Circula – Guardatiempo

German watch brand brings life to local, historical movements

At first it was just a rumor: Historical, never used mechanical movements, so-called New Old Stock (NOS), made 100% in Germany should be in a warehouse of a collector. And indeed, after some research, the rumor turned into real boxes filled with bridges, wheels, screws and everything needed to assemble watch movements. Circula secured this treasure and built the «Limited Edition» of the Heritage collection.

High quality and sustainable

Each of these historical movements has its own story and sets the hearts of watch lovers in motion. All individual parts were manufactured in the late 1970s by P.U.W., the ‚Pforzheimer Uhren-Rohwerke GmbH’ exclusively in Germany, mostly in Germany‘s city of watches Pforzheim. With hardly any watch brand, the circle therefore closes as sustainably as at Circula: In 2017, Cornelius Huber reactivated the Pforzheim-based watch brand of his grandfather and is offering since this year the mechanical movements from P.U.W., already used in Circula’s first watches in 1955. The historic and precise movements are assembled by hand, carefully regulated and encased in modern stainless steel cases with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Circula has also designed the dials especially for the Heritage collection: a noble frame for these valuable movements, which are constructed for a long life with high precision. In addition to the movements, Circula was able to secure enough spare parts to ensure long-term service. Founder Cornelius Huber is also very proud of the fact that for these historical movements, existing resources are put into use.

Inspired by the clear design of the 50s

The design of the watches is based on the first models from the 1950s, with domed and anti-reflective sapphire crystal, multiple screwed sapphire crystal case back and dials with hand-applied indexes. The watches are built in Pforzheim – from the first movement screw to the encasing. The prices of the limited-edition Heritage collection start at 790 Euros for the hand-wound, the automatic costs 100 Euros more. For those who prefer a modern movement, Circula offers the non-limited Classic collection with the very reliable Japanese Miyota 9015. These self-winding models are available from 390 Euros, with otherwise identical high-quality equipment.

Circula (https://circulawatches.com) is a watch manufacturer with roots in Pforzheim. In 1955, the brand was founded by Heinz Huber, and revived in 2017 by Cornelius Huber, grandson of the founder, as part of a Kickstarter campaign. The clear vintage design of the 1950s, historical as well as modern technology with high quality materials characterize the timepieces. The Circula watches – named after the circulating balance wheel in mechanical movements – are available through the brand’s online shop.