Machiel Hulsman has long occupied a particularly individual corner of independent watchmaking.
The Dutch watchmaker, who moved from a career in IT into building complete watches by hand, is now taking one of his most recognisable creations into limited production.
The Tourbillon Solstitium will be made as a 12-piece subscription series, while retaining the bespoke feel that has defined Hulsman’s work for collectors.
At a glance
- Hulsman is producing the Tourbillon Solstitium as a limited subscription run of 12 pieces, plus one charity example.
- The watch combines a one-minute tourbillon with jumping hours, retrograde minutes and a torque-based winding indicator hidden in the logo.
- Pricing is EUR 138,000 excluding VAT, with delivery expected in roughly two to two-and-a-half years.
A Dutch independent moves into small-series watchmaking
Hulsman’s reputation has been built on watches that feel closer to mechanical portraits than catalogue models.
His projects have included highly complicated commissions, among them watches involving multiple time zones, automatic daylight saving adjustment, a triple-axis tourbillon and other ambitious mechanical concepts.
The Tourbillon Solstitium marks a notable shift because it turns a previously unique collector commission into a small, defined series.
That doesn’t mean Hulsman is stepping into conventional production.
Each watch remains highly personal, with owners invited to shape details across the dial, movement finishing and decoration.
For collectors of independent watchmaking, the appeal sits in that narrow space between authorship and participation.
Jumping hours, retrograde minutes and a tourbillon
The dial layout gives the Solstitium its immediate identity.
Hours are shown by a jumping hand on a large subdial to the right, while the one-minute tourbillon sits opposite to create a strong visual balance.
Minutes are read by a hand travelling across a retrograde scale, with markers placed at 10-minute intervals.
It’s a display that looks theatrical without becoming ornamental for its own sake.
The hands are a signature Hulsman detail, individually milled from carbon steel, hand-finished and heat-treated to achieve tones that can range from gold and purple to deep blue.
The lower section of the dial uses traditional guilloché, and clients can choose colours, hands and indices to suit the character of their watch.
One of the cleverer touches is the winding indicator integrated into the Hulsman logo.
Rather than simply estimating remaining running time, the system monitors torque delivered by the twin barrels, with the upper section of the logo turning red when winding is needed.
Hand-made construction with a deeply personal finish
The case measures 39mm across and 9.3mm thick including the sapphire crystal, giving the watch a refined profile for a tourbillon with this level of mechanical theatre.
It can be made in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold or platinum.
The open-lug architecture requires lost-wax casting, after which each case goes through weeks of machining, hand-finishing and polishing.
Inside is a manually wound calibre developed in-house by Hulsman.
The movement is made from raw brass, steel and ruby stock, with a clear emphasis on efficient construction and mechanical resilience.
The tourbillon uses a free-sprung balance beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, and the large 14mm cage is balanced with gold weights.
Hulsman also uses a proprietary escapement design, while twin barrels deliver a 75-hour power reserve and are fitted with slipping springs to prevent overwinding.
A practical technical highlight is the adjustment system for the jumping hours and retrograde minutes.
Unlike many retrograde mechanisms, Hulsman’s construction allows the indications to be adjusted both forward and backward without damage.
The finishing is suitably traditional, with Côtes de Genève, perlage, circular graining, polished bevels and black-polished elements visible through the sapphire caseback.
Owners can choose movement finishes including rhodium, black rhodium, yellow gold or rose gold, and the lower tourbillon bridge can be redesigned with initials, symbols, engraving or bespoke motifs.
Subscription, pricing and owner involvement
The Tourbillon Solstitium will be limited to 12 subscription pieces, with an additional number 0 planned for a charity auction supporting local community and environmental initiatives.
Hulsman is also making the commissioning process part of the experience.
Buyers will receive regular progress updates and can visit the atelier, including the opportunity to manufacture a component for their own watch.
The price is EUR 138,000 excluding VAT.
Orders require a non-refundable 50 percent deposit of EUR 69,000, followed by a 25 percent payment of EUR 34,500 after one year, with the final 25 percent due before delivery.
Production is expected to take between two and two-and-a-half years.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Hulsman |
|---|---|
| Model | Tourbillon Solstitium |
| Case size | 39mm diameter, 9.3mm thickness including sapphire crystal |
| Case material | White gold, yellow gold, rose gold or platinum |
| Case construction | Lost-wax cast case with open lugs, hand-machined, hand-finished and polished |
| Dial | Custom colours available, guilloché lower section, jumping-hour display and retrograde minutes |
| Hands | Hand-made heat-treated carbon steel hands |
| Movement | In-house manually wound calibre |
| Complications | One-minute tourbillon, jumping hours, retrograde minutes, torque-based winding indicator |
| Frequency | 21,600 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | 75 hours |
| Movement details | Free-sprung balance, proprietary escapement, twin barrels with slipping springs |
| Finishing | Côtes de Genève, perlage, circular graining, bevelled edges and black-polished elements |
| Personalisation | Dial colours, hands, indices, movement finish and lower tourbillon bridge |
| Availability | 12 subscription pieces plus one charity piece |
| Delivery estimate | Approximately two to two-and-a-half years |
| Price | EUR 138,000 excluding VAT |
The Solstitium is not a watch for someone chasing instant delivery or familiar branding.
It’s for the collector who values direct contact with the maker, mechanical character and the rare pleasure of seeing a complicated watch emerge slowly from a single independent workshop.
