Henri Grandjean & Cie unveils ‘Magician’ – a collection that establishes its place in the contemporary world of Swiss watchmaking excellence. A truly unique approach, far beyond a nostalgic reinterpretation of the past, this first mysterious tri-axial tourbillon embodies the living continuation of an intellectual and technical heritage established in the 19th century.
A Shaniah Asha Gibson’s selection / @TRP, Cabinet d’écritures et d’influence
Insta | Linkedin | Facebook | Insta JSH | Insta SWP | Subscribe to JSH
Founded in the canton of Neuchâtel, Henri Grandjean & Cie draws its lineage from the great Swiss chronometer maker Henri Grandjean (1803–1879), a key figure in marine chronometry, a pioneer of Swiss observatories, and a driving force behind the scientific and industrial rise of Neuchâtel watchmaking. More than a name, the Maison embraces a tradition in which precision is a tool, serving reliability and mechanical mastery.
The independent Maison extends a 19th-century horological legacy
Magician, a mechanism designed to challenge perception
Named after a historic mechanical creation attributed to the Grandjean family, Magician extends a founding intuition: to inspire wonder not through excess, but through mastery of detail, balanced proportions, and a discreetly orchestrated visual poetry.
This first collection also pays tribute to David-Henri Grandjean (1772–1846), Henri’s father, an inventor and master watchmaker renowned for his automata and complicated timepieces. One of his most remarkable works, now preserved at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, bears witness to a pioneering spirit in which mechanical virtuosity and technical poetry were inseparable.
1831 caliber, a world’s premiere
At the heart of Magician lies a movement entirely developed and assembled by the Maison, featuring a mysterious triple-axis tourbillon built around an unprecedented horological architecture. Deprived of immediately visible anchoring points, the regulating organ appears to float in space, rotating simultaneously along three distinct axes and challenging conventional readings of mechanical motion.
Its rotational speeds form a true mechanical choreography: he first cage of the tourbillon rotates once every 10 seconds, the second once every 18 seconds and the third once every minute. This creates a sophisticated kinetic structure in which each level directly influences the stability and regularity of the whole.
This corporate film can also be found on the official website of Henri Grandjean & Cie
Rather than serving as an isolated spectacle, the tri-axial tourbillon is conceived as a structural component of the calibre, designed from the outset to support precision, dynamic balance, and mechanical coherence
The hand-wound movement comprises 218 components, operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz) and contains 29 jewels. It features a Swiss lever escapement, twin barrels, a flat hairspring and a variable-inertia balance wheel.
Measuring 38.5 mm in diameter and 12.1 mm in height, the calibre is housed in a 45 mm 5N rose-gold case (Au750), topped with a box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment for optimal legibility.
Finishing reflects the Maison’s artisanal standards: Geneva stripes on bridges and plates, hand-executed beveling, straight-grained flanks, manually chamfered and circular-grained wheels.
Dial variations in black onyx, aventurine, or 5N rose gold, combined with central date and day-night indications, are designed to guide the eye without distracting from the regulating organ, the living heart of the watch.
Limited production and artisanal philosophy
The Magician collection is offered in six versions, each exploring a distinct expression of the same mechanical architecture. Cases are available in 18-carat 5N rose gold, 18-carat white gold, or grade-5 titanium. Selected editions feature baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires set into the case, clasp and dial.
Each case is individually engraved by a specialist artisan, making every piece unique. The interlaced motifs, bespoke “Henri Grandjean” typography, and the design of the case, select movement components and crown form a discreet yet unmistakable patrimonial signature.
Noble materials, specific dial tones and tailored tourbillon cage finishes give each version its own identity while preserving perfect mechanical coherence.
Production is deliberately limited. Each watch is assembled, regulated and tested individually in the Maison’s workshops in the canton of Neuchâtel. Both the movement and the mysterious tri-axial tourbillon are entirely mounted in-house, reflecting a philosophy of full horological independence.
«’Magician’ is not a demonstration piece, but a contemporary interpretation of an old idea: watchmaking that surprises while remaining elegant,” explains Sohail Aziz, Founder and CEO of the Maison
As an entrepreneur and collector, he initiated Henri Grandjean & Cie to extend this exceptional heritage through demanding contemporary creation.
Film ‘making of’ the ‘Press Point’ organised in Geneva on 29 January 2026, kindly provided by the Swiss Watchmaking Festival and its video unit.
.
Henri Grandjean & Cie does not position itself as a static heritage brand, but as the modern continuation of a nineteenth-century vision.
Among the first Swiss watchmakers to devote himself to marine chronometers, Henri Grandjean submitted his instruments to observatory trials and helped establish Neuchâtel’s reputation for precision far beyond Europe. His chronometers were exported to the Americas, Asia and the world’s major maritime routes.
A visionary, he contributed to the founding of the Neuchâtel Observatory and actively supported the development of the Le Locle School of Watchmaking, convinced that the future of the craft lay in scientific rigor and the transmission of knowledge. His legacy is one of demanding watchmaking, focused on duration, accuracy, and the patient construction of time.
Magician does not seek to reproduce the past, but to keep its spirit alive: that of mechanics conceived to endure, to be understood slowly, and to be passed on.
Henri Grandjean & Cie is a Swiss independent watchmaking house founded in the canton of Neuchâtel, dedicated to the creation of exceptional mechanical timepieces in very limited series.
Its work continues the intellectual lineage of Henri Grandjean (1803–1879), a pioneer of modern Swiss chronometry. The Maison develops its movements in-house, pursuing an approach where rigor, elegance and artisanal finishing come together in service of discreet, demanding and lasting watchmaking.
.
