Independent watchmaking continues to reshape the landscape of haute horlogerie. Free from the constraints of large-scale production, independent manufactures have become laboratories for mechanical innovation, combining traditional craftsmanship with engineering that often challenges long-established conventions. Collectors increasingly look beyond heritage alone, seeking watches that introduce original technical solutions while presenting a distinctive visual identity. According to the 2025 Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study, demand for highly exclusive mechanical watches remains particularly strong among younger collectors, with originality and innovation ranking among the principal motivations behind acquisitions. Can a complicated mechanical watch be both an engineering achievement and an object designed for everyday wear?
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away,” wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Although conceived outside the world of watchmaking, his words capture one of haute horlogerie’s enduring ambitions: balancing complexity with clarity. The finest mechanical creations rarely impress through complication alone. Their lasting appeal lies in the ability to organise extraordinary technical sophistication within proportions that remain elegant, intuitive, and remarkably wearable.
That philosophy has shaped Vanguart since the introduction of the Orb, a flying tourbillon that challenged traditional mechanical architecture by becoming the first watch to incorporate a function selector allowing its owner to alternate between manual and automatic winding. Rather than presenting innovation as a hidden technical feature, the mechanism became an integral part of the watch’s identity, inviting collectors to interact directly with the movement itself.
Presented during Geneva Watch Week 2026, two new editions continue that evolution. The Orb Pink Ceramic Titanium and the Orb Blue Ceramic Rose Gold introduce coloured ceramic to the collection for the first time, expanding the visual language of the Orb while preserving the architectural character that has distinguished the model since its debut.
Ceramic does not simply introduce another colour palette. Within these new editions, it fundamentally alters the watch’s visual rhythm. Soft pink and deep blue surfaces interact with titanium and eighteen-carat rose gold, creating compositions that alternate between restraint and dramatic contrast without disturbing the balance of the original design.
Integrated along the case flanks and crown pusher, the ceramic components contribute more than aesthetics alone. Their scratch resistance, colour stability, and tactile qualities introduce another dimension to the experience of wearing the watch, allowing technical performance and visual refinement to coexist naturally.
Introducing ceramic into the Orb required far more than replacing existing components. The material’s inherent hardness and limited flexibility demanded an entirely new engineering approach capable of following the watch’s complex curves without compromising structural integrity or finishing standards.
Over twelve months of development, Vanguart created specialised production methods together with dedicated manufacturing tools capable of achieving the precision required by the manufacture. Each ceramic component undergoes extensive hand-finishing to reveal subtle changes in light and texture, reinforcing the sculptural quality that defines the Orb’s architecture.
The defining innovation remains the Orb’s unique winding selector positioned beneath the barrel at twelve o’clock. Activated through an integrated crown pusher, the mechanism allows the wearer to determine how energy is supplied to the movement.
Laser engraving, coloured PVD rings, and three discreet apertures identify the selected function: manual winding, automatic winding, or time-setting mode. When automatic winding is activated, the oscillating weight is released into motion, catching the light with every movement of the wrist thanks to a brilliant-cut diamond mounted within its structure. Few mechanical watches transform such a practical operation into an experience that remains continuously visible.
Despite the movement’s remarkable complexity, the Orb maintains proportions rarely associated with high-complication watches. Its 41-millimetre case measures only 10.5 millimetres in height, while a curved caseback follows the natural contours of the wrist, allowing the watch to wear with the ease of a contemporary sports model.
Throughout the movement, Grade 5 titanium forms the bridges, baseplate, and flying tourbillon cage, finished through a sophisticated combination of microblasting, satin brushing, mirror polishing, and meticulously executed hand bevels. Concave architectural elements surrounding the movement receive a bespoke micro-painting treatment inspired by advanced automotive manufacturing, carefully developed to reproduce the optical depth of polished ceramic across highly complex surfaces.
The introduction of ceramic marks far more than a material evolution. It signals a broader development in Vanguart’s creative direction, bringing additional versatility to one of contemporary independent watchmaking’s most recognisable creations while preserving the technical originality that first attracted collectors.
With the Orb Pink Ceramic Titanium and Orb Blue Ceramic Rose Gold, Vanguart demonstrates that innovation is rarely confined to movement construction alone. Materials, ergonomics, architecture, and engineering converge within two watches that present haute horlogerie not as an exercise in complexity, but as an exploration of proportion, interaction, and mechanical imagination.
