The Horage DecaFlux and the new K3 Automatic Calibre

Horage, the independent Swiss brand based in Bienne, has achieved quite a lot since in-house movement development began in 2009 – four movements that include the K1 automatic, K2 micro-rotor, K-TOU tourbillon and K-TMR micro-rotor tourbillon. And now a fifth movement is being introduced, the modular, COSC-certified K3 automatic that’s debuting in the new DecaFlux three-hand sports watch. It’s an improvement to the original K1 movement in both performance and technology, and Horage is also open to partnering with other brands to use the K3 over older, legacy movements. A horological cooperative partnership to set new industry standards.

The Horage DecaFlux is 316LMo stainless steel, 40mm in diameter and slim at only 9.98mm in height (lug-to-lug 46mm). A striking design choice involves the sapphire crystals, which come in either tinted red or blue via five layers of AR coatings (tint depends on the dial colour). This is a nod to the recently discontinued Rolex Milgauss, which famously had a green-tinted sapphire crystal for the 116400GV models. The signed crown has Horage’s unique knurling and water resistance is rated at 100 metres. The sapphire exhibition caseback displays the latest K3 calibre and the bracelet is a special part of the watch. The three-link design has an integrated vibe (not quite a full integrated design) and comes with the Horage HMAC ultra-thin clasp with a full 10mm of tool-free adjustment.

The dial continues the Milgauss nod with a blue/red lightning bolt seconds hand, seen on the Milgauss ref. 6541 and 116400 series (in silver and orange, respectively). Two dial colours include polished black or sunray blue, and the tinted crystals are red over the black dial and blue over the blue dial (red and blue are the scientific colours of magnetic poles). There’s also a visible, coloured O-ring just inside the steel bezel that coordinates with the tint – red on the black dial and blue on the blue dial. Diamond cut hour and minute hands, along with rectangular rhodium silver indices are filled with white Super-LumiNova. A detailed white minute/seconds track spans the outermost perimeter.

Powering the Horage DecaFlux is the new in-house K3 automatic calibre. It continues the anti-magnetic theme with a silicon escapement and hairspring, which is rare for a small independent brand. The 30mm x 4.2mm K3 is modular as well, allowing for a configuration with small seconds, a date and power reserve indicator on the back. The three-hand DecaFlux setup has 26 jewels, beats at 3.5Hz and comes with a sizeable 96-hour power reserve (4 days), which is 2.5 times more than a standard legacy movement – the classic ETA 2824, ETA 2892 and Sellita SW200 all have an approximate 38-40h power reserve.

Seen from the exhibition caseback, it’s finished in a dark grey and the rotor features the Horage mosaic pattern. The K3 has a screw balance regulating system and is again COSC-certified with an accuracy rating of -4/+6 seconds per day. Functions include central hours, minutes and seconds.

Horage’s new DecaFlux with the K3 automatic is CHF 2,500 for the first four days of preorders, March 20 through March 24, 2025, and then retails for CHF 2,750. That’s quite a bargain and real value proposition for an in-house, COSC-certified Swiss piece with a silicon escapement and hairspring and four-day power reserve. Shipping is scheduled for June 2025. For more information and to place an order, please visit www.horage.com.