Holthinrichs Teams Up With Revolution and The Rake for Two Very Limited Editions

Back in October, in our podcast about great watches between $3,500 and $5,000, I mentioned Holthinrichs Watches, a small brand based in the Netherlands making 3D printed watches in a classic style. I’m a big fan of the aesthetic of these watches, with slender cases, fancy lugs, and plenty of interesting finishing options. Holthinrichs also allows customers to order bespoke or customized pieces, and there’s a great mix here of old fashioned hand craft with newer manufacturing tech, a combination I really can’t get enough of. Scrolling through Instagram recently, I was pleased to see that Holthinrichs has partnered with Revolution and the Rake on a very limited run of custom made watches, and thought it would be a great time to revisit the brand. 

There are actually two watches in this limited run, each highlighting different aspects of the design language that is core to the Holthinrich brand. For Revolution, we have the Brutal Elegance Ornament. For the Rake, the Refined Elegance Ornament. Both watches feature the standard 38mm Holthinrichs 3D printed case, with subtle differences to the dials and finishing elements that are applied. 

Revolution’s version makes prominent use of Holthinrichs’ “raw” finish. This is an option that is available to Holthinrichs clients when purchasing a watch, and as the name implies it showcases the case material fresh out of the 3D printer. It has the appearance of a sandblasted finish, but is far more resistant to scratching. The raw look is contrasted with polished elements on the lugs and crown, which are accomplished in the traditional manner, by hand. The dial has a rough finish paired with highly polished Breguet numerals, acting as a complement to the opposing styles coming together on the case. 

The Rake’s take, the Refined Elegance, is exactly what you’d expect based on the name. The case is polished all around, and the dial is a crisp and clean white Japanese lacquer. The idea here was to achieve a look that’s similar to enamel without ballooning the cost of the watch. The pad-printing technique and coloration for the minute indices was selected specifically because of how it resembles discoloration on vintage enamel dials, which is an extremely subtle vintage inspired design touch that you really have to be tuned in to appreciate.   

Both watches run on the ETA 7001 hand wound movement, standard in all Holthinrichs pieces. For these editions, the movements have been given a frosted finish with hand beveling and polishing along the edges of the bridges. The screw heads have also been black polished by hand, a detail that you just don’t commonly see on watches at this price point. 

Ten watches of each variant will be made, and at the time of this writing, both are still available to order. The price is $6,500, and it takes approximately six weeks from an order being placed for the watch to be completed by Holthinrichs. See more on the Brutal Elegance Ornament on Revolution right here, and find the Refined Elegance Ornament on the Rake’s website here. Holthinrichs