The Hulsman Tourbillon Solstitium, A Hand-Made Watch with Jumping Hours now Produced in a Limited Run

Make a list of independent watchmakers working outside Switzerland, highlight the most fascinating ones, and Dutch creator Machiel Hulsman will be among them. After leaving a career in IT, Hulsman dedicated himself to watchmaking, gradually acquiring the expertise required to design and manufacture complete movements from scratch, and to produce watches that are all one-of-a-kind models… Well, not anymore, as the Hulsman Tourbillon Solstitium is now going to be produced in a limited run of watches – still highly customisable, however. 

We introduced Machiel Hulsman and his Tourbillon Solstitium several years ago, when the watch was a unique commission created for a collector. Designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house, including its movement, it combined a one-minute tourbillon with jumping hours indication and retrograde minutes, becoming one of Hulsman’s signature creations and helping establish his reputation among collectors of independent watchmaking – he was also commissioned to create watches “displaying 38 time zones with automatic daylight saving adjustment, a triple axis tourbillon, designing the most complicated timepiece in the history and creating the easiest perpetual calendar in the world.”

Now that the original owner has agreed, Hulsman is launching a subscription series based on that unique watch. This would be the first time the watchmaker has produced a model that could be described as a serially manufactured one. Yet, true to his philosophy, each example will remain highly individual, with extensive personalisation options.

The Tourbillon Solstitium is housed in a hand-finished 39mm case measuring 9.3mm in height, including the sapphire crystal. Available in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum, the case is produced using the lost-wax casting method, a necessity given its sculptural open-lug architecture. After casting, each case undergoes weeks of machining, hand-finishing and polishing. An exhibition caseback allows a view of the movement.

The dial is quite original. Hours are displayed by a jumping hand on the large subdial on the right, balanced by a tourbillon aperture opposite, while a minutes hand sweeps across a retrograde scale, with markers positioned at 10-minute intervals. The signature spade hands are individually milled from carbon steel, hand-finished and heat-treated to achieve colours ranging from gold and purple to deep blue. The lower half of the dial features traditional guilloché decoration, and collectors can customise dial colours, hands and indices

A particularly clever detail is the winding indicator, hidden within the Hulsman logo. The system monitors the actual torque delivered by the twin barrels. When it falls below a predefined threshold, the upper part of the logo turns red, indicating that winding is required. The watch is powered by an in-house, manually wound movement developed from the ground up. Constructed using components manufactured from raw brass, steel and ruby stock, the calibre reflects Hulsman’s approach, with mechanical simplicity and efficiency central.

Its one-minute tourbillon is regulated by a free-sprung balance beating at 21,600 vibrations/hour. The large 14mm tourbillon cage is carefully balanced using gold weights and incorporates Hulsman’s proprietary escapement design. Twin barrels provide a 75-hour power reserve and are fitted with slipping springs to prevent overwinding. Unlike most retrograde systems, Hulsman’s newly developed mechanism allows hour and minutes indications to be adjusted forward and backwards without risk of damage, a rare technical achievement. 

Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement showcases traditional finishing techniques including Côtes de Genève, perlage, circular graining, polished bevels and black polishing. Collectors can choose from different movement finishes, including rhodium, black rhodium, yellow gold, or rose gold. The lower tourbillon bridge can be redesigned according to the owner’s wishes, incorporating engravings, symbols, initials or bespoke motifs. 

The Tourbillon Solstitium will be produced in a limited series of 12 subscription pieces, plus number 0 reserved for a charity auction supporting local community and environmental initiatives. Buyers are invited to participate throughout the creation process, receiving regular updates and even the opportunity to visit the atelier and manufacture a component for their own watch.

Pricing is set at EUR 138,000 excluding VAT. Orders require a non-refundable 50% deposit of EUR 69,000, followed by a second payment of 25% (EUR 34,500) after 1 year, and a final 25% balance due before delivery. Production is expected to take between two and two-and-a-half years. For more information, please visit hulsman-timepieces.com