The return of a legend. Henri Grandjean, now re-established as an independent watchmaker with a new triple axis tourbillon which they call the Magician.
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Henri Grandjean Magician
The Henri Grandjean Magician in available in various versions. In titanium, it has a recommended retail of CHF 350,000, in 18k white and rose gold it is pitched at CHF 380,000 with brushed and polished cases, and CHF 480,000 for the same with hand engraved cases and dial elements. The gem-set version is Price on Application.
Commentary
The house of Henri Grandjean & Cie is a well respected house founded in 1854. Though Henri had worked with his father David-Henri to make their first marine chronometer (known as No. 1) in 1831, he founded the house which bears his name later. And by 1860, French and English catalogues listed more than sixty calibers, including chronometers and complicated chronographs. This was a maison first introduced to me by none other than Philippe Dufour, probably in the late 1990s. He often spoke about the complications made.
The house history was a bit unchartered, but according to their current website, it was acquired by Paul Cattin, founder of Oris and Moderna, in 1926. And later in 1973, an unnamed family-run company specialising in watch cases and engraving took over. It is not clear when the current owner, Sohail Aziz, who styles himself as the Founder and CEO of the Maison, took over. The release was dated January 29, 2026, and I do not know more about Sohail’s identity. I have not previously encountered him in the watchmaking circles, either as a producer, supplier or a collector.
Murky history side, the watch itself speaks volumes. It’s main complication is a triple axis tourbillon, with fast rotation for the first and second cages, and a one minute rotation for the third. Photographs we received look like the watches are made very well.
But the images appear not to have been professionally taken as the depth of field are very shallow, with only small sections which are rendered in focus. This makes judging the quality of the work challenging. A quick check on the file’s EXIF shows that the aperture shot was mostly at f/5.6, with some at f/8 and f/11. The camera used is a Canon EOS 6mk2 and RF100 macro lens. The images are not stacked for focus and at such wide apertures explain the shallow depth of field.
The identity of the designer or constructor is also unclear, with no mention of the person in the materials released or in the website. The release material states the movement is in-house without offering further elaboration.
Traditionally, we have come to associate this triple axis tourbillons with Eric Coudray. Eric showed the first serially produced multi-axis tourbillon as the Gyrotourbillon 1 of Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2004. This had two spheres within each other, though a few years prior, Thomas Prescher has exhibited the proof of concept of a tourbillon with three spinning axes could be done. And in 2014, Girard-Perregaux released their Tri-Axial Tourbillon. Eric later produced triple axis tourbillons for Cabestan and even double triple axis tourbillons for Cecil Purnell. And later, Jacob & Co, through Le Cercle des Horlogers (now part of Speake-Marin) made the Twin Turbo and Twin Turbo Fast and Furious, both featuring dual triple axis tourbillons. Were these known sources involved? Or is the Magician designed and made by someone else? I find this lack of clarity and information to be a bit disconcerting. But it is perhaps early days yet, and information and specifics may be clearer in the future.
However, this lack of an origin source does not detract from the watch itself. The Magician is, of course still interesting. It does look quite magnificent, with three spheres looking imposing on the dial side. The metiér d’art treatment of the dial and case is also very well done. And the finishing appear to be high end haute horlogerie levels. It is released in six variations, viz in titanium, 18k rose gold and 18k white gold cases, with further variants of the gold versions in artisanal engraved case and dial elements. A gemset version is also proposed.
We have not seen or photographed, or talked to the team in charge. But hope to do so soon, and bring you more hands-on and in-depth information.
Release details
Independent watchmaking house Henri Grandjean & Cie presents Magician, its first high-horology collection. More than a debut, it marks the Maison’s entry onto the contemporary watchmaking stage through a singular approach: not a nostalgic reinterpretation of the past, but the living continuation of an intellectual and technical heritage forged in the nineteenth century.
Founded in the canton of Neuchâtel, Henri Grandjean & Cie draws its lineage from the great Swiss chronometer maker Henri Grandjean (1803–1879), a key figure in marine chronometry, a pioneer of Swiss observatories, and a driving force behind the scientific and industrial rise of Neuchâtel watchmaking. More than a name, the Maison embraces a tradition in which precision is a tool, serving reliability and mechanical mastery.
Magician, a mechanism designed to challenge perception Named after a historic mechanical creation attributed to the Grandjean family, Magician extends a founding intuition: to inspire wonder not through excess, but through mastery of detail, balanced proportions, and a discreetly orchestrated visual poetry.
This first collection also pays tribute to David-Henri Grandjean (1772–1846), Henri’s father, an inventor and master watchmaker renowned for his automata and complicated timepieces. One of his most remarkable works, now preserved at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, bears witness to a pioneering spirit in which mechanical virtuosity and technical poetry were inseparable.
At the heart of Magician lies a movement entirely developed and assembled by the Maison, featuring a mysterious triple-axis tourbillon built around an unprecedented horological architecture. Deprived of immediately visible anchoring points, the regulating organ appears to float in space, rotating simultaneously along three distinct axes and challenging conventional readings of mechanical motion.
Its rotational speeds form a true mechanical choreography:
- first cage: one rotation every 10 seconds
- second cage: one rotation every 18 seconds
- third cage: one rotation every 60 seconds
Together they create a complex kinetic system in which each level directly influences overall stability and rate consistency.
Rather than serving as an isolated spectacle, the tri-axial tourbillon is conceived as a structural component of the calibre, designed from the outset to support precision, dynamic balance, and mechanical coherence.
The hand-wound movement comprises 218 components, operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz) and contains 29 jewels. It features a Swiss lever escapement, twin barrels, a flat hairspring and a variable-inertia balance wheel.
38.5 mm in diameter and 12.1 mm in height, the calibre is housed in a 45 mm 5N rose-gold case (Au750), topped with a box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment for optimal legibility.
Finishing reflects the Maison’s artisanal standards:
- Geneva stripes on bridges and plates
- hand-executed beveling
- straight-grained flanks
- manually chamfered and circular-grained wheels
Dial variations in black onyx, aventurine, or 5N rose gold, combined with central date and day-night indications, are designed to guide the eye without distracting from the regulating organ, the living heart of the watch.
Limited production and artisanal philosophy
The Magician collection is offered in six versions, each exploring a distinct expression of the same mechanical architecture.
Cases are available in 18-carat 5N rose gold, 18-carat white gold, or grade-5 titanium. Selected editions feature baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires set into the case, clasp and dial.
Among these interpretations, a fully hand-engraved rose-gold edition pays tribute to the historic decorative motifs once crafted in Henri Grandjean’s nineteenth-century workshop.
Each case is individually engraved by a specialist artisan, making every piece unique. The interlaced motifs, bespoke “Henri Grandjean” typography, and the design of the case, select movement components and crown form a discreet yet unmistakable patrimonial signature.
Noble materials, specific dial tones and tailored tourbillon cage finishes give each version its own identity while preserving perfect mechanical coherence.
Production is deliberately limited. Each watch is assembled, regulated and tested individually in the Maison’s workshops in the canton of Neuchâtel. Both the movement and the mysterious tri-axial tourbillon are entirely mounted in-house, reflecting a philosophy of full horological independence.
“Magician is not a demonstration piece, but a contemporary interpretation of an old idea: watchmaking that surprises while remaining elegant,” explains Sohail Aziz, Founder and CEO of the Maison. An entrepreneur and collector, he initiated Henri Grandjean & Cie to extend this exceptional heritage through demanding contemporary creation.
