Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Ochs und Junior Christmas Edition 2024 goes back to the basics of the 2008 Settimana
A 36mm titanium case, featuring Ludwig Oechslin’s original design in signature blue and orange.
Ochs und Junior (in reality, it should be written ochs und junior, no capital letters) was founded in 2006 by Ludwig Oechslin, Beat Weinmann and Kurt König – the former being one of the most revered inventors of the Swiss watch industry, the former Director of the International Museum of Horology and the man who conceived the groundbreaking Ulysse Nardin Freak. The very first watch to be presented, back in 2008, was the deliberately simplistic Settimana, a 7-weekday model with only 4 additional components (in typical Oechslin style…) And this year, the Settimana, which is now part of the permanent collection in various editions, goes back to its roots with the ochs und junior Christmas Edition 2024, a strong evocation of the very first edition.
If you look at the brand’s collection, you’ll see that the Settimana is of great importance for ochs und junior, representing both its entry-level model but also its most relevant collection. In December 2020, the settimana was introduced for the first time into the official ochs und junior collection, followed in 2021 by the Settimana Raw. This watch symbolized the entry of the “Juniors” into the family business and accompanied the move from Lucerne to the historic watchmaking city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. But the Settimana is even more important as it was, back in 2008, the brand’s first watch.
As you can see here in the brand’s archives, the watch was a 36mm titanium model with the brand’s distinctive industrial, minimalistic design and a dark dial with bright orange numerals and hands. The other important feature was the complication, a weekday indication powered by an extremely simplified module composed of only 4 parts – this is where the genius mind of Ludwig Oechslin excels – and a display with a signature orange dot. This watch is not forgotten, all the more that, for the end of this year, it’s back in almost identical form, with the ochs und junior Christmas Edition 2024.
Move your calendar fast forward to now, but go back to basics regarding design and functionalities. This new version of the Settimana is, in short, a faithful remake of the original model, starting with its 36mm case – original dimensions – made of grade 5 titanium, with the signature visible machining and milling traces, extremely short lugs and titanium screw-down crown. It’s all very Oechslin in the design and finish, and with compact dimensions (incl. a 10.8mm thickness).
The dial of this Christmas Edition 2024 also echoes the original 2008 design of Oechslin, with a style that is rather different from the latest creations of the brand that are even more restrained and sleek. Here, the brass base dial is rendered in dark blue with bright, oversized Arabic numerals and hands in orange, just like the original. The numerals were, back in the days, designed by Oechslin himself on his CNC machine. The weekday disc is also done in blue, with the signature orange dot to indicate the current day. The Settimana model, as its name implies, brings the focus to the 7 days of the week by way of a rotating orange dot located between 1 o’clock (Monday) and 7 o’clock (Sunday). At the beginning of the week, the dot moves quickly to cover the 8 to 12 o’clock segment, restarting the new week each Monday morning. The mechanism for this complication has been created with extreme simplification in mind, using only 4 components – the brass dial with a functional back, a gear with weekday display, a triple function wheel and a transmission wheel.
This self-developed Settimana module is powered by a classic ETA 2824-2 top grade, a true workhorse with a proven track record. The Ochs und Junior Christmas Edition 2024 is worn on a 22mm orange crafted from orange Ecopell leather by Sabina Brägger, closed by a titanium pin buckle. Naturally, the watch is delivered in the famous, specially designed Settimana Junior comic booklet by Sjoerd van Rooijen (first edition 2009 – see blog from July 3, 2009; updated editions 2012 and 2024).
The ochs und junior Christmas edition 2024 settimana can now be ordered from the brand’s website for CHF 2,400 (excl. taxes, export price), with a 50% prepayment. Orders up to and including November 20th will be delivered by December 20th, 2024. Orders placed after November 20th, 2024, will be delivered by January 31st, 2025 at the latest. For more details, please visit www.ochsundjunior.swiss.
