The Horologically Unique HU-01, An Appealing, Accessible Watch Inspired by the Calatrava 96

If we had to name the one model that defined the concept of a dress watch, it would undoubtedly be the Patek Philippe Calatrava 96. This watch, when launched in the early 1930s, was rather revolutionary and has ever since been the blueprint for anything dress watch. Watch enthusiasts have long recognised its beauty and timeless appeal. As well as its price on the vintage market, making it impossible to acquire for the most of us. This is where a new microbrand from Singapore, Horologically Unique, enters the room. The idea is simple, the style and flair of the original Calatrava 96 or 570, slightly modernised proportioned (but not too much), a solid hand-wound movement inside, refined details all around and a price that’s not the equivalent of a nice car. Meet the Horologically Unique HU-01, an accessible Calatrava-inspired watch that looks fantastic and doesn’t cut corners. 

Like many other microbrands, Horologically Unique is the project of a watch enthusiast who started an account on Instagram named @horologically_unique, with the idea of selling his (impressive) collection of vintage watches. From there, things changed direction with the idea to create his own watch, which immediately was “to make a classic and clean time-only dress watch that had to be affordable, but high quality, thin, and comfortable to wear.” The inspiration was also pretty straightforward, in this case, the blueprint dress watch, the Calatrava reference 96 – a watch almost unanimously recognised as the ultimate dress watch.

Let’s get immediately to the point… These two watches, named Horologically Unique HU-01, are clearly a modernised take on the Calatrava reference 96 and subsequent models such as the reference 570. There’s no other way to say it. But that doesn’t change anything about the overall appeal. These (obviously, should I say) look fantastic. The whole concept was to bring the idea and flair of a 96, at a much more approachable price, and with slightly more contemporary proportions. Indeed, as handsome as they are, the vintage Calatrava watches are small, at 31-32mm in diameter. But while Horologically Unique has decided to update the size, it has made the choice, together with its community, to keep things compact.

The debut models, the HU-01, are built around a classic Calatrava case, now measuring a very reasonable and highly elegant 36mm diameter, with an overall thickness of 9.1mm – and 6.2mm if you exclude the crystal. As always with this design, the lugs are rather long and the watch measures 44mm lug-to-lug, avoiding it from feeling petite. The overall architecture is exactly what the original 1930s Calatrava defined: a 3-part case with lugs integrated within the middle case (this was new back then), a snap-on caseback (now updated with a see-through crystal), and the all-necessary flat, coin-edge bezel – even though it is here rather slim. The watch is topped by a highly-domed sapphire crystal, features drilled lugs and is water-resistant to 30m. The entirely polished finish is in line with the inspiration, too.

The 1930s inspiration continues on the dial, which has been left void of any logo or brand name. A deliberate choice explained by the wish to deliver “a watch solely because of what it is, and paying for what the watch offers exactly, not for what the label on the dial says.” Fair enough. The dial of the Horologically Unique HU-01 is offered in two variants, both great classics: glossy black and vintage white with a creamy hue. The dial of the white one has a recessed and snailed small seconds counter, while the black one is smooth. On both, there are classic Breguet-style, polished applied numerals and leaf-shaped hands, a railroad seconds track and a pearl-like minute track on the periphery. Again, it’s not reinventing the wheel and feels highly familiar, but it sure looks good.

To keep things accessible as well as reliable, Horologically Unique went for the Peseux ETA 7001, a slim, tried-and-tested hand-wound architecture born in the 1970s and that has been widely used by the entire industry, from accessible microbrands to high-end indie watchmakers. It is a perfect fit for such a compact dress watch and is presented here in a version with stripes, perlage and blue-toned screws. The movement runs at a 3Hz frequency and stores about 42 hours of power reserve.

The Horologically Unique HU-01, whatever the colour of dial, is delivered on an 18mm grained black leather strap with a signed pin buckle and quick-release spring bars. I’m certain that other, more original straps or a vintage-styled BoR bracelet will also work well with the overall design.

Availability & Price

The two editions of the Horologically Unique HU-01 are now available for pre-order from the brand’s website, until the end of November 2025. Each edition is limited to 100 pieces, and deliveries are scheduled for March-April 2026. The watches are priced at SGD 1,800 (about EUR 1,200 at the time of publication). For more details, please visit www.horologicallyunique.com.