Introducing: The Habring2 Felix, Celebrating 10 Years Of Business With An In-House Movement (Live Pics & Pricing)

September 16, 2014

Ten years ago, Richard and Maria Habring first presented their Habring2 brand to the public with a simple three-hander called the Time-Only. Since then, the Austria-based couple have built a robust collection of both simple and complicated watches, including the GPHG award winning Jumping Second Pilot (which appeared in our last Three On Three). Theyve embraced a modular approach to their movements, which are base Valjoux/ETA 7750/7760 units, and while they make them truly unique, the manufacture label has eluded them. Until now. Meet the Habring2 Felix, an Austrian-developed hand wind that celebrates 10 years of achievements. Oh and Ben's criticism that previous watches were just too thick? This takes care of that, real quick. Habring2 differs from your average watch brand in many ways, most notably in that co-founder Richard Habring invented the Doppelchronograph for IWC over two decades ago. He and his wife are seriously adept watchmakers and take a hands-on approach to development. Such was the case in 2011, when work began on the A11, which lives at the heart of the Felix. The movement is unique in that it was developed completely in Austria, and produced in part by Habring Uhrentechnik OG, along with a few family-run partners in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. The family of A11 calibers shares similarities to the previous base movements to ensure proper fit of their existing modules (such as the jumping second). Make no mistake though, the A11 includes a new escapement, balance wheel and hairspring, gear train, winding mechanism and adjustment mechanism. The A11 features a variety of individually manufactured components, and many of its constituent parts are assembled by hand. The anchor in the escapement, wheel and pinion combinations, and hairsprings are all handled by human hands (including adding the curve to the hairspring!). This may limit production numbers, but the end result will enable Habring2 to create a new foundation for moving forward with entirely proprietary components. Much like the Time-Only did in 2004, the Felix will launch Habring2 into new territory. With its release, Habring2 ditches the module system (though prior models will still be configurable), and will instead focus on creating their own components for the A11 base. In fact, youll be able to configure your Felix in time only, with date, jumping seconds, and jumping seconds with date configurations. Dont like the running seconds hand at 9 oclock? Theyll remove it for you. It really is a host of options that belie the bespoke nature of the end product. Weve had a few days with the Felix, and first impressions of the prototype are very positive. It measures in at 38.5 mm in diameter and just 7 mm thick. It wears beautifully on the wrist, and feels every bit worth the 4,450 that youll have to pay for it. Unfortunately, the prototype model we have is fitted with a closed caseback, so youll have to refer to their press images of the movement for evidence of its refinement. Well provide more details of the Felix and what it means for the future of Habring2 when we see a production model. Until then, learn more about Felix right here.