t’s been almost ten years since Raphaël Granito began orchestrating the strategy of the Swiss watch brand Formex. Ten years, during which collectors and enthusiasts around the world witnessed an ambitious and client-centric vision quickly taking shape. First with distinctive designs, smart functional solutions and the introduction of innovative materials at competitive prices.

Now the time has come to expand the brand’s horological opus with a fresh take on both the design and heart of a modern wristwatch: The new 40-mm Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer marks the debut of the FX01 micro-rotor movement, co-developed with Horage and housed in an ultra-thin titanium case with an integrated bracelet and organic lines.

A design that appears as if it was slowly shaped by the elements, carefully removing material over centuries to achieve its final, optimized form, resulting in an equally balanced and light presence on the wrist: just 78 grams light, and only 6.9 mm thick. The exclusive 100-piece founders edition of the Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer is launched with a choice of three exclusive dial colors, all inspired by Switzerland’s extraordinary variety of landscapes and habitats.

In nature, everything evolves. And everything has a purpose. As a small independent watch brand, you simply cannot dream of re-inventing the ultra-thin mechanical wristwatch without having the right movement in the first place.

While Formex’s CEO Raphaël Granito has been successfully working with well-known base calibers and suppliers in the past, none of them had decided to invest in the creation of a high-performance micro-rotor movement, which is historically the only way to reduce an automatic movement’s thickness:

“Needless to say, there are several highly desirable micro-rotor calibers in the haute horlogerie segment of our industry, a few of them even available to outside brands, but we wanted to remain in the much more competitive environment that we are known for. More importantly, we needed to make sure that a reduction of the caliber’s thickness would not require compromising on performance or comfort, which automatically excluded traditional manual-wound movements, for example.”

In the end, Formex found the perfect solution almost next door with Horage. In 2009, Andreas Felsl and his wife Tzuyu Huang started the process of designing and engineering an in-house watch movement from scratch, which is “among the most difficult of watchmaking ventures”, and that statement didn’t even include a micro-rotor architecture. As Felsl puts it: "It takes anywhere from 7 to 10 years to go from concept to production models.”

With a thickness of only 2.9 mm, the FX01 is not only an exceptionally thin, but also highly efficient modern Swiss Made caliber that combines chronometric precision (each movement is tested individually by the COSC, the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Authority), a long power reserve, anti-magnetic characteristics, and contemporary movement architecture with the typical Formex approach to finishing and engineering.

More importantly, it allowed the team to completely rethink the design of an integrated-bracelet watch: “With the Aria, we wanted to offer more than a fresh breath of air for our most loyal customers: While the design was inspired by nature and the flow of time, the specs are unique: it’s an ultra-thin, ultra-light watch with an exclusive design and a COSC-certified Manufacture movement.”

Every Aria model starts with a Grade 5 titanium block, also known as Ti-6Al-4V — the same alloy used in aerospace, marine and surgical applications due to its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, biocompatible/skin-friendly properties and corrosion resistance. Milling and shaping the 40-mm case is one thing, finishing is another matter entirely: the case and each link of the tapering titanium bracelet are hand-brushed individually, following the curves of a design that feels like it was shaped over time by river water or wind.

The rounded, organic surfaces require that every finishing step follows the shape of the case and bracelet precisely, a process that cannot be automated without losing the subtlety and warmth of the overall design. A closer look at the links of the integrated bracelet shows that each one features a slightly curved surface. While barely visible to the naked eye, it can be immediately felt on the wrist. In addition, mirror-polished bevels reflect the light with surgical precision — a deliberate contrast that gives the 6.9-mm thin Aria an understated but unmistakable wrist presence.

The dial tells its own story: stamped from a single piece of brass, lacquered and finished with a matte surface, the passage of time is turned into a sculptural landscape, not unlike a rock-cut basin: each beveled index sits on a slightly raised platform, the surrounding dropping away in a gentle concave curve which creates a sense of depth, despite the overall thinness of the watch. Every index breaks the curvature of the dial with a subtle, radial line. The subdial for the small second is located at 6 o’clock, the Formex logo is embedded across at the 12 o’clock position. To further increase contrast and legibility, the bevels of the hands and indexes are polished, the surfaces brushed.

The three dial options each bring their own character to this architecture: Selva Green (Ref. 0513.1.5103) carries the warmth of a forest floor — deep, organic, alive with amber undertones from the luminous indices. Ardesia Grey (Ref. 0513.1.5133) is cooler and more architectural, the color of mountain slate after rain. And Denso Blue (Ref. 0513.1.5033) hovers between storm and stillness — a dense, matte navy that absorbs light rather than reflecting it, creating a contrast to the color of the luminous material and surface finishes of the rose gold-colored hands and applied indices.

The Formex Manufacture Caliber FX01 is the brand’s first exclusive caliber and came to life thanks to a collaboration with Horage. At the caliber’s core lies a micro-rotor architecture, a construction first introduced in the late 1950s. Unlike conventional automatic movements where the rotor sits in the center on top of the movement, a micro-rotor is integrated directly into the caliber itself. This allows for a substantially thinner movement profile (in this case 2.9mm versus the 4.6mm of a Sellita SW200-1) while simultaneously offering a more open and unobstructed view of the mechanics. However, one of the main challenges of micro-rotor movements is their winding efficiency, since a smaller rotor naturally carries less rotational inertia than a full-sized oscillating weight. To overcome this, the FX01 utilizes a custom tungsten micro-rotor.

Tungsten is an exceptionally dense and heavy material, allowing the rotor to generate greater winding momentum despite its compact dimensions. Combined with an ultra-efficient mainspring system, this construction improves winding efficiency by approximately 55%, enabling a power reserve of more than 72 hours. In practical terms, approximately one hour on the wrist can already generate up to ten hours of power reserve.

The FX01 also incorporates a flexible geartrain pinion engineered to eliminate backlash during time setting. By maintaining constant tension throughout the motion works, the system removes the microscopic free play typically present between gear teeth when adjusting the hands. As a result, the minute hand reacts immediately and precisely to every movement of the crown, allowing for exact synchronization with a reference time signal.

Beyond improving accuracy (every movement is individually tested and certified by the COSC), the mechanism also creates a noticeably smoother and more refined experience when operating the crown, underlining the precision of the movement itself.

The FX01 has been equipped with a full silicon regulating system, including the hairspring, escape wheel, and pallet fork. Compared to traditional steel components, silicon is significantly lighter, entirely anti-magnetic, highly corrosion resistant, and operates with extremely low friction. These characteristics improve long-term stability, efficiency, and consistency while reducing the need for lubrication in critical areas of the escapement.

As a modern high-performance movement, the FX01 also features matching movement aesthetics thanks to a highly distinctive finish developed by Formex: The bridges feature galvanic black gold plating combined with vertically brushed surfaces and laser-textured cutouts that reveal some of the movement’s deeper architectural layers. Hand-brushed bevels add contrast and depth throughout the caliber. The tungsten micro-rotor itself is finished with brushed surfaces and laser-engraved with the Formex logo.

The founders edition of the Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer is a limited production of 100 pieces in 2026, priced at CHF 5,900 each (EUR 7,600, $7,900). During the pre-order phase (starting end of May 2026), customers are able to freely choose their preferred dial color, and once the pre-order phase closes, each colorway is going to be produced according to the number of watches that were pre-ordered, obviously not surpassing the 100 pieces in total. After all, adaptation as the dominant dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection applies not only to nature, but to watchmakers as well.

Delivery of the individually numbered watches is scheduled for September 2026.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer

• Ref. 0513.1.5033 Denso Blue
• Ref. 0513.1.5103 Selva Green
• Ref. 0513.1.5133 Ardesia Grey

Dimensions

• 40 mm diameter, 6.9 mm height, 19 mm lug width, 45.45 mm lug-to-lug

Weight

• 37 g (1.3oz) case only with movement
• 78 g (2.75oz) including bracelet

Water resistance

• 3 ATM. Waterproof to 30 m/100 ft

Case

• Titanium (Grade 5)

Crystal

• Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside

Case back

• Titanium (Grade 5) and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating

Dial

• Stamped from a single piece of brass with a matte lacquered finish and concave surface architecture. Applied beveled indices are mounted on raised platforms with radial surface detailing. Small seconds subdial positioned at 6 o’clock. Formex logo integrated at 12 o’clock.

Hands/indices

• Rose-gold plated, vertically brushed surfaces with mirror-polished bevels for enhanced contrast and legibility. Indices and hands are filled with custom Tritec Super-LumiNova®.

Movement

• Automatic Manufacture Caliber FX01 (hours, minutes and seconds) with tungsten micro-rotor and small second at 6 o’clock; flexible geartrain pinion for backlash-free hand setting, silicon hairspring, escape wheel and pallet fork; screw balance regulating system
• Diameter: 30 mm diameter
• Height: 2.9 mm
• Jewels: 25
• Frequency: 25,200 vibrations per hour (3.5Hz)
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Chronometer certified accuracy: -4/+6 seconds per day (tested and certified by COSC)

Bracelet

• Titanium (Grade 5) with quick-release end links. Double folding clasp with Formex’s patented micro-adjustment system, allowing 3 mm extension on each side without having to open the clasp/removing the watch from the wrist.

Pricing

• CHF 5,900.00
• International shipping included, with free 30-day returns and a 3-year international warranty. Taxes and duties are included for deliveries to the UK, Australia/New Zealand, Switzerland, and the European Union. For U.S. deliveries, all duties and tariffs are included; local sales tax is calculated and added at checkout.

Availability

• Manufactured in a highly limited series of 100 individually numbered pieces for the founders edition. During the pre-order period (May to June 2026), customers can choose their preferred dial color. Once the pre-order phase closes, each dial variant will be produced according to the quantities ordered, without exceeding the total production of 100 pieces in total.