Vianney Halter and Massena LAB create Old Soul with steampunk design and vintage Minerva movement

Vianney Halter and Massena LAB collaborated to create the Old Soul watch, blending steampunk design with vintage Minerva movement. Price CHF 32,000

Massena LAB, an independent platform founded by William Massena to promote watchmaking collaborations and experimentation, has partnered with Vianney Halter to create Old Soul, a limited-edition wristwatch powered by a vintage Minerva movement.

The project began with the discovery of unused Minerva 17‴22 calibres, originally developed in the 1920s and used in pocket watches until 1942. These historic movements were restored and adapted for use in a wristwatch.

The design combines elements of steampunk with early 19th-century watchmaking references, reflecting both Vianney Halter’s distinctive style and William Massena’s interest in watch history.

The Old Soul displays hours, minutes, and seconds on three separate registers: hours at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock, and minutes on the outer chapter ring. The Arabic numerals use Halter’s characteristic typeface, while the railroad-track styling recalls vintage watches from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The watch employs a transparent sapphire disc to indicate the minutes, making the blued arrow appear to float freely above the dial, with no visible connection to the mechanism beneath.

The signatures of Vianney Halter and Massena are printed on the inner side of the sapphire crystal, adding depth to the dial. 

A steel shield, engraved with concentric circles and dotted with studs, rests on top of the crystal and reinforces the steampunk design.

The 42 mm x 12 mm stainless steel case combines polished and brushed finishes. Stepped lugs add a vintage touch, while the studded crown improves grip and mirrors the dial’s design elements.

The movement, visible through the sapphire caseback, is the vintage Minerva calibre 17‴22 from the 1920s–1940s. It beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and is hand-finished with Côtes de Genève, anglage, and black polishing.

The barrel carries the original Minerva signature and arrow motif. The calibre has been modified to include a transparent minute disc, marking the first time a vintage movement has been adapted for a mystery dial. 

Each movement retains its original number and is co-signed by Vianney Halter and Massena LAB.

The caseback is engraved with both makers’ signatures, a serial number, and the inscription “Time is the fire in which we burn,” from a poem by Delmore Schwartz, also referenced in Star Trek Generations.

Old Soul by Vianney Halter and Massena LAB is a limited edition of 47 pieces, each priced at CHF 32,000 excluding local sales taxes. massenalab.com