Buci has always treated watchmaking as a form of writing, and the Nouvelle collection makes that idea feel more intimate.
The young Parisian brand’s second collection moves from broad literary inspiration to the short story, using small daily observations, handwritten forms and the texture of paper as design material.
The result is a compact, hand-wound watch with a distinct personality and enough restraint to sit outside the usual vintage-dress-watch playbook.
At a glance
- Buci has introduced the Nouvelle, a 36mm stainless-steel hand-wound watch limited to 300 individually numbered pieces.
- The design centres on blotting-paper dial textures, hand-painted calligraphic numerals and an hourly hand alignment shaped like a fountain-pen nib.
- Pre-orders run on Kickstarter from September 25 to November 15, 2026, with campaign pricing at EUR 1,550 before a later EUR 1,850 retail price.
A literary idea in a 36mm steel case
Founded in 2022 by Nousseïma Baraket, Buci built its identity around the written word rather than conventional watch-industry nostalgia.
Its debut Garde-Temps collection set the tone, followed by collaborations with seconde/seconde/ and Revolution Watch magazine, but Nouvelle feels like a more complete expression of the brand’s own language.
The stainless-steel case measures 36mm across and 9.88mm thick, giving it a compact, unisex fit that suits the watch’s quiet character.
Buci combines polished and satin-brushed surfaces, while the oval concave bezel carries forward a recognizable element from the brand’s earlier work.
The fluted mid-case is one of the more charming details, taking its cue from the layered edges of book pages without turning the watch into a literal prop.
A domed and recessed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment covers the dial, while the exhibition caseback reveals the movement.
Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, which keeps the watch practical enough for daily wear even if its mood leans more literary salon than sports watch.
The dial reads like handwriting on paper
Nouvelle is offered in two dial versions, each built around a textured surface inspired by blotting paper.
Essentiel uses a luminous, aged-paper tone, while Contemplation moves into a deeper blue associated with the quieter hours of night.
The numerals are hand-painted by a Parisian calligrapher, with deliberately uneven proportions that create a crescent-like rhythm across the dial.
That irregularity gives the watch much of its character, because the hours don’t feel typeset or mechanically perfect.
At 9 o’clock, a recessed small-seconds display with crosshairs adds motion and balance to the composition.
Super-LumiNova on the hands and indices keeps the design functional, while the hour and minute hands align once every hour to form the silhouette of a fountain-pen nib.
It’s a subtle gesture, but a memorable one, and it ties the entire collection back to Buci’s central idea of time as something observed, recorded and remembered.
A manually wound Sellita with everyday intent
Inside the Nouvelle is the Sellita SW219, a Swiss-made manually wound movement derived from the SW200 architecture.
It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers around 42 hours of power reserve.
The movement is listed in Elaboré grade and displays hours, minutes and small seconds at 9 o’clock.
Buci pairs the watch with interchangeable calfskin straps using quick-release spring bars.
Options include grained cream, grained blue, smooth brown and grey nubuck, all sized 18mm at the lugs and tapering to 16mm at the buckle.
The buckle is made from 316L stainless steel with brushed and bead-blasted finishing, a small but welcome continuation of the case’s mixed-surface treatment.
The packaging also stays on theme, with a book-shaped box and an included notebook for recording personal moments and observations.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Buci |
|---|---|
| Model | Nouvelle |
| Case size | 36mm diameter, 9.88mm thick |
| Case material | 316L stainless steel with polished and satin-brushed finishes |
| Bezel and case details | Oval concave bezel, fluted mid-case |
| Crystal | Domed and recessed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating |
| Caseback | Transparent exhibition caseback |
| Water resistance | 50 metres |
| Dial | Essentiel aged-paper-inspired textured dial or Contemplation deep blue textured dial |
| Numerals | Hand-painted calligraphic numerals |
| Lume | Super-LumiNova on hands and indices |
| Complication | Small seconds at 9 o’clock |
| Movement | Sellita SW219, Swiss-made manual winding |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour |
| Jewels | 19 |
| Power reserve | Approximately 42 hours |
| Movement grade | Elaboré |
| Straps | Interchangeable calfskin in grained cream, grained blue, smooth brown or grey nubuck |
| Strap sizing | 18mm at the lugs, tapering to 16mm at the buckle |
| Buckle | Brushed and bead-blasted stainless-steel pin buckle |
| Production | Limited launch edition of 300 individually numbered pieces |
| Pre-order window | Kickstarter campaign from September 25 to November 15, 2026 |
| Price | EUR 1,550 during the campaign, then EUR 1,850 at retail |
Where collectors can see the Nouvelle
Buci plans to present the Nouvelle at several watch events during the campaign period.
The watch is scheduled for the Toronto Timepiece Show on September 26 and 27, We Love Watches in Paris on October 9 and 10, Windup Watch Fair in New York from October 16 to 18 and Spring Sprung Sprang in Singapore on November 14 and 15.
That hands-on access matters for a watch like this, because much of the appeal sits in texture, scale and the way the calligraphy settles into the dial.
For collectors drawn to independent watchmaking with a clear creative point of view, the Buci Nouvelle offers something compact, personal and unusually coherent.
