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Old School by Massena LAB and Luca Soprana


Old School by Massena LAB and Luca Soprana


Regular price $39,500.00
Regular price Sale price $39,500.00
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Massena LAB is proud to announce the release of Old School, our first collaboration with independent watchmaker Luca Soprana.

Old School is a concept watch that began as both an experiment and a study of an aspect of watchmaking previously unexplored by Massena LAB — the montre d’école. A traditional montre d’école, translating literally to “school watch”, is a watch that is designed and crafted by an apprentice watchmaker at the conclusion of their studies. The finished montre d’école is then evaluated to determine whether or not the apprentice may call themselves a true watchmaker. Some montres d’école are finished so elaborately that they require a full year of work to complete, and the most talented apprentice-watchmakers create their own movements. It is this attention to detail, dedication, and savoir-faire that is the essence of Old School.

For Old School, Luca Soprana revisits the concept of a montre d’école, twenty years into his career as a master watchmaker.

A second, important influence on Old School can be found in the movement’s finishings, which are typical of the style found in high, German watchmaking. Examining the movement, a keen eye will observe the sober but meticulous work required of traits-tirés or straight-grain finishing, dotted with shining gold chatons.

The movement of Old School is characterized by a broad, three-quarter plate and is constructed entirely of maillechort, or German silver. It includes a blued steel balance spring, a swan-neck regulator with a micro-metrical screw, a bi-metallic balance wheel, and black-mirror finished pallet and escapement bridges. The movement is signed “Massena & L. Soprana” and is engraved with its limited edition number.

The dial of Old School was designed by William Massena and combines several aesthetic influences, including the classic marine chronometers of the late 18th century, especially those by Ferdinand Berthoud, and the sector dials of many chronometer wristwatches — an influence that has been previously explored by Massena LAB in our collaborations with Habring².

Made entirely by hand, the dial of Old School is made entirely of maillechort, which is then plated with rhodium. At its center, the dial is hand-frosted and then plated with gold. A subdial at 9 o’clock, for the seconds, is signed, in midnight blue, with both “Massena & Co.” and “Vaumarcus”, for the castle in Switzerland where Soprana operates his atelier and where Old School is made.

The hands of Old School are hand-filed blued steel. The crown is also carefully made by hand.

Old School features a 41.5mm case in polished and brushed stainless steel, with a thickness of 11mm including the sapphire crystal, which covers both the dial and the display back.

Old School is fitted with an exclusive, midnight blue alligator strap by Jean Rousseau Paris with a stainless steel tang buckle.
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Features

Technical Details

Old School by Massena LAB and Luca Soprana

Movement

Caliber LS01 hand-wound movement.

Functions

Hours, minutes, and seconds.

Features

Stepped, sector dial made from German silver and plated with rhodium and gold, movement by independent watchmaker Luca Soprana, anti-glare sapphire crystal with display back, exclusive watch strap made for Massena LAB by Jean Rousseau Paris.

Case

41.5mm stainless steel, 11mm thickness.

Crystal

Sapphire crystal front and display back.

Bracelet

Midnight blue alligator strap, made in France by Jean Rousseau Paris, with stainless steel pin buckle.

Features Image

HIGHLIGHTS


Stepped, sector dial from maillechort with rhodium and gold plating and midnight blue markings.

Hand-wound movement by independent watchmaker Luca Soprana.

41.5mm stainless steel case

Anti-glare, flat sapphire crystal on dial and display back.

LUCA SOPRANA

Luca Soprana was born in Valdagno, Italy, where his family has owned and operated a watch repair shop for four generations. Growing up in and around the family shop, where he would work during the school holidays, Soprana developed a keen interest in everything mechanical — especially the movements of highly precise marine chronometers.

At 26, Soprana relocated to Switzerland to take study at WOSTEP, where he was a contemporary of Kari Voutilainen and studied under Stephen McDonald. Later, Soprana would become a teacher at the same school.

After leaving WOSTEP, Soprana worked for various manufactures and watchmakers in Switzerland including Vulcain and Vianney Halter, where he worked on the TRIO and the Janvier N˚1. Later, at BNB Concept, a manufacture of highly complicated watch movements, Soprana worked as the head of its prototyping workshop where he helped develop the Concord Tourbillon Gravity. Soprana then went to work for Patek Philippe, and then for Rolex, before deciding to establish his own, independent atelier, 7h38, in the castle of Vaumarcus.

Most recently, Soprana has worked to develop the Astronomia Tourbillon for Jacob & Co.and the DPW 01 for Derek Pratt, along with other, confidential projects.

Soprana lives near Neuchâtel, Switzerland with his wife and three children. When he is not in his workshop, you may find him out skiing or sailing around Lake Neuchâtel.

Movement

• LS-01 hand-wound caliber by Luca Soprana

• Hour hand, and minute hand, small second at 9

• 18,800 beats per hour (2.5Hz) with approximately 40 hours of power reserve

• Blued steel balance spring with bi-metallic balance wheel and gold screws

• Swan-neck regulator and micro-metric screw

• Constructed from maillechort, or German silver

• 3/4 plate with hand-finished traits-tirés, or straight-grain finishing, gold chatons, and 25 jewels

• Engraved with limited edition number and signed “Massena & L. Soprana”

LIMITED EDITION

• Manufactured by Luca Soprana in the castle of Vaumarcus, Switzerland

• Limited edition of 11 examples

Technical Specs Image

DIAL

• Stepped, sector dial constructed from maillechort, or German silver, with rhodium and 2N gold plating

• Center section is carefully hand-frosted (as opposed to a more common, chemical process) to achieve the texture

• Hand-filed, blued steel hands

• Midnight blue markings

• Signed “Massena & Co.” and “Vaumarcus”

CASE

• Diameter: 41.5mm, thickness: 11mm

• Stainless steel

• Crown made by hand

• Flat, anti-glare sapphire crystal on both dial and display back

• Water-resistant to 3 bars (30 meters)

• Midnight blue alligator strap made exclusively for Massena LAB by Jean Rousseau Paris

WARRANTY

• Two-year guarantee.