The Old Soul by Vianney Halter and Massena LAB stands as a truly novel horological art piece, conjured from a resolute partnership between two forces of independent watchmaking: Vianney Halter, the Parisian-trained, Ste-Croix-established maverick best known for his fusion of steampunk with centuries-old complication, and William Massena, whose erudite knowledge of the craft shapes the ethos of Massena LAB. The creation of Old Soul is not just a celebration of technical mastery, but an homage to the enduring spirit of mechanical timekeeping. This limited edition of forty-seven pieces is being ushered into the world with the gravitas and subtle eccentricity that both Halter and Massena embody, a piece simultaneously evoking vintage imaginations and the fantastic realms of science fiction: from the philosophical depths of Delmore Schwartz to the starfields of Star Trek.
The dial is a steampunk manifest
Central to the striking identity of Old Soul is its three-dimensional multilayered dial. Vianney Halter‘s singularly steampunk vocabulary is here fused with vintage and mid-century inspiration, resulting in a breathtaking display that dances with light and shadow. The dial is structured as a regulator, a deliberate nod to historic observatory timepieces, with hours at three o’clock, seconds at nine, and minutes indicated upon the radiant chapter ring. The chapter ring itself is sensuously radially brushed and rhodium plated, providing a subtle shimmer against the dial’s silvered surface. The hours and seconds registers, subsidiary yet prominent, employ chemin de fer, or railway track, styling, a flourish reminiscent of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century chronometers, but here realised with a distinctly modern spirit.
Arabic numerals are rendered in Halter’s proprietary typeface, immediately signalling his hand in the design. The minutes are indicated not with a traditional hand, but with a hovering blued arrow, borne aloft by a transparent sapphire disc to create a mysterious, floating effect – a masterstroke of illusion sometimes called the ‘mystery dial’ complication. The names ‘Vianney Halter’ and ‘Massena’ are etched upon the interior of the sapphire crystal itself. This ingenious layering forms a gentle shadow that elevates the dial’s sense of depth. The final flourish, a three-dimensional stainless steel shield, engraved with concentric circles and dotted with studs, sits atop the sapphire, reinforcing Halter’s steampunk aesthetic and making the watch an unmistakable outlier on the wrist.
Minerva 17’22 calibre: tradition, artistry, and invention
Turning to the heart of the watch, Old Soul’s movement is a carefully modified Minerva 17’22 calibre, originally crafted in the 1920s for pocket watches and revived here for modern wristwear. This movement embodies the concept of the soul – a vivid and animating force central to the watch’s philosophical inspiration. Fashioned entirely by hand before CNC technology’s advent, the Minerva 17’22 exudes artisanal authenticity. Each movement features hand-finished stripes of Côtes de Genève, painstaking anglage on its edges, and lustrous black polish that lend every visible surface a mirror-like clarity. The mainspring barrel, engraved with the classical Minerva arrow motif and signed by its maker, pays homage to the brand’s storied heritage.
Technically, the calibre operates at a measured frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5Hz), a rhythm that calls back to the slow, deliberate pace of vintage timepieces. Boasting seventeen jewels and a Breguet overcoil balance spring, it offers a power reserve of approximately thirty-six hours. The entire movement is displayed under a sapphire pane treated with anti-reflective coating, affording enthusiasts unobstructed views of the finishing and intricacies within. Crucially, the movement has been adapted to accommodate the transparent minute disc, enabling the floating hand illusion and marking a debut for this mystery dial complication using a vintage base. Original movement numbers and character are preserved, gently complemented by the double insignia of Halter and Massena LAB upon the calibre’s surface.
Sophisticated architecture
Encasing the complex dial and movement is a 42mm stainless steel case, executed with a masterful blend of polished and brushed finishes. The lines flow seamlessly from the concave bezel to the stepped lugs—these are bold and decisive in form, rooting the piece in mid-century traditions yet allowing it to speak fluently to today’s tastes. The lugs anchor the watch confidently, ensuring its presence is both assertive and ergonomic. Its thickness, including the crystal, measures a refined 12mm.
The crown is a tactile pleasure, embellished with functional steel studs that echo those found on the dial shield; it feels solid and engaging under the finger, with the additional aesthetic flourish of Halter’s ‘VH’ signature. Water resistance is rated at 3ATM, a practical measure that secures peace of mind for daily wear, while retaining the sensibility of a dress-oriented timepiece. Both the front and exhibition case back crystal are sapphire, incorporating anti-reflective coatings for optimal clarity. The case back itself is engraved with the signatures of both collaborators, alongside a serial number unique to each example. An additional detail between the lugs is the quote ‘Time is the Fire in which we burn’, sourced from Delmore Schwartz and famously used in Star Trek Generations, a testament to the watchmakers’ reverence for literature and imaginative tradition.
Ending and conclusion
Old Soul is the bridge between epochs, an object untethered to conventional timelines, given life through technical bravura and romantic ingenuity. Born from Massena LAB’s “Old Masters” series and following the narrative arc set by Old School, Old Soul frames the end of the watchmaker’s journey, touching on mortality, the quest for immortality, and the persistence of the mechanical object. Halter’s and Massena’s partnership results in a timepiece that stands apart, imbued with philosophical undertones and aesthetic daring. Available in a strictly limited run of forty-seven pieces, each watch is unique by virtue of its vintage movement and the rarefied finish invested into every detail. For serious collectors and aficionados, the Old Soul by Vianney Halter and Massena LAB is an invitation to wear a piece of horological history, and to contemplate the very essence and endurance of that history on the wrist. Its debut at Geneva Watch Days 2025 marks a moment in contemporary watchmaking where the past is not simply revived, it is reinvented with depth and character, worthy of the highest watchmaking accolade and the gaze of those seeking the extraordinary.
Old Soul by Vianney Halter and Massena LAB Technical Specifications
Limited edition of 47 pieces, available for preorder at Massena LAB
Functions
- Hours, minutes, and seconds.
Movement
- Vintage Minerva caliber 17’22.
- Diameter: 39.25mm.
- Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5Hz).
- 17 jewels.
- Power reserve of 36 hours.
- Breguet balance spring.
- Côtes de Genève, hand-finished anglage, rhodium plating. Black polishing.
Case
- Stainless steel.
- Diameter: 42mm.
- Thickness: 12mm including crystal.
- Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Exhibition case back also with sapphire crystal and antireflective coating.
- Concave bezel, polished, with stepped lugs featuring mixed polished and brushed surfaces to accentuate details.
- Studded Vianney Halter steampunk style crown adorned with Vianney Halter “VH” signature.
- Water-resistance: 3 ATM.
Dial
- Three dimensional, multilayered dial with time in a regulator display, split between three independent registers.
- Hours displayed on subsidiary dial at three o’clock. Seconds at nine o’clock. Minutes on the outer chapter ring.
- Mystery minute display. A rotating sapphire disc with blued steel arrow gives the illusion of a floating minute hand.
- Arabic numerals in Vianney Halter signature typeface.
- Double signed “Vianney Halter” and “Massena” – signature etched into sapphire crystal.
Strap
- Midnight blue with tone on tone stitching. Made in Italy.
- Stainless steel Massena LAB pin buckle.
