Earlier this year, when Dutch independent brand Holthinrichs announced their new Signature Collection, we thought it was one of the most impressive new projects in indie watchmaking. It represented a bold shift for the brand, moving from complex, bespoke watchmaking to something more easily repeatable and at a more approachable price point. With advances in manufacturing capabilities, the new and less expensive Signature Collection actually represents a vision of watchmaking far closer to what brand founder Michiel Holthinrichs had always intended. It was, and remains, an exciting story for fans of the brand, but after seeing Holthinrichs steadily create watches that are more and more ambitious in recent years, we?ve kept hope alive that the brand hadn?t completely abandoned their goals of creating something truly high end and in-house. 
Now, on the heels of the Signature Collection comes word of a new project within Holthinrichs that would appear to fill the void of truly high end watchmaking that was left when the brand transitioned to their new model. Holthinrichs Haute Horlogerie provides an outlet for the brand?s most ambitious ideas, and the first watch under this new banner, the Ornament Nouveau, is unlike anything they?ve attempted previously. 
Like every watch Holthinrichs has made, the defining characteristic of the new piece is its sculptural design. But with the Ornament Nouveau, those ideas have been manifested not just in the case and dial design, but in...