Hands-On The Stately Beating Of The Dominique Renaud Pulse60 Balancier Ultra Amplitude

Photos by Tim Vaux

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to tackling the design of a watch’s escapement: high-beat, low amplitude; and low-beat, high amplitude. Fine, there’s also the in-between, which is where most watches sit (between 3Hz and 4Hz), but bear with me. You’ll be familiar with all the benefits of high-beat movements thanks to brands like Zenith, and more recently, Rolex, pushing the technology into the mainstream.

Go back to the time of pocket watches, however, whose large cases were more accommodating to outsized balances, and you’ll notice that their beat rates rarely exceeded 2.5Hz. But what if you went even slower? The new Dominique Renaud Pulse60 tests that very idea, and with it brings back the name of a watchmaking legend.

Before delving into the nitty gritty of how the Pulse60 achieves its goals and why it’s so cool that it does, it struck me that not everyone will be familiar with who Dominique Renaud is. In an effort to right that wrong, here’s some context.

As a young watchmaker, Dominique Renaud’s future was already looking bright - working at Audemars Piguet was proof of that. But it would be his meeting with Giulio Papi, another young watchmaker in AP's employ, that would define his future. The two set out on their own in 1986, setting out to become makers of haute horlogerie complications, which to many may have seemed like foolhardy thinking, given the effects of the quartz crisis had reached their peak in the mid-1980s. And yet, they persevered and soon began attracting customers like IWC’s Günter Blümlein for the Kurt Klaus-based ref. 3770 Grande Complication.

The duo found success as masters of R&D thanks to their early adoption of CAD tech. If you needed any more proof of their impact in the first few years of their existence, how’s this: on top of the complications they built for JLC, Breguet, AP, Blancpain, and others, their benches were occupied by the likes of the Grönefeld brothers, Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey, and Carole Forestier-Kasapi, also working with Christophe Claret on the company that today only bears his name.

As their client list grew, so did their desire to offer a more comprehensive service, but this proved so costly that it would require the sale of a majority stake to Audemars Piguet in 1992. However, the agreement meant that the visionary duo could continue working for other brands, which led them to help (re)launch A.Lange & Söhne in 1994, and Richard Mille a few years later - though this would also signal the end of Renaud’s involvement. How’s that for a CV?

For over a decade, Dominique Renaud lay dormant, returning in the early days of HYT to head their watchmaking division, and in 2016, he introduced the first watch with his name on the dial. Using a unique blade oscillator meant to run at over 10Hz (eventually reduced to 5Hz), the DR01 was as impressive in design as it was in price, costing into the seven figures and numbering a handful. Another 10 years later, and we have the long-awaited sequel - and it’s as good as they come.

Though Renaud has experience with the heady heights of high-beat escapements, the Pulse60 is interesting as it is another example of tackling extremes. In Renaud’s own words: “One way of solving watchmaking challenges is to tackle a problem through its exact opposite.”

The centrepiece of the new BUA2024 calibre is its oversized, dial-side balance wheel, housing a 15mm-wide hairspring, and itself measuring a whopping 20mm in diameter. The only wristwatch I can recall with a larger one is Antoine Martin’s Slow Runner from 2013 with its 24mm balance - but as I’d well know, size is not what matters.

Indeed, the Pulse60 feels a lot less experimental than you’d expect from a watch of its calibre (pun fully intended), with each facet of the movement being present for a reason. The decisions that may seem like compromises at first end up either benefiting or providing opportunities for showing off ingenious mechanical solutions.

That brings me nicely onto the topic of amplitudes, which refers to the degree of swing that a balance wheel completes between each tick. Theoretically, the higher the amplitude, the more stable the power delivery - for example, an ETA 2824 hits around 250 to 300 degrees. There’s a real, physical limit to this, however, as the pallet fork would hit the impulse pins and cause knocking.

Renaud resolved that by simply splitting the escape wheel and pallet fork assembly from the balance, allowing the latter to “overrotate”, achieving an amplitude of over 360 degrees (and a theoretical one of around 700 degrees), ensuring excellent stability and smooth power delivery thanks to the balance’s high inertia.

With its slow beat rate (equating to 7,200 vibrations per hour, in case you were wondering), the Pulse60 is also able to display its seconds in a rather unique way. DR calls it a “natural dead half-second”. To unpack that, the seconds hand of the Pulse60 will jump precisely by half a second by each “to” swing of the balance, completing the other half with the “fro”.

The thing that didn’t fully strike me until I saw this watch in person is that it’s not just a masterclass in micromechanics by a legendary movement developer. The best watches not only impress mechanically, but they also make you feel something - and with its slow swing and leisurely tick-tocking sound, this one certainly had an effect on me. (Editor's Note: me too - Borna and I agree that the Pulse60 was one of, if not the highlight of "Geneva Watch Week" this April.)

The movement makes this watch mechanically unique, but it’s the case that blew me away when trying it on in person. It wears so incredibly well - perhaps the best out of any watch I tried during my most recent Geneva stint, and most certainly in the top three. This is a result of some clever decisions by the Dominique Renaud design team, as the Pulse60 feels just a tad sporty despite the slow-beating complication.

The diameter sits at 40mm, which is just right, as is the 44mm lug-to-lug that helps keep the watch compact, even with the slight flare of the rubber strap. Its integration, as well as the strap itself, is as much a part of the wearing experience as with any thoughtfully designed integrated bracelet watch. The screws holding the lugs have an architectural presence to them, curving down enough even to make the 12mm thickness feel a lot slimmer than it looks on paper. Finished simply with a circular brush, it doesn’t yearn to stand out, but merely play its part. It’s a bit like Edward Norton, which would make the big balance Brad Pitt. I hope that makes sense to other people.

Dial-side, it’s more of the same. Initially designed to serve a purpose, it’s been made beautiful by just not overcomplicating it, which is much easier said than done. It’s actually a great example of how to make the most of asymmetry and symmetry at the same time. At first glance, the small seconds and power reserve are perfectly bisected by the time sub-dial at 12 and balance at 6 (ish). Look closer, and you’ll notice that the seconds have a full sub-dial ring around them, whereas the power reserve only completes half a revolution. The rest of it is made up of similarly small touches that will only become apparent once you stare at it for long enough - and trust me, stare you will.

There are a number of reasons to like this watch, and for me, it all starts with the fact that one of the most legendary names in watchmaking finally seems to be getting his flowers. The fact that the watch is actually quite fantastic also helps immensely, especially in a climate that’s making discovering great independent watchmaking easier than ever. Getting one on your wrist, however, is a whole other ordeal, which is again what’s so impressive about the Pulse60. I’m sure DR could’ve made it an exquisitely hand-finished wonder, with only a handful made and all sold out before the first screw was turned.

But that’s not really the Dominique Renaud way, as his strength relied on being an inexhaustible source of inspiration and mechanical solutions... Which is why I also spent no time talking about the movement finishing. Not because it’s not good - it’s actually quite fantastic for a watch that doesn’t highlight it - but there’s so much value elsewhere.

I’ve waxed lyrical long enough about this now; it’s no secret that I’m a big fan. I’ll leave on a final, and perhaps controversial note, which is that I’m calling a CHF 50,000 watch good value. At this kind of price point, your horological options are really not that limited, but as they’ve gotten more popular, indies have also become a lot more comfortable demanding more. In a market that accepts, say, steel/platinum chronographs that cost the same, this feels more than justified.

Brand: Dominique Renaud
Model: Pulse60
Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 12mm
Lug-to-Lug: 44mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium, grade 5 titanium and pink gold
Dial Colour: Grained black or silver; diamond-cut with pink gold highlights
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 30 metres
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated rubber strap in multiple colours, quick-exchange, triple-folding clasp or pin buckle

Calibre: BUA2024, in-house
Functions: Hours, minutes, natural dead half-seconds, torque indicator
Diameter: 33mm (20mm balance wheel, 15mm hairspring)
Power Reserve: 4 Days
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 1Hz
Jewels: 29
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Split escapement, amplitude over 360 degrees

Price: CHF 49,000 (titanium), CHF 59,000 (pink gold and titanium)
Availability: From brand retailers starting April 2026
Limited Edition: No

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