Ochs and Junior is what happens when you hand the controls to a horological genius and tell him to do less. The result? Watches with mind-blowing complications built from
the fewest parts possible — and dials that feel like Zen koans.
This is minimalism with mechanical depth. A brand for people who don’t need a logo to tell them what’s good.
Founded in 2006 in Lucerne, Switzerland, Ochs and Junior was the brainchild of Dr. Ludwig Oechslin — one of the greatest watch designers alive, best known for the
Ulysse Nardin Freak, the Astrolabium Trilogy, and the MIH Watch.
His goal with Ochs and Junior? Strip complications down to their essentials — reducing traditional calendar, moonphase, and GMT functions to as few custom parts as possible
while keeping the watches fully serviceable, legible, and wearable.
For a while, the brand operated in collaboration with Ulysse Nardin, and then later as a fully independent atelier focused on small-batch production, bespoke customization
and function-first watchmaking unlike anything else on the market.
Ochs and Junior is revered for its brilliant mechanical simplicity, matte, unbranded dials, and nerdy ingenuity.
Key models include:
Cases are usually in grade 5 titanium or sterling silver, dials are customizable in material, finish, and color, and movements are ETA-based (2824/2892)
with extensive modification for complications.
And every watch? Made in small batches or to order, with insanely cool engineering hidden under deceptively simple aesthetics.
Because it’s not just minimal. It’s intelligent.
Ludwig Oechslin’s philosophy is unlike anyone else’s in modern watchmaking. He reduces everything to its essence — no superfluous wheels, no unnecessary subdials
— just perfectly legible, functional complications expressed with fewer moving parts than anyone thought possible.
It’s a complete rejection of “luxury theater,” and that’s exactly what makes it compelling. This is watchmaking for thinkers, not flexers.
Every Ochs and Junior is:
Expect:
You can also design your own via their online configurator. Pre-owned pieces do surface occasionally — and tend to hold value well due to rarity and niche demand.
Ochs and Junior is one of the few brands I truly admire for what it doesn’t do.
No branding on the dial. No polishing. No hype drops. Just elegant complications, built with fewer moving parts than a Swatch — but engineered better than 90% of what’s out there.
I’ve handled the annual calendar and the moonphase, and both made me pause. They’re light, wearable, and so mechanically clever it’s almost funny. If you’re a function-first
collector with design taste, this brand is catnip.
Delray Watch is always on the lookout for unique Ochs and Junior watches — especially Annual Calendar, Moonphase, and Day/Night models.
If you have an Ochs and Junior watch you’re ready to sell or trade – reach out. We’re always buying.
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