Introduction

The Horology Club (THC) is a horological enthusiast society that was founded to promote the community aspect of watch collecting and the appreciation of the horological arts. The Habring² for THC Erwin 'THC School Piece' is the ultimate celebration of the transformation of THC from a small group of enthusiast friends to an open and inclusive community of watch collectors based in Hong Kong.

Jumping seconds and Habring²

The jumping seconds mechanism, also known as deadbeat seconds, is a relatively uncommon mechanism that allows the seconds hand to jump at the frequency of once per second. To the uninitiated, it would give the impression that the watch is powered by a quartz movement. However, to the horological enthusiast, it would mean that the watch contains a rather obscure complication that allows them to observe the precise passage of each second, which makes it very fitting as the basis of the first club piece for The Horology Club. That's why we consider this as a 'THC School Piece' to denote the debut of THC’s creations.

Richard Habring has long been known for his work in realising high-end complications such as split-seconds chronograph in a practical and cost-efficient manner using the Valjoux 7750 as the base movement. Since the establishment of his eponymous brand Habring² in 2004 with his wife Maria Habring, he has continued to develop various complications (e.g. 5-minute repeater, perpetual calendar with split-seconds chronograph, foudroyante) under the same philosophy. The Habring² Erwin has become a signature time-only model for the brand with the jumping seconds complication captivating all collectors alike.

The design

The Erwin ‘THC School Piece’ is a great representation of the THC community’s appreciation of the horological arts. On the one hand, the long history of watchmaking and classical designs should be applauded. On the other hand, THC also strongly believes in the importance of constantly pushing boundaries. The design of the Erwin ‘THC School Piece’ embodies that by paying tribute to the vintage Calatrava-style dials of the 1940s and injecting that with a touch of modernity with the olive green accents on the two-tone dial.

Two-tone Calatrava-style dials with applied Breguet numerals, which are well-known on Patek Philippe vintage references 565 and 570, have long been a favourite of collectors. The two-tone nature of these dials does not necessarily mean that they were born with two (or more) colours, but rather the various finishing techniques applied on different parts of the dial can cause the parts to reflect light, render colour, and even age differently. The dial of the Erwin ‘THC School Piece’ pays tribute to vintage two-tone dials by presenting a mixture of dial finishing techniques such as vertical brushing, mirror polishing, and azurage pattern. It goes one step further with the application of an olive green chapter ring underlying the polished Breguet numeral indices, which represents the modern twist on an otherwise predominantly vintage dial design. This combination is also a reflection of the belief of THC’s founders that great design should take reference from history as well as take a step into the future.

While the use of green in dial design may not be uncommon these days, the conception of the Erwin ‘THC School Piece’ actually occurred some time before the ubiquity of green watches that emerged during Watches & Wonders 2021. The matte olive green chapter ring provides great contrast against the silvered dial, the polished feuille hour and minute hands and the blued jumping seconds hand. The outer chapter ring of the dial is finished with an azurage pattern and printed with a railroad track to indicate the minutes.

The case of the Erwin ‘THC School Piece’ retains the case design of the regular production Erwin but with a concave bezel to enhance visual interest. On the sapphire case back, there are cursive engravings of “The Horology Club” and the individual numbering of the piece, with the font being a reference to the cursive font used in the logo of Habring².

One of the aims of THC is the promotion of the horological arts through creating club pieces with watch brands and independent watchmakers to highlight the exemplary work that is currently being done in the watch industry. The Erwin 'THC School Piece' is the perfect embodiment of innovative and pragmatic watchmaking from a pioneer of the watch industry combined with aesthetics born from the creativity of a collector-led design effort, and it is the first of a series of club pieces that would be created for the THC community.

Specifications

Habring² for THC Erwin 'THC School Piece'
Case Diameter: 38.5mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Indices: Applied Breguet numerals
Strap: Grey calf leather strap
Caliber: Manufacture in-house A11MS
Functions: Hours, minutes, jumping seconds
Movement Diameter: 30mm
Movement Height: 5.7mm
Power Reserve: 48 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
Winding: Hand-wound
Additional Details: Sapphire case back
Limited Edition: 10 individually numbered pieces
THC Ref.: THC01P