Introducing: Dominique Renaud Slows Things Down With The 1Hz 'Pulse60'

What We Know

Dominique Renaud has just relaunched his eponymous brand, which has sat relatively quiet since 2016. Back then, he had announced the DR01, with an incredible 12Hz blade resonator, futuristic shape, and impressively massive price tag of CHF 1,000,000. And despite 12 planned watches, only one prototype was made. Well, now he’s back with another surprising watch, the Pulse60, which goes in the opposite direction in terms of beat rate to one of the slowest-ticking watches in modern history, with a giant 1Hz balance and an unusual escapement. It also features a more wearable shape and size than the DR01 and comes at a much more reasonable base price of CHF 49,000.

Dominique Renaud’s name should be instantly recognizable to anyone who has followed horology over the last 30 years. And yet, for quite a while after his split from Guilio Papi and Audemars Piguet, Renaud remained relatively quiet. Some may remember that in 2024, he came back with his most practical and commercial product in a long time, an inventive microrotor watch called “Monday” made with young watchmaker and prototypist Julien Tixier. 

This was, in many ways, nice to see—both as a product and as a chance to see Renaud’s name return to commercial watchmaking. But the launch of the Pulse60 feels, in some ways, even more promising. It’s modern, well-considered, familiar, and yet unusual. It’s also the launch of Haute Horlogerie Dominique Renaud (HHDR), which will encompass a number of brands and technical facilities, with its founding location in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, and Michel Nieto (formerly CEO of Baume & Mercier) as CEO of the entire HHDR.

Starting from the front of the watch, you can see it has a sporty, sloping case shape in either grade 5 titanium or titanium and 18k pink gold, measuring 40mm wide, 44mm lug-to-lug (on a lugless design), and 12mm thick, with a domed sapphire crystal. But the dominant feature of the appearance is the massive 20mm balance spring (with a 15mm hairspring diameter), which dwarfs the small 12 o’clock subdial for hours and minutes. The left subdial is a natural dead half-second counter (moving twice per second), and the right is a torque indicator, which tells not necessarily the power reserve but the quality of power (strength and consistency) in the current state of wind.

Generally, a higher beat rate comes with higher beat stability and protection against movements and shocks. Here, the large variable-inertia balance ticks at 60 beats per minute, or 7,200 vibrations (half-cycles) per hour, which Renaud says is more akin to the human heart. He’s not the first to try this in a wristwatch (Antoine Martin tried back in 2013, but was apparently stopped by a patent claim on one of his parts by a large conglomerate, among other issues). But it seems relatively unnecessary and prone to shock. Renaud claims that the larger balance diameter helps with this by buffering shocks. Also, the curb-pin regulator isn’t on the escapement, but (as in the AP caliber 7121) on its own bridge, visible in the natural dead-half-beat second subdial. Quite unusual.

On top of this, the bigger surprise is an interesting take on the escapement. On the rear of the watch, you can see a linear bridge that’s reminiscent of Lange’s second-generation Zeitwerk remontoir bridge. The watch uses an escapement that is not completely unheard of in watchmaking, but is far from common. In a normal Swiss lever escapement, the balance only rotates around 310º (there are technical reasons, but I’ll spare you until a Hands-On). Essentially, if it goes too far, it’ll hit the back of the pallet fork (not where it should hit). The design here shares many similarities with a lever escapement but uses a geared roller and other design tweaks to allow a rotation past 360º (up to a potential 700º amplitude). Renaud claims that by rotating further than the escapement itself requires, the balance is affected more by the natural physics of its own rotation and less by interactions with the rest of the escapement, and therefore is more stable. 

The watch also has a 4-day power reserve and 30m water resistance, though it looks sportier than its specs suggest, with a rubber strap and a push-button quick-change system. All of this comes together into a really interesting watch that looks like it would be plenty wearable. These aren’t limited editions and are priced at CHF 49,000 in titanium (with a black or silver dial) and CHF 59,000 in pink gold and titanium (featuring a guilloche dial).

What We Think

This is a very interesting release from a technical standpoint. While I really like the look of the piece, I’m a bit incredulous, to be honest, about much of the watch’s functionality. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Renaud and his team about the release, but this kind of separate system for increasing amplitude has been used in various forms since the 18th century. Also, breaking the escapement into more discreet parts has been done (recently by Konstantin Chaykin for the “ThinKing”). The combination of all these things is quite interesting, but the biggest question is the shock resistance. There’s a reason that 1Hz hasn’t worked for wristwatches before. I have an idea how to test it (without dropping it or harming the watch), and a lot of thoughts about the history of a watch like this, so it’s fascinating enough that I hope that I can see it in person and check out the surprising ideas Dominique Renaud has brought to life.

The Basics

Brand: Dominique Renaud
Model: Pulse60

Diameter: 40mm x 44mm
Thickness: 12mm (including domed crystal)
Case Material: Grade 5 Titanium and 18k Pink Gold or solely Grade 5 Titanium
Dial Color: Grey and rose gold guilloché, grey, or black dials
Indexes: Applied and printed
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Interchangeable rubber strap with push-button system

The Movement

Caliber: In-house caliber
Functions: Hours and minutes, natural dead half-second on the 9 o’clock counter, torque indicator on the 3 o’clock counter
Power Reserve: 4 days
Winding: Manual winding
Frequency: 1 Hz/7,200 vibrations per hour
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: 20mm balance spring, 15mm hairspring diameter, patented regulation system with oaset index assembly and increased amplitude escapement

Pricing & Availability

Price: CHF 49,000 in Titanium; CHF 59,000 in Pink Gold and Titanium
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No

For more, click here.