Inside Schwarz Etienne, Discovering its History and Its Impressive In-House Watchmaking Capacities

Headquartered in a beautiful century-old villa in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the fascinating watch brand Schwarz Etienne is your typical independent watchmaking company. The company’s origins date back to 1902, when founding husband-and-wife Paul-Arthur Schwartz and Olga Etienne got married. From then on, the company would grow continuously, with the descendants of the founding duo also owning brands like Alpha and Venus, and later on getting involved in the manufacturing of movement parts and tooling components for prestigious brands such as Chanel and Dunhill. But what’s particularly interesting, though, is Schwarz Etienne’s modern era.

The company took a major turn in the mid-2000s, when Schwarz-Etienne launched an ambitious plan to become a fully integrated manufacturer, to develop and produce its own in-house movements. Today, this small independent stands out with an impressive level of vertical integration, not something you see that often on the indie scene – at least, not to such a level of integration and skills. The brand manufactures its own watches and movements, but it also operates alongside sister companies that produce components for both watches and movements for others. In addition to its own collections, that means Schwarz Etienne is also actively involved as a private-label manufacturer for others, such as RGM, GoS and Ming.

Since 2024, Schwarz Etienne has been led by Florian Brossard, and under his guidance, we’ve seen the launch of the 1902 collection, an elegant family of dress watches that has set a new benchmark for the brand. The range combines refined designs with remarkable attention to detail, while the in-house movement family has benefitted from significant upgrades, both mechanically and in terms of finishing. It has gradually expanded from the 1902 Petite Seconde, to the 1902 Power Reserve and the 1902 GMT. One of the brand’s highlights for 2026, based on the 1902 Power Reserve, is the Synergy by Peter Speake – a collaborative project, like all watches named Synergy at Schwarz Etienne, such as those done with Kari Voutilainen.

The collaboration gave Peter Speake, whose name probably rings a bell, the opportunity to bring his own creative vision to a Schwarz Etienne timepiece. The watch comes in a 39mm wide Grade 5 titanium case that measures just under 11mm thick. Peter Speake’s signature is most evident on the dial and draws inspiration from some of his modern creations. It has a white, highly architectural dial with impressive depth and dimensionality, thanks to a construction relying on multiple sapphire parts. With it, the various layers seem to float above one another on a glossy white lacquered base, complemented by Prussian Blue details and subtle orange accents. Another characteristic Peter Speake touch, this time recalling his early work, is the Serpentine-shaped power reserve hand in the top-right corner.

Inside the watch is a hand-wound in-house movement with a twin-barrel construction, a hacking seconds mechanism and an impressive 120-hour power reserve. Of coruse there’s a sapphire caseback, so you have a lot to admire, including the in-house produced hairspring on the balance wheel. The movement architecture and the finishing are just top-notch, and given the modular construction, it can welcome an array of complications. The barrels, engraved “Synergy by Peter Speake”, are a reminder of just how special this watch is, with another engraving confirming that this is a unique limited edition of just 88 pieces.

For more details on the Synergy by Peter Speake, as well as other watches and works of Schwarz Etienne, we highly recommend checking out the earlier stories here. There’s plenty to dig into about this hidden gem in the independent watchmaking scene.

For more information, please visit schwarz-etienne.ch.