencil mold style name plate to indicate the brand on the lower part of the dial.




The beauty and complication of the minute repeater movement alone, made for a suitable dial, especially since exposed movements are in. The movement has a subsidiary seconds dial located at 9 o'clock, while all hands are done in an attractive arrow style. The dial segments built by Ronkko also include brass, in addition to steel. Overall the look of the case is very appealing with a high degree of focal interest emphasized on the movement. I would have however liked for Ronkko to include dedicated hour markers that would have made the watch easier to read. These could have easily been included on the darkened dial plate ring.

Antti Ronkko is still in a very limited boutique phase, but has proven to have an ability to make interesting and highly capable watch cases that embody interesting movements made by others. I suspect the watch loving community will see Antti Ronkko models in the near future made in larger quantities. Plus, this is another sign that Finnish watch makers are becoming serious about the country also being know for creating interesting watches.

By Ariel Adams

Dresden and the surrounding regions in Saxony such as Glashutte are hubs of watch making in Germany. Many popular watch brands, as well as unique independents hail from this region. One such unique player is Donald Corson, who produces finely hand-crafted timepieces in tune with the generations old tradition of watch making. He only makes 2-3 watches a year, and they are all specially made to order.

Donald Corson's most interesting timepiece in my opinion is Dresdener Regulator watch. A wonderful homage to the region, as well as a well-made timepiece with built-in German character. Aside from high technology cars and other modern instruments, few know that this region of Germany is known for their charming figurines and toys. It is an aspect of Germany that few outsiders are aware of, and it adds a distinct warmth to a culture that is not know for it.


I feel that the Dresdener Regulator watch has a degree of this fun and whimsical attitude, combined with the master work of a hand-crafted timepiece. The layout of the dial was inspired by a pocket watch made by Syffert in Dresden back in 1807. It used three equal sized dials, each with different style hands to tell them hour, minute, and seconds. This is the basic principle of a regulator style watch, but done differently here. Much of the watch's special character is in the design of the hands.

Some movement parts are base ETA, that Corson painstakingly decorates and reassembles to make suitable for the unique three-hand layout. The rest of the movement was design by Corson, and hand made and assembled to provide for the subdials. The movement is plated with ruthenium, that gives it that dark gray look, while Cotes de Geneve polishing is later applied. The gentle round curves of the bridges as well as the layout of the gears is almost artistic, while the exposed sapphire covered caseback provides the clear view.


At 39mm wide, the case is a solid size without being too large or too small. The final versions of the watch will be in 18k red gold. The dial is interesting being a combination of natural slate rock, as well as having Cotes de Geneve polished ruthenium plated metal on the outside framing the subdials.

You can visit the Donald Corson website (link above) to view more images of not only the Dresdener Regulator watch, but also images of the manufacturing process, and how a real "boutique" watch is made - a fascinating process that easily takes enough time for Corson's 2-3 watch a year output to sound reasonable. Working with watch makers like Donald Corson is an excellent want to have a truly unique watch, as well as a close connection with the individual making the watch. This adds an addition emotional layer to ownership that few large watch makers can replicate.

By Ariel Adams

A small company in Austria..

Habring is probably one of the smallest watch manufacturers, with a production that hardly reaches 50 timepieces per year. Habring is located in Austria, and owned by Richard and Maria Habring. This small company exists since 1985, but it wasn't until October 2004 when their first wrist watch bearing the Habring² name on the dial was produced.

Exactly 5 years after the introduction of their very first Habring² model, Habring now introduces the Time Only 2009 model. Whilst the watch was introduced with an ETA (6498-1) powered movement 5 years ago, Habring is now proud to say that they are on their way to become a full blown watch manufacturer, creating their movements in-house. Their new manufactory caliber A09 automatic movement is based on the ETA train gear, but has an in-house developed bidirectional winding system. This has been developed by Habring to increase the easy of carrying out service on the A09 movement. The automatic winding system that they developed, can be removed by their watchmaker within seconds, to access the basic movement for service. Habring also has a manual wound movement (A09M), which doesn't have the in-house bidirection winding system of course. When buying a Time Only 2009, you can choose between these movements for the same retail price. Personally, I would opt for the automatic mechanical version (A09), since this one has this special developed winding system.
So, what do you get for 1950 Euro?

An individually engraved watch, with serial number 01 - 2009 till 12 - 2009 (or any other year of production) between the lugs at 6 o'clock. The watch comes with a domed sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal case back. The Time Only 2009 has a 42mm diameter and a water resistancy of 50 meters.

You can have the watch customized by choosing a dial from either silver, copper, galvanic blue or galvanic black. If you have any other ideas about the dial, you can file a request at Habring. Hand and hour markers are either gold plated or rhodiated.

The A09 movement has a diameter of 30mm and is shock protected according to DINS and NIHS standards. The manual wound version (A09M) has a power reserve of 57 hours and the automatic version (A09) of the movement has a power reserve of 48 hours.

Wait... there is more?

Yes, a Habring² handmade wooden box made from brushed and oiled Oregon-pine with integrated spare part compartment with a set of spares comes with the Time Only 2009. And because you'll probably leave that set at home when travelling, you can request a travel pouch with integrated spare strap on request.

Munichtime and Viennatime

Both Munich and Vienna have a watch event this year. The Munichtime and Viennatime are an excellent opportunity to meet with over 50 watch brands. From the leading companies in the watch industry to small and independent watchmanufacturers like Habring.

From German Schauer watches comes the Edition 14 Chronograph watches from their Kulisse collection . Beautifully rendered to be both modern and utilitarian, the timepieces embody the spirit of functional design simplicity.

Schauer chose to use a modified Swiss ETA Valjoux 7753 automatic movement in the Kulisse Edition 14 watch. Using a high grade version of the movement, the originally tri-compax array of subdials was removed to created a bi-compax subdial layout. This altered the chronograph from having a 12-hour to a 30 minute timing max, but the dial design is clean and invitingly attractive. The left subdial is used for the watch seconds, while the right subdial is a counter for the chronograph minutes.



Looking through the rear of the watch you can view the decorated movement through the sapphire caseback window. Notice the high level of perlage and other polishes on the surfaces, as well as the blued steel screws and signed automatic rotor. Schauer is know for their high grade steel watch cases that offer a superior level of fit and finish. Like the caseback window, the watch crystal is sapphire and slightly domed.

The case is 42mm wide, by 15mm deep, and is water resistant to 50 meters. The bezel has the now signature Schauer screws that doubly serve to enhance the instrumental look of the watch, as well as be additional hour markers. Bezel screws have commonly been a simple, but effective look for creating a more masculine and functional feel to any timepiece. Dial design is superb. Like a sketch pulled from the desk of an architect, the large opens spaces serve as visual breathing room between the slender dials and hour markers. There is a date window carefully inserted at the 6 o'clock position. The Edition 14 watch is a timepiece born for function, and merely is attractive as a positive consequence. Hour markers as well as the hands are covered in C3 SuperLuminova for darkness viewing. Schauer intelligently made the hands very bold and to stand out against the dial for extreme visual clarity. The plump, robust nature of the hands is a charming contrast against the austere dial design - which is available in both black and white. Most other watches of this ilk would have had thin, hard to read hands against this style face, but Jorg Schauer knows better though. Also note how the hands are precisely the right length for the size of a dial, another indication that Schauer watches are designed by a dedicated watch making professional.



In addition to high grade cases and quality dials, Schauer is regarded as maker of fine watch bracelets. The Edition 14 watch has at least four options in the strap/bracelet department. The watch is available with a rubber or leather strap, as well as two metal bracelets. First is the classic mesh steel bracelet (the "Artus") that watch lovers known Schauer to render impeccably using thick metal (this bracelet is available on many of their timepieces). Second is a five link metal bracelet that interestingly uses almost squared links to compose the design - Schauer calls it the "Kubus." All strap or bracelet choices match the style of the watch and dial well.

Prices for the Schauer Edition 14 watches start at about $3,550.

By Ariel Adams

Dear all,

Please find the latest news and list of exhibitors at www.watch2009-on-tour.com. Watchuseek is giving away 50 entry cards and offers all others a EUR 10.00 discount on the normal price of EUR 25.00. Interested? Send an e-mail with your full name, address and phone number to blog@watchuseek.com.