Grail Watch Reference

A Reference Library for Watches from Grail Watch

Welcome to Grail Watch Reference!

Welcome to the reference site for Grail Watch! This is a reference site only. Please visit the Grail Watch blog for regular posts. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

See All Movements in the Database

How to Use Grail Watch Reference

Our watch movement database is currently online. Click “Movement Database” in the menu and use the filters to select a watch movement. You may then click on any detail to see all other movements that share that characteristic.

Here are some useful queries to get you started:

About Grail Watch Reference

This site is a database of reference information. We are initially focusing on watch movements, and are building a fully cross-referenced database of mechanical watch movements. In the future we may also include other things, including perhaps watch models and companies.

We are trying to be authoritative and correct, and are relying on manufacturer information as our primary source. Most information comes from manufacturer web sites, documentation, and publications. We are also using independent research and information from third parties where manufacturer information is unavailable.

All illustrations are official manufacturer photos and are used for commentary according to the press license of each company. We are attempting to include a link back to the official manufacturer web page where possible. We are also linking to Watch Wiki, Watchbase, and other sites where appropriate.

Updates from Grail Watch Reference

The Surprising Calibres of Naoya Hida

June 19, 2022
Naoya Hida & Co. is an independent watch atelier in Tokyo producing a small number of classically-inspired watches in annual batches. Each model uses a customized movement based on the ETA 7750 automatic chronograph ebauche, a surprising choice because Hida's watches are neither automatic nor chronographs!

Exploring Hahn Landeron Chronograph Movements

April 13, 2022
There is very little coverage of Landeron, the factory of Charles Hahn that produced many high-end column wheel movements before introducing the world to cam switching. For this reason, I have recently added most of the classic Landeron chronograph movements to the Grail Watch Reference database.

A Survey of the Kenissi Movements for Tudor, Chanel, Breitling, and Norqain

November 16, 2020
After a number of recent wins at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, including two last year and another this year, I felt it was time to get a better understanding of the movements produced by Kenissi for Tudor, Chanel, Breitling, and Norqain. Kenissi, a joint venture between Tudor (Rolex), Chanel, and Breitling, is becoming one of the most successf...

Bulgari Finissimo: Record-Setting Movements

September 18, 2020
Inspired by the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic, I spent some time investigating the company's family of "Finissimo" movements. Over the last six years, the ultra-thin Finissimo movements have taken record after record, from the exotic (tourbillon, repetition) to the commonplace (automatic). And they incorporate some...

New Movement Family: Zenith Elite

May 28, 2020
This weekend I added a Zenith's Elite family of movements to the site. These are an important series of modern automatic movements yet are not well-understood or documented. Introduced in 1994, the Elite series gave Zenith a compact movement that was robust, reliable, and could support complications across a wide range of watches. The series was almost...
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