IN-HOUSE NOS MOVEMENTS – UNIQUE AND VERY RARE
At first it was just a rumor: Historical, never used mechanical movements from Pforzheim should be in a warehouse of a collector. And indeed, after some effort, the rumor turned into real blue plastic boxes filled with plates, wheels, rotors, screws, and everything needed to assemble movements. We were able to secure this treasure and built with it the “Limited Edition” of the Heritage Collection.
Each of these historical movements has its own story and sets the hearts of watch lovers in motion. The movements are referred to by connoisseurs as NOS, which stands for ‘New Old Stock’. All parts were manufactured in the late seventies entirely in Germany by P.U.W., the ‘Pforzheimer Uhren-Rohwerke GmbH’, mostly in Pforzheim, the home of Circula. In this time, the watch industry flourished in Germany and manufacturers such as P.U.W. also enjoyed an excellent international reputation. During the quartz crisis they were safely stored in individual parts (more in the article ,watch production in Germany’), until we found them to gently bring them to life. These movements are a real piece of German watch history. In contrast to the calibers produced today in Switzerland and Japan by millions, these movements are a true rarity. From our automatic movement 1661s a total of only a few thousand have been made.
In terms of accuracy and longevity, the P.U.W. calibers keep up with today’s movements. Design and construction are largely the same as the most popular Swiss movements (more in the article ‘Mechanical movements‘).
Our experienced watchmakers elaborately rebuild these unused treasures from the first screw in Pforzheim by hand. After prophylactic cleaning in the ultrasonic bath, they assemble the individual parts, oil all moving sections with a special oil according to a precise plan, and then carefully adjust each movement to ensure precise accuracy. These unique pieces are naturally limited because they are no longer produced or available on the market. In addition to the movements, we were also able to secure enough spare parts to ensure long-term service.
More in the article ‘Vintage NOS movements‘ and in this ‘YouTube video’