ochs und junior

Introducing moon phase patina dark!

moon phase patina is the reference execution of Ludwig Oechslin’s modern moon phase watch. Its high-contrast indices and hands make for a highly functional wrist watch.

But we wondered what would happen if we put maximum emphasis on the moon phase and date (2nd of the month in the picture) by turning down the volume on everything else. The result was a watch where the time is still readable — if that is why you looked at your watch. Otherwise, a quick glance to your wrist offers the perspective of a longer time horizon. The absence of a second hand adds to the calming — or perhaps energizing — effect of this perspective.

Like moon phase patina, moon phase patina dark's dial is executed in a single metal — brass — with no color added. Just two metals are visible on the watch: titanium (case, crown, buckle) and brass. The dial and indices are hand-patinated, and contrast is achieved by milling out the moon and date dot at the final step. Peter Cantieni performs all machining and milling at his workshop in Hinwil, and also performs the patination process by hand.

CHF 8'000.- titanium (pictured)
CHF 10'000.- silver

Additional photos and purchase information

Last Saturday, a spirited textile design student from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts named Sabina Brägger came by our workspace with an armful of very interesting leather samples.

Is that dinosaur leather?!

No, actually it is fish leather (sturgeon) from the Tropenhaus in Frutigen, Switzerland.

Why would we be interested in fish leather? We have no intention of giving up our vegetable-treated cow leather straps from Ecopell.

You see, this sturgeon skin from the Tropenhaus in Frutigen has a very special story behind it. The Tropenhaus (English: Tropic House) is a greenhouse at the cutting edge of experiments in renewable energy. In 2005-2007, the Lötschberg Base Tunnel (currently the world's longest on land) was built to ease truck traffic on Swiss roads. An unfortunate side-effect of the tunnel was a large amount of continually flowing warm water. The water could not be redirected into the nearby river, as its relatively warmer temperature would disrupt the life cycle of endangered fish living there.

What to do? A bit of ingenuity to the rescue…instead of using energy to cool the water before passing it into the river, the Tropenhaus would use the warm water to power a greenhouse which could produce exotic fruit, sturgeon meat, and caviar.

Sabina, however, spotted a way the Tropenhaus could be made even more efficient (it's already quite so). What were they doing with the skin from the sturgeons? It turns out they were just burning it.

Sturgeons are a bonefish, which means they don’t have any scales. And their skin is rather thick with a pleasant, cork-like feel — it has potential for a leather watch strap.

We are therefore doing a project with Sabina for her bachelor thesis to see if we can make leather watch straps from Tropenhaus sturgeon skin…stay tuned for the results!

Peter at work!

The titanium and silver cases for Ludwig Oechslin’s watches are machined by Peter Cantieni at his workshop in Hinwil, Switzerland. Peter's main job is machining ultra-precise titanium parts for the Swiss Formula 1 team Sauber. He also machines tiny parts that function inside orbiting satellites and require tolerances of 3/1000th of a millimeter.

Peter’s machining and milling work for ochs und junior is so precise and aesthetic that we don't polish away the mark of his tools. What you see on ochs und junior cases, buckles and crowns is the untreated metal exactly as it leaves Peter’s workshop. The resulting look is perhaps similar to the use of visible concrete in architecture.

Titanium case with visible machining, crown and buckle:



Multi-megabyte photos in the press area.

Mechanical watches can last a lifetime, because they are repairable. They need not become obsolete, be discarded in landfills, or expensively recycled like electronic watches, mobile phones and computers.

ochs und junior sells no more than 300 mechanical watches per year and is always looking for ways to benefit its customers and lessen its impact on the environment.

Earth Day, when events are held in 192 countries to show support for protecting the environment, seemed like the right time to share some of ochs und junior’s current efforts.

1. Simple cardboard flats for packaging.

ochs und junior watches come strapped to a cardboard flat instead of enclosed inside a large luxury display box, like other mechanical watches. This saves materials, and the cardboard is easy to recycle. Plus, customers pay for their watch, and not a fancy display box. The only other ochs und junior accessory is a leather travel pouch (more on the leather we use below).

1. Vegetable-tanned leather straps and pouches.

ochs und junior’s rhubarb-tanned leather straps and pouches are manufactured by IVN-certified Ecopell, and do not use heavy metals like chromium. Chromium is a common additive to leather watch straps which slows the aging process, but is a health hazard in high concentrations. ochs und junior’s vegetable-tanned leather straps and pouches are completely anti-allergic and age naturally — plus, no heavy metals need to be mined and recycled (or worse).

1. No printed catalogs.

ochs und junior communicates its product line on ochsundjunior.ch instead of with a printed catalog. This saves paper and ensures customers have the latest information. But it also means customers do not pay for any catalogs sent to potential customers in the price of their watch.

ochs und junior will continue seeking ways to benefit its customers that are mindful of the environment.

Earth Day

Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Further information can be found on Wikipedia and Earth Day Network.

Ecopell

ochs und junior’s custom watch straps use Ecopell leather. Ecopell GmbH, based in Southern Germany, is the first leather maker to be certified according to the standard of the International Association of Natural Textile Industry (IVN). To receive certification, a leather manufacturer must pass a critical examination of every step in its leather-production process, from dyes to tanning agents to the environmental impact of its industrial processes.