Dominique Renaud is formally launching a brand bearing his own name this week, and along with it, a new 1Hz movement, the BUA2024, residing within a watch called the Pulse60. While many new brands are launched with a great idea or slick design, few carry the pedigree that we find in Dominique Renaud. Oh, and there’s a great idea wrapped in a slick design here as well. The Pulse60 represents a new take on a high-amplitude, low frequency movement that operates at a mere 1Hz, featuring a balance that oscillates one time per second in hypnotic rhythm set within a modern integrated lug-less case.
While working at Audemars Piguet in 1984, a pair of young watchmakers, Dominique Renaud and Giulio Papi, decided to set out on their own path to focus on high end complications. The two would go on to found the storied Renaud & Papi SA in Le Locle in 1986, a move that would see them involved in shaping the modern landscape of haute horology. Among their first customers was the late Günter Blümlein, who would lean on the outfit from projects ranging from the IWC Grande Complication Ref. 3770, to the launch of A. Lange & Sohne.
Today, Renaud & Papi is a part of Audemars Piguet (APRP) once again, and has produced truly legendary watchmakers from the likes of Bart (and later Tim) Grönefeld to Robert Greubel, Carole-Forestier Kasapi, Stepan Sarpaneva, Peter Speake-Marin and Anthony de Haas. Though Renaud would leave the business in 2000, he has remained active in the industry since, and with the launch of his own brand, extends his vision of Haute Horlogerie Dominique Renaud (HHDR) a step further.
The Pulse60 is an old-school concept wrapped in a very modern design. What appears to be the visible mainspring sitting in its barrel at six o’clock is actually a 20mm wide balance wheel that boasts a theoretical maximum amplitude of around 700 degrees. In order to achieve this without knocking, Renaud was forced to redesign the regulating components downstream, from the geometry of the balance to the roller and impulse pin orientation. While the balance itself is visible from the dial side, the palette fork and escape wheel are visible around back, leading to the fourth wheel ticking away once per second at the nine o’clock position.
The idea here is to provide a steady, consistent beat rate that can absorb any shock or imbalance with ease thanks to its high inertia. Additionally, the 1Hz beat rate means the palette stones and pivots are subjected to far less friction, meaning smoother operation over longer periods of time. It’s like walking around with an old marine chronometer on your wrist, but set in a svelte 40mm titanium case with an integrated rubber strap.
The Pulse60 is being offered in three variations at launch, two of which use a fully titanium case with a black or white dial, and a third that uses pink gold and titanium for a two-tone vibe on both the dial and the case. The watch will be available in April 2026 and is priced from $59,000 for titanium, and $69,000 in pink gold and titanium. Dominique Renaud