Certain terms and terminology in horology immediately command respect, admiration, and consequently rarity and inevitably, higher prices. There is certainly a standard definition for what Haute Horlogerie is—“High Horology” in Shakespeare’s native tongue—and we could define it as being fully hand-crafted watches made with rare and expensive materials which are made-to-order and command extremely high prices. You won’t have to wait a year to get your haute horlogerie watch but maybe two or four, and you will have to go to an atelier to have a private meeting with the maker and perhaps grease some paws in the process to have the privilege of putting your name down a waitlist. Haute horlogerie is not, therefore, horology for everyone which is why we don’t talk about it on Mainspring. But what we do talk about are brands which make exceptional watches that are generally inexpensive and readily available. 

Today we’re going to walk in-between the worlds of inaccessible watchmaking and run-of-the-mill, mass-produced horology. We’re going to talk for the first time about Selten based in Hong Kong, created by Leonardo Tsai in 2017, which specializes in bespoke, craft-centric watches which most of us can actually afford to buy. Interestingly enough, Leonardo comes from a watch-dial-making family which immediately makes sense looking at his latest creation, and the protagonist of this review, the Grand Feu Enamel Flare Moonstone. The Grand Feu Enamel collection comes in two dial types—with Flare or Spiral patterns—and several colors, and was launched just yesterday at a discounted rate ranging $1,899-$2,199 for the first 100 units. This collection epitomizes the idea of attainable luxury in watchmaking and of the reality of acquiring unique timepieces without having to forfeit your financial stability. 

Specifications 

As always, and regardless of how interesting and unique any design aspect of a watch can be, it remains a tool which is made of a crystal, a case, a dial, and hands. And generally we look at watches which are well made—read: robust—so that you can actually wear them and safely admire that one aspect of their aesthetic which drew you in. Haute Horlogie watches are also generally solid and durable, though they are so expensive that only rock stars would dare wear them outside a cushioned watch-gazing studio. So the Selten Grand Feu Enamel is a proper watch and as such is made, for example, with a slightly domed sapphire crystal, a well-machined three-part stainless steel case endowed with a refined alternation of vertical and horizontal brushed accents and mirror-like polished ones. As presented here it comes on a stainless steel bracelet with a leaf-spring butterfly clasp complete with 2mm of built-in micro-adjustments on either side, and screwed links. 

And what would be the point of having a magnificent timekeeping device if it were uncomfortable to wear? Exactly, and that would be true whether you spend $2,000 or $100,000 on said watch. So the Selten Grand Feu Enamel comes with average proportions for the modern watch enthusiast, with a case measuring 39mm in diameter, 45.5.mm lug-tu-lug, 11.3mm thick and coming with a 20mm lug width. The aforementioned bracelet tapers to 16mm at the clasp which means this model is indeed very comfortable to wear. (The leaf-spring clasp mechanism is genius in a stainless-steel bracelet and easy to use.) Inside the Selten we find a Swiss made Soprod M100 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve,) adjusted in five positions to run at +/- 6 seconds/day, and visible thanks to a see-through sapphire case-back. Moreover, the case-back is screwed-in and the crown is of the push/pull variety which equals to 50 meters of water resistance. 

Design

The main interest of this model, but not the only one, resides in the dial. A genuine grand feu enamel complemented by hand-engraved lines, pad-printed hour markers and minute track, and a moon-like hour and and blued seconds hand. Grand feu enamel dials are not common to see generally speaking and are rare when it comes to micro and independent brands, as the multi-step manufacturing process is tedious and success is not always guaranteed. Indeed, layers of enamel paint are hand-applied first on silver plates and then on top of each other, each being fired individually in an oven roasting at 800 degrees celsius, cooled down, and then applied again. And that is where most brands generally stop—although the end point is always quite exceptional—but where Selten decided to complicate things a bit. Before that the first layer of enamel is applied, an artisan engraves about 700 lines onto the dial manually, in either a spiral or flare pattern. 

We can already take a moment here to appreciate what Selten is offering for a relatively attainable price, all things considered.

With the combination of the hundreds of lines organized in a flare pattern on the model I borrowed for the review, and the addition of the multiple layers of enamel paint, result in the most intense sunburst effect I’ve ever come across, one which appears to be detaching itself from the dial to burst through the crystal, and which is only metaphorically held in place by the superb handset. The latter is equally worthy of praise and attention, not for the originally of its design—which Leonardo said was inspired by the works of Urban Jürgensen and Voutilainen—but for its execution: the stem and triangular element are bead-blasted whilst the circular element is polished, including the inner chamfer*. And the minute hand is fully bead-blasted and its tip is curved, whilst the seconds hand was blued by heat (and not chimically) and the whole ensemble is complemented by a cap placed above the pinion. 

 *Below the chamfer there is a series of fine concentric lines which, alas, I wouldn’t know how to show you in photos.

But we are not finished talking about the star of the show as the dial was also made to be legible   and functional by way of printed hour markers and a minute track, here shining through accents of shimmering gray. Pad-printing is an old and extremely common technique to print information on dials but here it was so well executed that I felt compelled to write a couple of extra sentences about it. Because printed markers are generally flat but here they appear raised and subtly three-dimensional, almost as if they were floating a micron above the dial, which is absolutely beautiful to look at which strongly contributes to making the dial indeed legible. Moreover, the railroad minute track is printed in the same fashion and therefore appears equally spectacular. And the printing of the brand name below the twelve of the model name, nestled within the minute track, is crisp. There is nothing run-of-the-mill about this model. 

The Heart of the Matter

Oftentimes when brands market something unique, they justify the high price tag on of the uniqueness of that element alone. A handmade leather strap you say? Let’s add $200 to the tab. A hand-forged carbon fiber dial sir? Add $2,000. A grand feu enamel dial mam? Please add $5,000. It is as if anything that is made by hand today should automatically cost ten times more than the same thing made by a machine. Hold on, don’t get me wrong, I prefer handmade stuff any day of the week and any year of the century, and I understand why it logically costs more than something made by a machine—to factor in the cost of the machinery, of the time it takes to make it, etc. But making something good with a machine also requires an investment in said machinery and in the labor of the artisan who pilots the darn thing. You can’t have anything for nothing. The catch here is that brands generally charge extra for just one unique element. 

Well, the Selten Grand Feu Enamel Flare Moonstone—and any versions of this horological gem you look at—is a full package of extraordinary watchmaking. Because not only do you get a grand feu enamel dial, something that is complex, expensive, and time consuming to make, but you first get dials manually engraved with about 700 lines in either a flare or spiral pattern, which I assume takes more than a minute to create. Add a bespoke case made specifically for Selten, a type of handset which we don’t often see at this price point, also custom-made for the brand, a Swiss movement, a leaf-spring butterfly clasp with a micro-adjustment system, and overall good manufacturing and exquisite finishing. With a discounted launch price of $1,899 for the flare version and $2,199 for the spiral one for a total of 100 units on a strap, you got yourself an awesome deal, and I would say the same regarding the full retail: $2,599 and $2,899 respectively. 

In other words, the Selten Grand Feu Enamel is something quite extraordinary and is so in all aspects of its design and manufacturing. The brand has left no stone unturned. 

Conclusion

By stopping by Mainspring today it is perhaps the first time you hear of Selten. Because brands like Selten are in the micro/independent watch market (Google the brand name to get the pun) as we don’t often see such a high level of craftmanship and singularity in design at this price point. And it is a bit shocking to see, for example, a seemingly run-of-the-mill Swiss diver retailing for $3,000 or more now that we know what a relatively small independent brand can output. The reason why I love writing about brands like Selten is because they can try to do just about anything they want, be bold, and though they take huge risks doing so, do bring something unique to an oversaturated market. Selten didn’t have to create the Grand Feu Enamel in order to become financially sound—it could have done so by producing large quantities of lesser inspired watches like many brands do–but it chose the difficult path, the right one. 

Before I let you go check out the full Grand Feu Enamel line up, note that the discounted prices of $1,899/$2,199 and full retail of $2,599/$2,899 are for the watches on a HasNoBounds leather strap. You can add a stainless steel bracelet with butterfly clasp for $80, the same bracelet with the micro-adjustment mechanism for $150, and have the rotor hand-engraved for $100. Thus, the version I reviewed will set you back $2,149 discounted and $2,849 full retail. 

Thanks for reading.