Vanguart is surprisingly under the radar, despite having been eight years old. The brand was founded in 2017 by a quartet that includes alumni of Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (APRP), and last year introduced its most notable product yet, the Orb. The watch arguably goes against the grain of independent watchmaking today. Instead of being traditional, simple, and brightly finished, it is appears intricately mechanical and distinctly modern in style.

A flying tourbillon wristwatch with an inventive, thoughtful technical approach, the Orb is powered by a layered, skeleton movement with a novel winding-function selector that allows for switching between manual and automatic winding. And it’s been trending recently after having been spotted on the wrist of singer Ed Sheeran during a concert in Germany.

Initial thoughts

I first encountered Vanguart when it launched the Black Hole Tourbillon in 2021. The brand caught my interest because it was set up by an all-star team that included two technical experts from APRP. Though the Black Hole was technically impressive, the oversized, space-ship shape felt overdone and way too much on the wrist (and also twice as expensive). The Orb, on the other hand, is (almost) just right.

When I first saw the Orb, I thought it might be yet another basic tourbillon movement in fancy dress but priced exorbitantly. I was wrong. The movement is impressive in many respects.

The Black Hole Tourbillon. Image – Vanguart

The Orb is both minimalist and maximalist. At a distance, the Orb appears to be relatively simple thanks to its clean outline. The case is very round and without lugs, while all of the dial detail is concentrated in the centre due to the unique winding mechanism.

The shape of the case makes gives it a pleasing tactile feel since there are no edges or corners, and the form allows it to sit well on the wrist, which is not always a given with integrated rubber straps.

In contrast to the case, the movement is maximalist – dense and highly mechanical – but symmetrical. The attention to detail is noteworthy. The movement layout is almost perfectly symmetrical on both the front and back. It also incorporates a novel peripheral winding mechanism that has the rotor on the front, around the dial.

The winding mechanism is part of a winding-function selector mechanism that allows the wearer to toggle between manual and automatic winding modes. Though this mechanism offers technical interest, I am not a fan of the idea as it feels a little gimmicky. The movement would do well as automatic-only; the function selector doesn’t really add value in function or design. Its creators, however, deserve compliments for the construction, which is impressive.

The back is almost entirely the automatic winding mechanise, illustrating its complexity

The decoration of the movement is high quality and certainly adds value, though ironically the quality of finishing is not especially obvious due to the monochromatic, dark finish on the calibre. Steel parts are grained and chamfered, screws are bevelled on their edges and chamfered along the slot, and so on. The finishing is comparable to haute horlogerie decoration found on complicated movements from AP for instance, which isn’t surprising.

Interestingly, the dark grey bridges are not coated brass, but instead titanium. The titanium bridges are still finished with frosted top surfaces and prominent anglage, which is more of a challenge than on brass.

The Orb starts at about CHF150,000 in titanium, which is a lot of money any way you look at it – except when compared to the state of independent watchmaking at the moment. With time-only watches with decorated movements now often priced in the CHF70,000-100,000 range, the Orb is priced fairly. The weakness of the Orb’s offering is the fact that its modern style and execution are not really in fashion at the moment.

Sleek and architectural

Vanguart is unusual in being an independent brand founded by a relatively large team of four: Axel Leuenberger and Jérémy Freléchox, both constructors and formerly from APRP; Thierry Fischer is a designer whose past clients include AP; and Mehmet Koruturk, a financier who brings business knowhow.

Not long ago, I managed to speak at length with Mr Leuenberger, who’s now the chief executive of Vanguart. He is definitely an expert technical mind, which is reflected in Vanguart’s watches. Elements of the Orb movement bring to mind Audemars Piguet (AP) or Richard Mille movements because of its creators’ past works.

Despite the diffuse nature of its founding, the brand managed to create a cohesive aesthetic with the Orb. The stylistic success wasn’t immediate though. The brand’s opening act, the Black Hole, felt over designed.

The Black Hole Yas Edition, a unique iteration of Vanguart’s first model. Image – Vanguart

The Orb, on the other hand, is sleek and easily wearable. And importantly, it doesn’t look like either a Richard Mille or Royal Oak Concept, though it clearly fits in the same category.

The Orb looks big but is actually smaller than usual for this class of watch. The case is 41 mm wide, with no lugs, while the height is 10.5 mm. Wearability can be iffy for integrated rubber straps (Hublot is a case in point), but the Orb has an ergonomic profile. At the same time, Vanguart offers a range of rubber straps with varied angles for an ideal fit.

Though fairly simple on its face, the case is made up of multiple parts that allow for different textures and colours, essentially a mix and match for customisation. The version pictured here is entirely titanium, but the recessed section is coated black for contrast.

Such multi-part cases often employ carbon composites or polymers for both visual and material contrast. The Orb case, in contrast, is entirely titanium, which is a nice thing to have since carbon and polymer can sometimes feel out of place on an expensive watch. The case finishing is excellent, underlined by the polished bevels along the inner surfaces of the case front and back.

An all-new calibre

The fluid, almost organic lines of the case stand in contrast with the stylised, mechanical aesthetic of the movement. They contrast, but are complementary, with the case serving to frame the movement.

It goes without saying that the calibre is in-house and conceived specifically for the Orb. The movement construction is elaborate but essentially in two parts. The going train and tourbillon are on the front, organised in a three-dimensional manner, while the (surprisingly complicated) automatic winding mechanism is on the back.

On the front, the moving parts are concentrated in the centre. Around them is a wide, bowl-shaped ring that is actually the rotor for the automatic winding – more on the winding function mechanism later.

The Orb movement elevates the key components, namely the barrel and tourbillon, resulting in architectural layout.

At 12 o’clock is the barrel, which also doubles as a function indicator for the winding function mechanism – integrating the indicator into the barrel is a feat of construction. The barrel is in turn supported by a skeletonised bridge that gives it the look of a spaceship launchpad.

The Vanguart logo printed on the underside of the crystal adds to the sci-fi aesthetic

And at six o’clock is the flying tourbillon, the most logical type for the architecture since it does away with an upper bridge.

The tourbillon cage has a simple outline, but is complex in form. The arm of the cage echo the shape of the hands, and conform to the rounded form of the case.

More importantly, the tourbillon ticks all the boxes in terms of traditional chronometry with a free-sprung balance and Breguet overcoil. Neither is truly necessary for timekeeping in a modern movement, but they are details that reflect a brand’s ethos, which in this case passes the test.

Winding innovation

The winding mode can be selected by pressing the crown. The function is similar to that developed by APRP, most famously for Richard Mille but also for AP, which toggles between setting, winding, and neutral (the concept was taken to the extreme in the ultra-thin Richard Mille RM UP-01).

Here the mechanism is substantially more complex. The crown toggles between manual and automatic modes, as well as time setting, all of which are indicated by a discreet red pointer in apertures on the barrel ratchet wheel. As a result, the barrel isn’t just a drum containing the mainspring, but incorporates the underlying mechanism for the function indicator, a clever approach that demonstrates the skills of the constructors.

In automatic mode, the movement is wound by the bowl-shaped ring on the front. Labelled “Orbital Mass” by Vanguart, the ring is titanium, but below it is a solid gold insert that functions as the winding weight.

A brilliant cut diamond is set on the Orbital Mass to indicate the rotor is freely spinning and winding the movement. When automatic winding is disengaged, the Orbital Mass locks in place with the diamond at 12 o’clock.

The diamond indicator on the rotor

Unsurprisingly, the automatic winding mechanism is surprisingly complicated despite its straightforward function. While the tourbillon and most of the going train are on the front, the back of the movement is mostly occupied by the peripheral winding mechanism.

The rotor on the front sits on a large gear that encircles the movement. This gear meshes with two sets of winding wheels, each mounted on a ruby bearing. This contrasts with most peripheral winding mechanisms that make do with a single winding wheel, which is typically not efficient enough given physics of peripheral winding.

The two-point winding here will do a better job, although that comes at the expense of a more complex system with many more moving parts – which is arguably the point in a watch like this.

Despite the modern styling, Vanguart notes the finishing of the movement is done by hand. Examining the movement reveals this to be true, though it is not obvious due to the tone-on-tone surface treatment.

Amongst the standout details are the barrel ratchet wheel. It is a functional part since it serves as the winding indicator, but it is finished the traditional manner with a concave, mirror finished ring and circular graining on the upper surfaces.

Each of the winding modes are labelled, while the aperture at the bottom indicates setting

The many bridges and the base plate are also dealt with correctly, with frosted tops and polished, bevelled edges. The open-worked nature of the bridges means the bevelling is extensive, illustrating the degree of work needed.

One of the most intriguing details is the stepped construction of several bridges, including the automatic winding bridge on the back. The steps mean that there are two levels of bevelling, which are especially tedious to do.

Making it even more impressive is the fact that the bridges are titanium, which is harder to polished to a mirrored finish than steel. The bevelling on the bridges will no doubt be more laborious than the same on brass equivalents.

The decoration is top-level industrial-artisanal haute horlogerie, equivalent to that found in AP movements naturally, and also Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Some of it is accomplished by mechanical tools wielded by hand, and much of it is finished off by hand.

Granted, the movement doesn’t have the flourishes that are now common in classical, time-only watches by independent watchmakers, but I don’t see that as a shortcoming. Such flourishes sometimes feel like an affectation, done in response to a fad, so the result seems stilted. Here the finishing is clearly top quality and also coherent with the rest of the watch.

Concluding thoughts

The Orb proves that team behind Vanguart is capable of impressive work. The Orb demonstrates high quality of ideas and execution, while also surprising with its wearability. The stylised, sci-fi aesthetic might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly not within the current fashion for classical time-only watches, but at least that reflects an aesthetic vision. I’m looking forward to Vanguart’s future creations.

Key facts and price

Vanguart Orb
Ref.

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 10.5 mm
Material: Titanium, also available in rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Orb
Functions: Hours, minutes, winding selector, and flying tourbillon
Winding: Automatic or manual wind
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Integrated rubber strap

Limited edition: No
Availability: From Vanguart and retailers
Price: CHF150,000 in titanium

For more, visit Vanguart.com.