I have known Michiel Holthinrichs personally for nine years, and in that time I have watched him build something genuinely rare: a Dutch independent brand that consistently advances its own logic rather than chasing external validation. In 2026, his Delft-based atelier celebrates a decade of watchmaking, and the occasion calls for two new SIGNATURE LAB releases. The 1.S and the 1.GMT, each limited to 100 pieces, honour the Ornament 1, the sub-seconds watch that launched the brand in 2016, and the RAW Ornament Bronze, which crystallised Holthinrichs‘ concept of Horlogerie Brut: letting manufacturing processes shape the aesthetic directly. These are not iterations, they represent in fact a genuine escalation.
The Dials: Copper in Three Dimensions
Holthinrichs produces both dials entirely in-house from solid copper plate, and the production process defines everything about their appearance. The team mills and engraves each plate, then builds patina through a controlled, cyclical sequence of heat treatment and selective brushing with a soft brush, accumulating oxide gradually across different relief depths.
On the 1.S, deeply carved lines radiate outward from the sub-seconds register, creating a relief geometry with clear Art Deco roots. The deepest grooves hold the richest azure-blue patina, while the raised surfaces develop warmer brown-green tones, producing a chromatic contrast across physical layers that no flat dial can replicate.
The 1.GMT escalates the complexity significantly. Its dial incorporates a globe viewed from the North Pole in an azimuthal equidistant projection, embossed as an intermediate relief layer between the background and the top surface. A micro-brush selectively removes excess patina from the globe, producing a darker brown contrast. At the uppermost level, Breguet-style GMT hour markers in machined brass carry a brushed finish that reflects light entirely differently from the oxidised copper beneath them. For this model, the final production stage adds selective aluminium oxide grit brushing to refine surface transitions. Consequently, each dial arrives as a unique object.
The Movement: Industrial Base, Artisanal Treatment
Holthinrichs uses the top-grade Sellita SW360 in the 1.S and the SW330 in the 1.GMT. The choice is deliberate: both movements offer reliable automatic mechanics within slim dimensions, perfectly suited to this 7.8 mm case. The SW360 delivers a 56-hour power reserve, while the SW330, a GMT-capable calibre running at 28,800 vph, offers 42 hours. Neither calibre, however, emerges from the atelier in its standard state. The centrepiece of Holthinrichs’ movement work is the bespoke rotor: carved by hand, treated with acid and heat to develop a patinated surface that mirrors the dial above it. The tungsten weight undergoes scraping followed by heat treatment to reach a blue-to-purple chromatic range. These finishing operations require considerable skill and produce results that shift visually depending on angle and light. Holthinrichs applies haute horlogerie sensibility to a high-quality Swiss base calibre, a combination that, in my view, represents one of the most intellectually honest approaches in independent watchmaking.
The Case: What Printing Makes Possible
The case uses Grade 5 titanium, produced through selective laser melting, a process Holthinrichs has refined across several product generations. Each build plate accommodates 45 cases and requires up to 48 hours of printing time. After printing, the team individually aligns each case for CNC milling before hours of manual finishing begin. Ceramic bead blasting creates a uniform matte base across most surfaces, while selective manual brushing on specific zones introduces directional contrast. The lugs are structurally the most expressive element: thin, near-cantilevered forms that only metal printing can realise reliably in series production. A curved caseback improves wrist stability and reduces perceived size, and at 38.5 mm diameter with a 46 mm lug-to-lug, the total thickness reaches 9.85 mm including the domed sapphire crystal. The 1.S weighs 37.7 g; the 1.GMT weighs 37.9 g, both without strap.
Closing Thoughts
Michiel told me some time ago that the LAB Series exists to answer questions that standard production cannot ask. With the 1.S and the 1.GMT, those questions concern the limits of copper patination as a three-dimensional medium, the coherence between dial and movement finishing, and the structural ambition that printed titanium genuinely enables. The 1.S is priced at €5,900 ex. VAT and the 1.GMT at €6,500 ex. VAT, with international shipping included in both cases. Both editions cap at 100 pieces, with first deliveries expected in Q3 2026. Michiel is not offering volume. He is offering access to a very specific conversation about what independent watchmaking can be.
There is a real sense of pride and fulfillment when I look at these watches. I will always remember my first encounter with Michiel, 9 years ago, after months of conversation over Messenger. He was a ball of joy and enthusiasm, and even then, I knew his ideas were fantastic. It has been inspiring to watch him evolve and build his brand, growing from working alone and persevering to leading a whole team of wonderful people. Bravo, Michiel! I am so proud of you, and also proud of myself for believing in you from the very beginning. Even if I had no influence and no saying, I could not support Michiel in any way other than publish articles with him and his watches. But he and his brand are close to my heart, since we were both at the beginning and we both believed in each other. Thank you!
