SJX Watches Teams Up with Habring2 and Drops two Chrono-Felix Medicus

Let’s set the scene and see what happens when you mix some great ingredients together. On one side, take one of the best-kept secrets on the independent watchmaking scene, one of the sole guardians of Austrian watchmaking, Habring². Next, bring into the equation our friends at SJX Watches, a highly respected watch media (named after the initials of its founder, Jiaxian SU). Add to that a group of collectors, all physicians, including the owner of the first Habring² × SJX edition. And finish with a splash of one of the best-looking watches ever made by Habring², the Shellman monopusher chronograph. The result is a highly appealing pair of monopusher doctor’s watches, identical in specs but very different in execution: the Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix Medicus. 

The foundation of this new collaboration model should be as familiar to you as it is to us: the Chrono-Felix, a compact monopusher chronograph that served as the basis for our first Montre de Souscription, the salmon chronograph. However, SJX and the people who commissioned the watches and brought the idea to the table have made some significant changes to the base model. First, this 38.5mm watch has been slightly reworked with a flat, single-step bezel and a box-shaped sapphire crystal, giving it instant vintage appeal and a classic 1940s chronograph style (Patek ref. 130 and the like). Fairly thin at 11.2mm in total, the case has a sapphire caseback, a single chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock, and a fairly limited water-resistance of 30 metres.

But this isn’t where the watch (or the watches, to be precise) packs the most punch. The story behind this new collaboration between SJX and the Habrings was born from an unusual commission: a group of physicians, among them the owner of the first Habring² × SJX edition, approached the partnership with a request for a true doctor’s watch, a watch equipped with pulsation and respiration scales and executed in the spirit of vintage multi-scale chronographs. The result is a dial that somehow recalls the classic Habring² Shellman monopusher, yet with its own identity. SJX and Habring² developed a design that honours the source material while introducing several firsts for the brand. The dial adopts Breguet numerals and dot hour markers, paired with polished leaf-shaped hands and a seconds hand with an openworked counterweight.

The doctor’s touch is achieved through a multi-scale layout. Starting from the periphery of the dial, you’ll find a lightly recessed and snailed flange with a pulsometer scale. Next, from 5 to 25, is a respiration scale. The centre of the dial is also home to a highly appealing snailed tachymeter scale, meant to measure average speeds (nothing medical here, but it does look cool). Another technical distinction: compared to most watches based on the calibre A11C, the Chrono-Felix Medicus features a single chronograph sub-dial, a 30-minute counter unusually positioned at 12 o’clock (an unprecedented configuration for Habring², unlike the two-register Chrono-Felix).

But there’s more, as SJX didn’t create one watch, but a pair of watches. And these couldn’t be more different. The first edition has a classic brushed steel case paired with a blue leather strap, and a silver dial with blued hands and applied markers. Classic, elegant, discreet and with vintage appeal. The second edition is far more striking and original, with its sandblasted steel case meant to evoke the look of vintage chrome-plated watch cases. This edition is paired with a grey dial and rose gold-plated accents, which results in a surprising yet very appealing combination of retro inspiration, modern techniques and a technical look – without a doubt, my favourite of the two versions.

Inside the case and visible under the sapphire crystal is the in-house calibre Habring² A11C-H0, a variant of the movement found in the classic Chrono-Felix and our MdS 1 Salmon Chronograph. Developed by Habring² on the Valjoux 7750 architecture, this hand-wound monopusher chronograph with cam-lever architecture is a strong upgrade over the venerable movement, with parts produced in-house or by independent suppliers and several mechanical enhancements that improve chronometry and service. Running at 4Hz, this movement stores 48h of power reserve and is finely decorated with polished edges, perlage, and steel chronograph components finished by independent watchmaker Pöhlmann-Bresan.

Worn on leather straps with steel pin buckles matching the case finish, the Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix Medicus will be produced in 25 pieces per style. Deliveries are scheduled from May to July 2026, and the watch is available directly from SJX Watches and Shellman in Tokyo. The watches (in any edition) are priced at EUR 7,750 (excl. taxes), and a 40% deposit is required upon ordering. Additionally, the equivalent of EUR 700 per watch will be donated to children’s medical charities in Singapore and Austria, with SJX Watches and Habring² each donating EUR 350.

For more details, please visit watchesbysjx.com and habring2.com.