Back to the Roots with the New Ochs & Junior Settimana Raw

Fifteen years ago, Ochs & Junior kicked things off with an ingeniously simple weekday watch called the Settimana. The watch featured a practical and minimalist way to indicate the days of the week developed by industry legend Dr Ludwig Oechslin. It also pointed to the path this new independent watchmaker was set to embark on. Showcasing a renewed take on luxury, Ochs & Junior watches had an unconventional, raw appeal, with unfinished cases showing signs of machining and industrial-looking dials. Over the years, the collection expanded with all sorts of practical calendar displays, revolving around Dr Oechslin’s less-is-more watchmaking concepts. Now, 15 years after its debut, Ochs & Junior presents the new Settimana Raw in two sizes.

Earlier in the year, Christian Gafner, O&J’s current CEO, hinted at the updated Settimana in an interview with us, and now it has materialised. The Settimana Raw is a play on the existing concept of the company’s signature style. Dr Ludwig Oechslin, the co-founder of Ochs & Junior, is responsible for a whole range of clever solutions to display additional information to time, using as few components as possible. This is showcased by watches like the recently introduced Calendario Cent’Anni, using only nine components for a perpetual calendar complication.

The new Ochs & Junior Settimana Raw is available in two sizes: 36mm or 40mm. With a height of 10.8mm and a grade 5 titanium case, it remains a relatively small and lightweight watch, tipping the scale at just 55 or 57 grams, depending on the diameter. Just as with other models, the cases are left unfinished and show signs of the milling and machining process. The two-part construction has a very industrial appeal, with a simple crown and short, straight lugs that partly shroud the strap.

One of the tricks used by Ochs & Junior (or rather Dr Oechslin) to reduce parts is to make the dial a functional component for the indications. The backside of the brass dial is used to fix the additional parts needed for the weekday indication. This mechanism uses only four components, of which the dial is one. The others are a gear for the weekday display, a triple function wheel and a transmission gear. The dial is finished with a nickel coating and reveals the traces left by the CNC tools during machining. The grey tone almost matches the titanium case for a stark monochromatic look.

Time is indicated with simple hands executed in black. The hands are coated in black Super-LumiNova. Cut-outs in the dial reveal the weekday indication, which spans from 1 o’clock to 7 o’clock for Monday through Sunday. A black dot revolves underneath the dial to indicate the day of the week. At the beginning of each week, the dot quickly moves from 8 to 12 o’clock to return to the “Monday” position and start the cycle all over again. Side by side, you can see the difference 4mm can make, as the indications on the smaller of the two look a bit more balanced.

Power comes from a reliable outsourced movement, the Sellita SW 200-1. This automatic movement is a good alternative to the ETA 2824 calibre. It uses 26 jewels, runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and provides 38 hours of power reserve. It is hidden from view by the solid lower part of the case. The Sellita SW 200-1 also indicates a date, but this has been removed to create space for the weekday indication, which receives its power from the hour wheel in the centre through a reduction wheel.

The Ochs & Junior Settimana Raw is a non-customisable model in the brand’s portfolio. It is worn on a handmade black textile strap with a titanium pin buckle. As the watch is fitted with an outsourced movement, it retails for a fairly reasonable CHF 2,400.

For more information, please visit ochsundjunior.swiss