ochs und junior, one of our favorite independent watchmakers, is coming out with a new model – the annual calendar LIGHT.
In case you’re not familiar with the brand, and chances are high that you're not, ochs und junior watches are designed by Ludwig Oechslin, a brilliant watchmaker who prides himself in creating rigorously simple watches. And, indeed, ochs und junior timepieces are inspired by simplicity, offering the most functional representation of time in the most elegant manner possible. The brand produces a maximum of 300 watches per year, and these watches aren't even marked with the brand's name. Moreover, they don't have any retailers – the watches are exclusively sold directly from ochs und junior workshop in Lucerne.
The latest offering from ochs und junior is the annual calendar LIGHT, a new iteration of the world’s most minimalist annual calendar watch. A couple of months ago, ochs und junior revealed the annual calendar BRASS, on which all of the components of the dial are crafted from this golden-orange metal alloy made of copper and zinc. This time, the annual calendar, which is already a very lightweight wristwatch, weighs less than the original. The watch is made of feather-light titanium, and it weighs 39.97g in a 39mm version, and 42.94g in a 42mm variant.
Comparison of original 39mm case and LIGHT 39mm case
The -35.83%/ -39.02% difference from the original model is obtained through the radical milling of the 2-part case. The cases were hand-made by Peter Cantieni, who milled away every last gram of material that does not affect the performance of the components. Interestingly enough, the evidence of his work is hidden from the eye of the observer - the case looks exactly the same as the original annual calendar, yet it is significantly lighter.
The second technique for reducing the weight of the case was manufacturing the dial, gear wheels, hands, and crown in aluminum alloy Al Mg Si 1, which is much lighter than brass. The annual calendar dial also serves as a module, which holds the gears for the annual calendar function on the back side. Finally, a significant portion of weight has been saved by redesigning the strap and buckle. The new strap is made out of kevlar and fastened with Velcro. Its buckle is slightly redesigned and made from carbon fiber.
Ludwig Oechslin’s annual calendar displays the date as an analog dot, thus allowing the wearer to read date from the same distance as the time. The 30+1 holes around the perimeter of the dial display the date, while the 10 minute markers serve as reference points. The 7 holes display the weekday, while the 12 holes display the month. One visible weekday dot indicates daytime, while two visible weekday dots indicate night time. The minute and second can be read using the date holes, which are spaced at 2 minute intervals.
ochs und junior annual calendar LIGHT will be manufactured in about 10 pieces per year. The clients are offered the possibility of open-ended customization. The variant shown in our pictures is chosen for its maximum legibility of time and date. It includes anodized black aluminum dial with white X1 Super-LumiNova markers, white hour and minute hands in X1 Super-LumiNova, second hand in dial color for instant visibility of the time, and orange X1 Super-LumiNova date, month, and weekday dots. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters.
ochs und junior annual calendar LIGHT is available in 39mm and 42mm variants. One of each is already available for purchase. The export price (excluding 8% Swiss VAT) is CHF 9’200. The watch comes in a handmade travel pouch.
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