AKHOR Poinçon de Genève WATCH NEWS
In 2025, AKHOR unveiled its inaugural model, Le Temps en Équilibre, a highly impressive watch featuring an innovative display and an ultra-refined handwound movement, the Calibre AK10. Now, the independent Maison has heightened the allure of this watch further with the announcement that all AKHOR timepieces will bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève.
AKHOR – first impressions (2025)
It is often said that first impressions matter. In academia, there is considerable debate about how long it takes to form a first impression. Having conducted research, psychologists at Princeton University found that it takes just a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger merely from seeing their face. Clearly, when attending a job interview, there is much wisdom in being smartly attired and suitably groomed. Similarly, when it comes to the appearance of a watch, the initial perception is of utmost importance.
Last year, while attending Geneva Watch Days, a friendly encounter with a past acquaintance led to me to visit AKHOR, a brand that was unfamiliar to me at the time. I listened attentively to my host as she told me more about the Geneva-based company. Eventually, I was handed a watch, the AKHOR Le Temps en Équilibre. My first impression was that the dial was unusual, but eminently stylish, simple to read and beautifully executed. Indeed, the unisex timepiece proved highly impressive.
I recall cradling the watch in my hand and noting the multi-level dial and the refined case execution. The hour and minute hands appeared to peep from beneath a suspended disc, while a conventional central seconds hand sat on high, circling the display, completing the inventory of functions. With a loupe to my eye, I also inspected the movement and, once again, my first impressions were favourable. The execution of the hand-wound movement with its sunburst Côtes de Genève, anglage, polished pegs, as well as gleaming screws and sinks, reinforced my perception of quality. Quite simply, beyond the prepossessing face of the AKHOR Le Temps en Équilibre, there are many mechanical virtues to be found.
AKHOR Poinçon de Genève – a new era
Recently, while visiting Geneva, I took the opportunity to visit AKHOR again, eager to hear its latest news. Despite already being impressed by the company’s achievements, I was not prepared for its latest announcement that all AKHOR watches will now bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève. This independently audited certification is the preserve of only a few Maisons, Geneva’s crème de la crème of watchmaking. While some of these practitioners of Haute Horlogerie have been in existence for more than 200 years, AKHOR has ascended to the lofty echelons of watchmaking in less than 12 months.
Geneva – the birthplace of horological excellence
Huguenots (French Protestants) fleeing persecution from Catholic France during the 16th and 17th centuries found sanctuary in Geneva. The influx of talented craftspeople led to the city eventually becoming the birthplace of Swiss watchmaking.
Timepieces bearing the name Geneva were highly prized. This ultimately led to unscrupulous souls attempting to pass off poor imitations. It was against this backdrop that, on the 6th November 1886, the Grand Council of the Canton of Geneva, ‘introduced a law on the optional control of watchmaking in the Canton of Geneva’. This led to the setting up of a testing office, responsible for stamping watches with the ‘mark’ (or punch).
Poinçon de Genève
Today, the Poinçon de Genève is a guarantee of provenance, craftsmanship, a token of quality and an indication of exceptional expertise. All watches that receive the ‘punch’ must be assembled, cased and adjusted within the Canton of Geneva.
Formerly, the Poinçon de Genève was overseen by the Geneva watchmaking school; however, today the standards are rigorously maintained by TimeLab and its team of independent auditors. Participating brands are subject to regular audits, usually monthly.
For a watch to meet the requirements of the Poinçon de Genève, a technical dossier must be submitted for evaluation. This will ensure that only suitable materials are used and only approved finishing techniques are employed. For instance, one requirement is that all signs of machining are eliminated from baseplates, plates and bridges. Moreover, ‘the movement components (plates and bridges, regulating system, gears and jewels, shaped parts) and the case are meticulously examined to guarantee impeccable aesthetics and perfect assembly’. The watchful eye of TimeLab ensures no shortcuts are taken and brands uphold the esteemed standard of the Poinçon de Genève.
Beyond the quality of materials used and the various finishing techniques employed, as part of the Poinçon de Genève, each watch is also subjected to various ‘reliability’ checks, including functional tests, water resistance, accuracy and power-reserve. Furthermore, all watches are photographed on day 0 and on day 7 using a special system. The readings ‘taken on days 0 and 7 are compared with a reference time. After seven days, the watch must not have varied more than one minute’.
Calibre AK10
The Calibre AK10 not only meets the requirements of the Poinçon de Genève, it also fulfils the chronometric precision standards of COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute). Wherever you choose to look, the excellence of the hand-wound Calibre AK10 is clear to see.
Unlike the majority of watches, which feature an index-adjusted balance, the AK10 features a variable inertia balance. With this latter system, the effective length of the hairspring is fixed and the rate is altered by adjusting inertia weights positioned on the balance wheel.
A variable inertia balance takes longer to fine-tune, but it confers an array of benefits. For instance, the rate can be set more precisely and should the watch be subjected to a shock, it is less likely to require remedial regulation. Furthermore, with an index-adjusted balance, the hairspring passes between two curb pins, to some degree compromising its geometry and, by default, isochronism.
Rather than use traditional timing screws, AKHOR has fitted masselottes to the spokes of the balance wheel (inboard). As the balance wheel oscillates to and fro, it generates less air perturbation, once again, improving isochronism.
Other highlights of the Calibre AK10 include openworked bridges with crisp interior angles, a mirror-polished click, sunray-brushed transmission and ratchet wheels and several circular grained wheels (gear train). Moreover, the Calibre AK10 is endowed with a plethora of refined finishes that will never be seen. This horological rectitude ensures that mobile components move as intended with minimal friction, traces of machining are removed and, with expert polishing, corrosion resistance is enhanced. Indeed, finishing not only improves the visual appearance of the movement, but it also delivers functional benefits.
What does the future hold for AKHOR?
The brand has openly disclosed that the movement is designed to accommodate more complications such as ‘moon phases, large date, tourbillon and a day/night indicator’. With this simple statement, it’s clear the brand’s ambitions extend beyond the indication of hours, minutes and seconds.
As I hope I have shown, the Calibre AK10 transcends beauty, delivering many technical attributes. Indeed, its qualities have exceeded my favourable first impressions and are now backed up with the independent assurance of TimeLab. AKHOR may be comparatively young, but its ascendancy within the Haute Horlogerie segment is manifest with the Calibre AK10, a movement bearing one of the most prestigious hallmarks in watchmaking, the Poinçon de Genève.