The Peseux 7001 Revival: A Classy Hand-Wound Movement Returns To The Spotlight

Slim, traditional, and accurate, this caliber is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance

September 18, 2024

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These days, the focus seems to be on whopping power reserves and in-house calibers, with even mid-tier brands jumping on the bandwagon. But if you know your vintage watches, you’ll be aware of a time when everything wasn’t measured in the number of bridges, cogs, and pinions a brand produced by itself.

In the car world, the image is more realistic. Even a few years before the increased sharing structure brought on by electric tech, BMW set the bar for in-house production with what was considered a very high 40%. With all the focus on in-house excellence and alternative chronometric certifications, I’m feeling drawn to a fairly simple yet sturdy ETA movement. The 7001 has been in production since 1971, and it is seeing a resurgence, even a Peseux revival of sorts.

The backstory of the ETA/Peseux 7001

Fabrique d’Ébauches de Peseux, S.A. — or just Peseux for short — was the name of a movement manufacturer founded in 1923 and acquired by ETA in 1985. One of its most famous calibers was the 7001, a hand-cranker with an ultra-slim profile. The first shock to your system, unless you’re used to vintage watches, will be the lack of hacking seconds. But to me, that’s a minuscule price to pay for the effortless slenderness. It has an everyday-spec 17 jewels and a lithe 2.5mm thickness. That is seriously thin for a movement that has been in production since 1971. Well-known vintage calibers, such as the Omega 651, used the Peseux 7001 as a base, as did Nomos for many of its 1990s references.

Zelos Nova 37mm

My Peseux-powered Holthinrichs Ornament and this small Zelos nugget of tantalum inspired this story on the 7001. If you haven’t tried on a watch with a tantalum case, you’ll be in for a weighty surprise. The metal is rarer than gold on our planet and just as heavy while channeling the dark color of titanium. Elshan Tang of Zelos created a version of his new Nova 37mm in this stealthy metal. It’s packed with material value (literally), and I bonded with it. I almost bought the loan watch at full price, and such is the danger of being a watch writer.

After 4–5 weeks, I was still drawn to its dark charm. With my story came criticism of the busy dial, but I understand it based on photos alone. In real life, the elegant spectacle only underlined my respect for Elshan. Plus, being able to offer a dial with meteorite and aventurine within a costly tantalum case for US$1,999 is baffling. Through the very slim case back, you’ll see a nicely decorated ETA 7001 with Côtes de Genève on its bridges. It’s a lot of bang for your buck, and the svelte 9mm thickness (with the crystal, 7mm without) is seriously impressive. As of publication, the tantalum version is still available from Zelos alongside three steel versions that start at US$899.

Maen Manhattan 39 Ultra Thin

Since the first Skymaster chronograph, Maen has been firmly on my list of value-driven small brands, especially with the Manhattan 37. I believe in small-cased comfort, but after reviewing the larger Manhattan 39 Ultra Thin, I found I preferred it. And despite the less-than-ideal comfort of winding an angular, nut-like crown, the 7001 caliber made it much more enjoyable. The Manhattan is a very good watch for less than €1K, with a recognizable yet non-homage ’70s shape and an interesting dial. If you think you’ve seen those evocative stripes before, imagine them on a movement bridge.

This is the only watch range I have ever seen with a Côtes de Genève dial design in all its symmetrical, vertical glory. This cheeky back-to-front move makes the watch, and in the right color, the Manhattan 39 Ultra Thin is a manually wound alternative to, well, which watches? The slim chic says Cartier, while the sports vibe of the bracelet channels Genta in all the right ways. Of course, the finish of the bracelet and case edges is of a different order, but it still punches three times above its price point. At €999 (excluding VAT), the Maen Manhattan 39 Ultra Thin is priced aggressively and offers big value.

Baltic Prismic

The Prismic is where some collectors thought Baltic had lost its marbles, but I rejoiced. The French brand has been a massive success over the last few years. We’re still surfing the frothing wave of retro, and while Etienne Malec and his team mainly focus on tool watches (except the MR collection with its cheeky small seconds at 7 o’clock), they don’t do dressy. Enter the flash-bang of the Prismic collection with its enigmatic titanium and steel case. And just like most other brands in this story, the key to its slenderness is the Peseux 7001. This movement makes a 7.4mm case thickness possible, totaling a slim 9.2mm with the crystal.

When you add a 36mm diameter and 44mm lug-to-lug, many of us will place the Prismic in the Goldilocks category. But quietly spoken and monochrome it is not, thankfully. With a guilloché-sunray inner dial and dramatic indices, it makes up for its dainty size with a flash of glamour and prism-shaped indices interspersed with faceted sword shapes and a large sub-seconds register at 6 o’clock. Priced at €1,270.50 (VAT included) with a bracelet, the first batch already sold out, but Baltic expects a restock in November. You can wait for that or check out three new versions with stone dials. These LEs will be available starting tomorrow, September 19th, in a run of 200 pieces each.

Ming 27.01 Ultra Thin

Some of you might have me down as a trend follower or an embracer of hype as I enjoy niche brands like Furlan Marri and Kurono. I’ve steered clear of the cult of Ming, but boy, was I wrong! Lately, I’ve found myself looking at Ming’s creative output again, and I must admit to having a desire for the clean, modernist style. There is a lot of respect to be garnered from sticking to one’s guns and a singular design language, especially when this goes against the big trends of tool watches and yawn-inducing ’60s skin divers.

Ming Thein offered his 27.01 (later the 27.02) Ultra Thin in a remarkably svelte 6.9mm-thick case. It had his trademark organically curved steel and signature “flying blade” lugs. The only parts of the Peseux movement remaining unchanged were the geartrain and escapement. You will find the rest thoroughly re-engineered by Schwarz Etienne with dazzling results, including black-chrome-plated bridges. Ming’s limited output means that this thin beauty is, unfortunately, long gone. That leaves you to wait for another similar creation or check out six currently for sale on Chrono24. You’ll find them starting at €3,350 plus shipping and tax, which is not bad.

Holthinrichs Watches

The small Dutch brand Holthinrichs started its ascent with the Ornament. This is a semi-bespoke series based on an innovative, slim 3D-printed case and the ETA 7001. I have a bespoke version with gold-plated frosted bridges that easily tops my collection. But last year, brand founder Michiel Holthinrichs and his growing team shocked and delighted us with the futurist Deconstructed range. It was a skeletonized wonder in Grade 5 titanium and far from dressy. With its blend of rough textures and polished details, it is easy to see the architect in Michiel coming through with the Brutalist inspiration. It also bears a close family resemblance to my very limited Ornament.

The Deconstructed signaled a new phase for the small manufacturer with the debut of its caliber HW-M01. Before any of you jump on me, yes, this is a 50%-in-house-produced movement. However, as it is based on the Peseux 7001 architecture, it also proves how influential that workhorse movement is.

The HW-M01 is thoroughly impressive with its intricate bridges and deeply engraved details. It’s a praiseworthy debut movement that battles the unusual case for attention, but the inspiration is clear. It is a testament to how movement design can evolve while inspired by a hand-wound legend.

A new alternative and a UFO

Sources of ETA/Peseux 7001 ébauches are becoming increasingly scarce. Luckily, there is now an alternative in the La Joux-Perret D100. Its roots trace back to 1971, but it offers an increased 50-hour power reserve with a recognizable 2.5mm thickness. I will also add a mention of the viral Furlan Marri Disco. Yes, it has an ETA 7001 caliber inside its UFO-like case, but I left it out because I’ve already written a hands-on article and a story on the Disco Volante trend. That doesn’t take away from its smooth-cased merit, though. But you already know I’m a big fan, so I’ll leave it up to you to check out my other two stories.

Dear Fratelli, if you love slim manual-wind movements, please let me know. And if you have any favorite vintage pieces with them inside, tell me about them in the comments below.

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The Peseux 7001 Revival: A Classy Hand-Wound Movement Returns To The Spotlight

Maybe a further nod to Nomos: They produce now a clone of the 7001 with their own regulating organ. Despite being a 7001 design, very much an “in house 700” – if this makes sense. Isn’t it named “alpha” movement at Nomos. My wife has one in their watches, not very accurate and with a failure quickly repaired by Nomos during the guarantee period.

It might be interesting talking to watch makers in service centres or independant watch makers about the level of repairs and service problems on this movement – comparable to the more widely used automatic movements from ETA or Sellita?

I would like that someone, Nomos please, integrates a variable inertia balance wheel. Maybe even an end curved balance spring, I would sacrifice some slimness for better chronometric performance. It would still be a fine movement for smaller and slim watches.

GP
Skip72 says:

Sep 18, 2024 at 23:18

If you need more accuracy, buy a quartz watch. Mechanical watches are by nature inaccurate. Mechanical movements stopped being modern technology over half a century ago. There already exist multiple brands that charge a fortune for adding additional belts and whistles to the Rube Goldberg machine on one’s wrist. Nomos makes a good watch with a nice movement. The last thing the world needs is Nomos becoming yet another expensive brand with silly movement “tech” that only those most susceptible to marketing would care about.

I love where Nomos sits in the market. It would be a shame for them to whore out their movements in full streetwalker style, not that I do not enjoy looking at a Patek Philippe or AP movement, but that market segment is already crowded. I like Nomos right where they are.

I do. I still regret not buying the Montblanc ultra slim with this movement about 8 years ago. Mrs Banter’s Nomos is based on the 7001 of course and it’s lovely

Chaz_H says:

Sep 19, 2024 at 04:50

I regret not picking up a Minerva Pythagore back when they were readily available. C’est la vie!

I’m sad to see that you don’t throw any love towards the Sellita SW261-1. Based on the more robust ETA 2800, the SW261-1 lowers the position of the small second complication by a millimeter or two, while being a slightly bigger movement more suitable to 37-38mm watches.

The 7001 was a great idea when watches were 33-35mm in size, but recent designs have all had to fudge the position of the small seconds by employing needless embellishments.

nebux says:

Sep 18, 2024 at 18:35

Exactly this and the 7001 return can only really be allowed with a recent resurgence in smaller watches (otherwise that small seconds drifts uncomfortably away from the centre compositionally.
Whilst a tidy little movement it has seen its’ day and been improved on in a number of ways despite being placed into fairly expensive watches in the past.
Nomos also based their inhouse on this and tried to improve on it .

What a wonderful article. I really enjoyed reading this. I have long been a big fan of bog-standard ETA movements. The fuss regarding “in house” movements is nothing more than silly marketing BS. I do not care much for long power reserves either, but at least that has an actual function.

The Peseux has a clear place in the market, and the Maen 39mm Manhattan is on my list. I be met one of the two founders of Maen, and he was the kind of man one would like to imagine running a watch company (a real watch guy, no pretension). I always feel better buying a watch from anyone other than Rolex, Swatch, LVMH or Richemont.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one Thor, always nice to shed light on a legend of a movement and I had no idea so many brands were still using it, fascinating.