Watchmaking is famously a slow industry. We are after all using technology that was developed, in many cases, centuries ago. Using designs that are decades old. Horage though make watchmaking feel like the bleeding edge with their enthusiastic and open approach to innovation and development. With movements like the Tourbillon 2 and MicroReg Concept they’re a small, independent brand taking on some of watchmaking’s biggest challenges. Now though, they want to tackle the other end of the spectrum, revitalising time only displays with a fresh approach. The result is the new K3 Calibre, which is making its debut in the Horage DecaFlux watch.
The idea for the K3 calibre is actually a direct result of Horage’s success as an independent brand. They have been approached many, many times by other independents wanting to be let in at the ground floor with Horage’s technology. Rather than open the vaults, they’ve developed a new movement expressly built for the purpose of sharing and developing with other brands. So don’t be surprised in future to find the Horage calibres in watches that don’t have the Horage name on the dial.
In order to accommodate the wide variety of concepts and ideas that other designers might call upon the K3 to achieve, it has to be an incredibly strong foundation. As such, they’ve built it as a 3-hand base that can easily be adapted with modules for small seconds, date and power reserve indicator. They’ve also developed a 96-hour power reserve, outperforming virtually every third-party or off-the-shelf movement in the industry – though like the ETA Powermatic, which runs at 3 Hz, the K3 runs at 3.5 Hz (lower than the standard 4 Hz many brands use) in order to ensure a long reserve, which is possible without sacrificing accuracy thanks to the efficiency of the silicon components. As evidenced by the fact it’s COSC chronometer certified to boot.
However, the most significant feature of the K3 movement is its use of silicon components, with a silicon escapement. Silicon has typically been the exclusive preserve of big brands and corporations, not independents, due to the exclusivity of production. Yet, the chronometric benefits of the material are plain to see with great friction reduction and anti-magnetic properties. As such, while it’s not necessarily new technology, Horage say that it is a horological innovation to see it in presented in an independent movement.
The idea of anti-magnetic silicon components also brings us to the DecaFlux, Horage’s debut timepiece housing the K3. It’s unapologetically styled after the Rolex Milgauss, arguably the most famous anti-magnetic watch of all time. Rolex discontinued the model in 2023 due to the perception that the collection had lost its relevance – after all, it was initially designed for scientists working at CERN, which is an incredibly niche audience and many other watches not marketed as anti-magnetic overtook it as well. However, Horage believe that anti-magnetic watches aren’t just more relevant than ever, but essential for everyone. In a world where we’re constantly connected to our phones, laptops, headphones and countless other electronic devices, magnetic fields are all around us.
As such, the DecaFlux has a Milgauss style round case in steel measuring 40mm in diameter with a dial that also pays tribute to the discontinued watch. It also has a height of 9.98mm, sliding in just under the 10mm mark, which was one of Horage’s goals. It has very legible baton and wedge indexes as well as broad, lumed, hour and minutes hands and a lightning bolt shaped seconds hand. That seconds hand is split between red and blue, the signature colours representing the poles in a magnetic field. The dial below is available in two variants, black or vibrant blue.
Priced at CHF 2,500 (approx. £2,185) for the first 96 hours and CHF 2,750 (approx. £2,400) from then on, it’s also a new entry level price for Horage – around half that of the next most accessible model, introducing a huge new audience to the brand. It’s not as instantly accessible as movements from the likes of Sellita, ETA, Seiko/NH or Swatch’s Powermatics, but it’s produced independently with a superb power reserve and silicon components, so it’s not really a fair comparison. Also, considering the prices some brands charge for a Sellita movement… It’s pretty great value.
Price and Specs:
More details at Horage.
