This Affordable Titanium Watch Might Be the Most Original Day-Date Ever Made

In 1675, Dutch scientist, astronomer and inventor Christiaan Huygens introduced the first balance spring, a brilliant piece of engineering at the heart of mechanical timekeeping to this day.

Huygens’s invention, a coiled spring that releases energy at a constant rate, allowed reliable clockworks to be produced on a small and portable scale, revolutionizing navigation, astronomy and daily life.

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To honor the 350th anniversary of this enormous accomplishment, Dutch independent watchmaker Brendan Horneman created the Hugenius, a watch with perhaps the most unique day-date display ever designed.

Horneman teaches at the Dutch National School for Watchmakers, Goldsmiths and Jewelers in Schoonhoven. He created his watch brand in 2018, but hasn’t released anything in years.

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The Hugenius has a 40mm titanium case, housing an ETA caliber 2834-2 automatic movement, which Horneman modified to accommodate his unique dial layout.

The date is displayed in a standard rectangular window at six o’clock, but the days are printed on the outermost track of the dial using a combination of astrological symbols and registered with the largest hand on the dial.

Gods and stars

Horneman designed the dial of the Hugenius to acknowledge Huygens’s many accomplishments in astronomy, optics and engineering. The layout of the hands represents the earliest models of a heliocentric galaxy, which Huygens helped establish.

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An Earth symbol sits at the center of the dial, followed by an illuminated ring marked by the counterbalance for the day hand. The lollipop hour hand points to a Roman numeral track, followed by the lollipop minute hand pointing to a railroad minute track.

On the outermost rim of the dial sits the day track. Each day of the week is marked by an astrological symbol representing the Norse gods or Latin words that became the modern names for days of the week.

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The first seven astronomical bodies observed by humans were the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Saturn and Venus. The seven days of the week were named after these objects using a combination of Latin terms and the ancient Norse equivalents to the Greco-Roman gods for which the planets were named.

Horneman placed a 4mm-wide magnifying glass in the rim of the day hand to honor Huygens’s work in optics and lens making. It is placed at the appropriate height over each symbol to show a clear magnification of each day.

A proper watch

The Hugenius isn’t just a clever dial; Horneman designed a serious watch to honor the esteemed Dutch polymath. It is powered by a customized ETA movement, housed in a titanium case and equipped with a canvas strap with a leather backing.

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Only a passion project from a Dutch horological professor could yield such a fascinating, unique and impressive watch. As a one-man operation, it is understandable that Kneijnsberg has only produced two watches in almost a decade, but I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Availability and pricing

The Kneijnsberg Hugenius is available now from Kneijnsberg for €1,411.50, which currently exchanges to $1,195.

Only 350 pieces are being produced.

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Kneijnsberg Hugenius

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	CH28.350 (Modified ETA cal. 2834-2) automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $1,195 at Kneijnsberg

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