Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Schwarz Etienne 1902 Réserve de Marche, a Contemporary Classic Rooted in Tradition
With this new series, the brand reminds us that timekeeping is a conversation between form and function, energy and rhythm, machine and man.
The romantically inclined would agree that there is a certain intimacy in winding a watch by hand, a moment of pause, intention, and awareness of time’s passage. With its latest creation, the 1902 Réserve de Marche, Schwarz Etienne invites that quiet ritual back into the rhythm of daily life, full of automatically performed actions. Building on the foundations laid by the earlier 1902 Small Seconds, and in line with the brand’s restructuring strategy, this new model introduces a power reserve complication that is both poetic and practical. True to the spirit of the independent Manufacture, the Schwarz Etienne 1902 Réserve de Marche celebrates traditional hand-wound mechanics while expressing a fresh, contemporary elegance, offering two dial colour options.
The new Schwarz Etienne 1902 Réserve de Marche is presented in a 39mm case made from Grade 5 titanium. It is beautifully proportioned and carefully finished, with alternating satin-brushed and polished surfaces which create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. At 10.9mm thick, it sits comfortably on the wrist, refined enough for formal settings yet assertive in its design language. The fluted crown is engraved with the brand’s logo, it is well-sized and tactile, as if inviting to engage with the manually-wound movement within. With a water resistance of 50m, the watch is durable enough for daily wear.
The dial, offered in two colourways, silver and 4N Gold, is where the 1902 Réserve de Marche quietly asserts its distinction. Both versions share the same architectural layout: a finely grained central surface, framed by a wide ring with raised black numerals at 4, 8, 10 and 11 o’clock. Applied, faceted rhodium-plated indexes mark the remaining hour positions, while the outer minute track in opaline and black provides precision reading without clutter. Compared to previous watches of the brand, such as the Roma Power Reserve that uses the same base movement and dial layout, there’s an undeniable step up in style: more streamlined, more contemporary and, subjectively, more appealing.
The dial’s asymmetry gives the 1902 Réserve de Marche its unique character. At 2 o’clock, the power reserve indicator with its black-on-white display, ringed in fine detail, is both intuitive and elegant. At 6 o’clock, the small seconds subdial balances the composition with a snailed finish, a polished ring, and crisp double transfer printing. Together with the Lancine-style hour and minute hands in silver, all elements anchor the design with an original rhythm.
The 1902 Réserve de Marche is powered by the MSE 311.00 calibre, an in-house, hand-wound movement conceived and constructed within Schwarz Etienne’s La Chaux-de-Fonds atelier. Similar in base architecture to the ASE300.00, which powered the 1902 Petite Seconde (the base movement has been conceived to be adapted to different configurations), the MSE 311.00 lets the micro-rotor go and its core has two mainspring barrels mounted in parallel, delivering a remarkable 120-hour power reserve, five full days of autonomy. This technical strength is enhanced by a stop-seconds function for precise time setting, and the operating frequency is 21,600 vibrations/hour.
The sapphire caseback offers a view of the movement. The mainplate is sandblasted and rhodium-plated, with polished bevels and tone-on-tone engravings. Bridges are decorated with straight Côtes de Genève, a nod to the architectural restraint that defines much of Schwarz Etienne’s design language. Even the ratchet wheels are finished with alternating satin and diamond-drop textures, offering subtle sparkle under light.
Each version of the 1902 Réserve de Marche is paired with a rubber-lined alligator leather strap, a combination of traditional luxury and contemporary practicality. The silver dial model comes with a black strap, while the 4N gold-coloured dial is matched with a warm brown strap. Both are closed with a titanium pin buckle, engraved with the Schwarz Etienne logo.
The price for this new and appealing watch, the second in the brand’s renewal strategy, is CHF 19,500 (excl. taxes). For more information, visit schwarz-etienne.ch.
