Historic Genevan Montres Niton Makes an Impressive Comeback

In watchmaking, few comebacks are as intriguing as the re-emergence of a brand whose name once graced both complete timepieces and high-end movements supplied to the greatest houses of Geneva. Manufacture des Montres Niton, originally founded in 1919 and known for its elegant jump-hour pieces, has been resurrected by industry veterans Yvan Ketterer and Leopoldo Celi with the Prima collection. This limited edition watch not only revives a rare historical complication but does so with a bespoke movement crafted to the exacting standards of the Geneva Seal, the oldest distinction in watchmaking looking back at 145 years in 2026, and chronometer certification, laying a substantive foundation for the brand’s modern chapter. 

Niton’s story begins in the early years of the 20th century. The original Manufacture des Montres Niton S.A. was established in Geneva in 1919 by watchmaker William-Auguste Jeannet alongside former Vacheron Constantin craftsmen Alfred Bourquin and Edouard Morel. The brand quickly distinguished itself through its artisanal production of ultra-thin caliber, form movements and distinctive jump-hour wristwatches. At its peak, Niton supplied movements and complete watches to prestigious houses including Patek Philippe, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels, earning a quiet but respected reputation among connoisseurs and jewelers alike. 

The Prima’s signature complication — the jump hour — traces back to a Niton design registered in 1928. This display, which technically resembles one of a regulator, splits time into an aperture for the hours at 12 o’clock, with a centrally rotating disc for the minutes and a sweeping seconds hand at 6 o’clock. Different finishes, like the minute sub dial with azurage, the bevelled cut-out and the brushing on the surface create a striking, dynamic contrast. Beyond time indication, the Prima features an hour-striking mechanism using a tiny hammer and hand-soldered copper gong to emit a subtle acoustic signal at each hour change.

At the core of the Prima is the in-house manual-wound caliber NHS01 — a top-notch form movement designed to fit perfectly into the rectangular case, which measures 27 × 35.5mm wide and only 7.9mm thick. Boasting a variable-inertia balance and a Breguet overcoil hairspring, it operates at 4 Hz (28,800 vph) and offers a minimum 72-hour power reserve as well as a stop-seconds function for precise time setting. Beyond its technical credentials, the NHS01 is beautifully finished in accordance with the Geneva Seal, which requires that all components are designed, manufactured, assembled and finished in the Canton of Geneva, and is also certified to ISO 3159 chronometer standards. 

To learn more, visit Niton, here.