ochs und junior Debuts a New Line of Affordably Priced Watches

We’re pretty big fans of ochs und junior around here for their rigorously simple aesthetic and the highly specific niche they occupy in the independent watch world. Zach wrote about last year’s Calendario Cent’Anni a few weeks ago, and that particular watch is a great example of what makes ochs und junior so great – it’s a perpetual calendar (OK, a “semi” perpetual calendar) that, at a glance, has a layout about as uncomplicated as many time only watches. But once you grasp the time-telling piece, it becomes quite intuitive. Mechanically, ochs und junior watches excel at more information with fewer components, making complications that are historically difficult to service as worry free as possible. There’s a lot to like here. 

Their newly announced series is genuinely exciting, because it should allow consumers playing at a lower price point to get into the brand for the first time. One of the key features of the brand that can drive the price up quickly is the ability for clients to customize virtually any component of the watch. With the new ochs line, the brand is releasing bare bones versions of watches without customization options. The first watch to get the ochs line treatment is their two time zones, a simple watch that provides the wearer’s home time, and the time in one other time zone at a glance. In the mainline, this watch starts at CHF 6,000, but the ochs line version is just CHF 3,230 (with VAT removed). 

Even without the ability to customize your watch, this version of the two time zones is unmistakably ochs und junior. There are two variants, each with a dark blue dial. One has bright orange accents, and the other has accents in an almost fluorescent green. Neither choice is particularly sober, which is par for the course with this brand (check out the customization tool on the website to get a sense of some of the wild combinations that are encouraged with their watches). 

The complication here is incredibly simple, both in understanding it as presented on the dial, and mechanically. The center mounted hour and minute hands tell the home time, and a second time zone is read through an aperture at each hour. Adjust the time zone disc to the proper offset and each window will always display the correct hour in that second time zone. For example, if you’re on the east coast and monitoring time in California, 11 will be set at the 2:00 position. According to ochs und junior, this complication is executed via a module made up of just two extra parts (the base movement is an ETA 2824-2). 

That mechanical simplicity allows ochs und junior to build a watch that has a real casual elegance to it, with a titanium case measuring 39mm in diameter and just 10.4mm tall. That’s a great size, and the watch still has 100 meters of water resistance, so this could easily be a daily wear candidate. 

The two time zones is available to order now directly from ochs und junior. For more information, visit their website here.