Independent French watchmaker Hegid will hold the global launch of its brand new movement, Specimin FE-01 Caliber, at this year’s WatchPro Salon in London on November 1.
Hegid is headquartered in Paris, but the Specimen FE-01 Caliber is made in the Jura mountains on the French side of the France/Switzerland border, and is based on Soprod manufactured movements.
Launching the movement is a landmark moment, not only for Hegid, but for the wider French watchmaking industry, which is growing in size and sophistication in a cluster around French Arc Jurassien, an area renowned for expertise in watchmaking mechanics, and which was recently listed by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.
The three-hander with date movement came about through a collaboration with the historic manufacturer France Ebauches, which was recently relaunched by Soprod, an integrated and independent Swiss watchmaking manufacturing company that has been producing calibers for major brands in its workshops since 1966.
New watches using the movement are still under wraps, but Hegid is promising visitors to WatchPro Salon they will see its elegant architecture, meticulous finishing, precision and durability.
The 4Hz movement has a 44-hour power reserve accuracy of -4s/+6s per day.
It will be used in Hegid’s famously rugged sports watches, which use shock absorbers to protect their mechanical movements.
“In addition to the various shock absorbers incorporated into the design of Hegid capsules and cases, the Specimen FE-01 Caliber features a double-cone Incabloc system and a hollowed-out bridge that guarantee unprecedented solidity and stability for its regulating organ. This makes Hegid watches among the most robust on the watchmaking scene,” the company describes.
