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The new Prima by Niton (incl. a Geneva Seal movement) & its background
Niton was founded in 1919 by three watchmakers, Jeannet, Morel and Bourquin, the latter two of whom were former employees of Vacheron Constantin.
In 1922, it became the "Manufacture des montres Niton S.A."
The brand begins a second life today thanks to Yvan Ketterer (right) and Leopoldo Celi (left).
credit: Niton
Their introductory model, called the Prima, is a “striking” jumping hour watch, meaning that every time the hour jumps, the mechanism also strikes a copper gong embedded in the case itself, thus creating a quiet, soft chime.
credit: Roni Madhvani
The source of inspiration of this design comes from the past of the brand.
credit: Ruud Petrus Gerhardus van Rijn, aka @jumphourking
Astonishingly, the Prima is powered by a shaped manual winding movement bearing the Geneva Seal.
credit: Roni Madhvani, Monochrome & Niton
The case measures 27 x 42 x 7.9 mm and seems to sit perfectly on the wrist.
credit: Monochrome & Roni Madhvani
The Prima is a limited edition of 19 pieces in pink gold and 19 in platinum (a nod to the date of birth of the brand, 1919).
credit: Roni Madhvani & Niton
During the 1920s and 1930s, the brand has made several jump hour watches with various designs. Oftentimes, these watches were made for other brands, like Cartier or Gübelin.
All of them were already powered by exquisite shaped manual-winding calibers bearing the Geneva Seal.
Here's an overview of these models from the past: I have focused only on the models with the same three-part dial layout (hours, minutes and small seconds).
HISTORICAL NITON JUMP HOUR WATCHES
Credit for all photos below, except when specified: nitonsa.com (a site featuring the database of the watches produced by the Manufacture des montres Niton S.A.) & Antiquorum
NO. 5495
NO. 5497
credit (above): John Goldberger
credit (above): Monochrome
NO. 5711
NO. 6025
NO. 6033
NO. 6363
NO. 6372
NO. 6647
credit: Steve M aka @phxwatchnut & Ruud Petrus Gerhardus van Rijn aka @jumphourking
NO. 6652
TWO EXAMPLES FOR CARTIER WITHOUT NUMBER
ONE LAST EXAMPLE FOR GÜBELIN WITHOUT NUMBER
By the way, the name Niton comes from two glacial erratics originating from the Alps which formed and later found their way to the Geneva Lake harbor.
These enigmatic stones were named "Pierres du Niton" (Niton stones) and soon became the national landmark for the Swiss topographic height measuring system.
Thanks for reading.
Best, Emmanuel
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The new Prima by Niton (incl. a Geneva Seal movement) & its background
Niton was founded in 1919 by three watchmakers, Jeannet , Morel and Bourquin , the latter two of whom were former employees of Vacheron Constantin . In 1922 , it became the " Manufacture des montres Niton S.A ." The brand begins a second life today thanks...
Comprehensive as always Emmanuel.
I think it's a fine addition to the genre and I love the timing: a day after AP releases a watch 25% more expensive with alot less bang for buck in my opinion. Regards, Baruch
I really do not understand the design of that movement
When I saw the price I had to read it 10 times. It looks sooooooooooo cheap
the looks, the layout. how the text and numbers are written , the font of the letters ...
To me to really LOOKS cheap Maybe it isn't but that's how it makes me feel
I understand your reaction, of course, and fully respect it,
but I don't feel the same way: even if I much prefer the classic design of the older movements, I think they've done a modern design which isn't ugly (to me). And they managed to meet the Geneva Seal requirements, which I really respect. Price is not some...
Looks better than the AP
I’d be a huge fan with a change to the font, and striping on the minute hand. Case and proportions great.
Nice size and design,
shaped manual winding movement with Geneva Seal: I have a lot of respect for what they’ve accomplished. And the contrast with AP is painfully revealing. Best, Emmanuel
Thank you! I really have a lot of respect
for the work accomplished here and the contrast with AP’s Neo Frame couldn’t be more terribly revealing. The platinum variant looks great indeed but so does the rose gold for me (predictably). Best, Emmanuel
There are more live photos in the article from Monochrome if you want to have a look.
I’m biased towards rose gold, obviously, so I can only agree with you, but as always it would be preferable to see both variants in person and side by side if possible.
Many thanks for the backstory and comprehensive history.
I’ve learned along the way that “you can’t own ‘em all” but if I were in the market for a rectangular jumping hour this would be the most interesting and appealing choice in recent times. I can’t imagine the 38 pieces will be around and available for too ...
Like you, I really appreciate what has been done, here.
And I have a lot of respect for this creation: I mean, beautiful design and complication, and shaped Geneva Seal hand-wound movement... Few new or resurrecting brands have done such a great job, really. Like you, I expect the 38 pieces to be sold soon (bu...
Oh, this sings to me.
Thanks for highlighting Emmanuel, definitely a watch that catches my eye and would sit nicely in my every day. If it was half the price that might be a realistic opportunity, alas at this level it requires sacrifice that may not be worth it! I love the ex...
Thank you so much, Jay.
I couldn’t agree more with you concerning the comparison between this piece of your Vagabondage and the Cartier Guichet. At least that’s how I feel based on photos, as I’ve seen none of the three in real life unfortunately. Here, I’m impressed and I have ...
Excellent post Emmanuel!
I was just thinking about Niton the other day when the new AP was mentioned. A wonderful brand that few know about it. I'm glad someone has revived it. Perhaps Haas Neveux will be revived as well. In any case, looks like the art deco revival theme is well...
Thank you! For me, they’ve done a lot of things right here.
Shaped manual winding movement with Geneva Seal! As far as I know, the revival of Haas Neveux is in progress: https://haasneveux-et-compagnie.com/en/revival I’m really looking forward to seeing what they come up with ! Thank you for your kind words. Best,...
Looks pretty exciting indeed 🙌🏻👏🏻👌🏻
The only thing I am not strictly a fan of is the lug design. But very intriguing indeed as an overall package. Is the movement a new development of theirs?
Yes, the movement is in-house and new.
For me, starting the relaunch of a brand by a shaped manual-winding Geneva Seal movement is a real and incredibly nice statement. Best, Emmanuel
Thank you very much Emmanuel for highlighting
This brand and this model I am a fan of jump hours and have one from Rolex I understand they also made movements for Patek Did you find any ? My prince for comparison ...
Wonderful Prince!
Rolex has such an interesting distant past. Yes, I have found several watches made for PP, but one is particularly interesting and I’ll post about it. I really love their vintage shaped movement. As for the new one, the modern aesthetic doesn’t speak to m...
What a stunning list of photos
One thing for sure, they didn't spare efforts on the old movements, I've counted at least 7 inner angles on some of them, I believe that would pretty much beat most tier-1 makers. Then again with the reissue, a square movement in a square watch, move over...
Just like you,
I’m very much impressed by the number of inward angles in the vintage movements: so impressive and beautiful ! And the reissue also inspires me a lot of respect. Best, Emmanuel
It begs the question, "Should the finest watches be made at scale?"
If you agree that the finest watches have a bespoke quality about them, you may agree that the finest watches should not be made at the scale that the most established brands operate today. The bespoke characteristics and design of this watch convince me ...
Thank you for sharing your very interesting thoughts.
I couldn’t agree more with you, here, on all counts, really. I’ve listened this morning to a podcast where Leopoldo Celi is interviewed (in French): very interesting to discover how he and Yvan Ketterer came to relaunch Niton and create the Prima. Have a ...
Wow comprehensive post thx
As far as the new piece, I think I like the old designs more personally. Although would need to see the new one in person…
I would also need to see the new watch in person.
But, what I'm sure of is that I admire the work they've done. Best, Emmanuel