One of my favorite stories to cover over the course of 2024 has been the evolution of Holthinrichs, a brand I’ve long been fascinated by for their unique Horlogerie Brut design language and apparently boundless ambition. The brand shifted course quite dramatically in 2024, moving away from a reliance on 3D printing for their case construction, and focusing on a more affordable CNC-machined product that they hope will allow them to scale and reach new clients without sacrificing the brand’s vision. At the same time, they’ve also developed an insanely complex haute horlogerie piece that is easily their most ambitious watch to date. We covered the new affordable Signature collection earlier this year, as well as Ornament Nouveau, and we even had brand founder Michiel Holthinrichs on the podcast to walk us through all of it. To say it’s been an eventful year at Holthinrichs would be an understatement, and yet they’ve found time in the last days of 2024 to unveil yet another new piece, a collaboration with The Horology Club, a Hong Kong based collector community.
The limited edition Signature Ornament “Concrete Jungle” can perhaps best be viewed as a creative spin on the current stone dial trend. The dial is made from lume infused concrete, which according to Holthinrichs makes this the first luminous concrete dial ever made. We believe them, simply because concrete dials are incredibly rare (though not completely unheard of). Concrete, of course, is not a natural stone, but, as the brand puts it, it’s “stone-adjacent,” and you can tell they’re having some fun putting their own stamp a design trend that everyone has their eye on at the moment.
The lumed concrete is meant to evoke the “concrete jungle” of Hong Kong, exemplified in its iconic skyline in the evening, and it also falls right in line with the Holthinrichs aesthetic, which places a focus on raw materials, natural patinas, and texture. The numerals for this limited edition release appear in an oracle bone script, which is an ancient form of Chinese writing. The numerals have the appearance of being carved directly into the concrete dials, but are in fact the product of a moulding process.
Those who have been keeping up with the Holthinrichs story this year know that the Signature collection encompasses two case types: the Ornament case and the LAB case. The Concrete Jungle limited edition will be available in both. The Signature Ornament case is CNC machined and incorporates a combination of polished, brushed, and grained finishes for visual interest, and has dramatic, sloping lugs. The Signature LAB case is 3D printed and has similar case lines but is far more intricate, with additional lug skeletonization that is not achievable through a CNC process. Both cases are made from Grade 5 titanium and measure 38.5mm.
The LAB series version of the watch is a limited edition of 50 pieces and will be made available beginning December 20 at 6:00 PM Hong Kong local time. The Signature Ornament version is a timed release with orders opening at the same time, and staying open for a period of two weeks. Delivery is expected in April of next year. More information is available via The Horology Club website.
