One case. Two faces. Quietly reintroduced.
Since 1931, the reversing case — one face for the dial, one for the wearer's own mark — has been the preserve of watchmaking's oldest houses, reserved for those willing to wait years and pay tens of thousands. The Signet enters that lineage plainly, priced to be worn rather than waited for.
The reverse face of every Signet is left plain — untouched, unengraved. A canvas rather than a completed thing. What eventually appears there, if anything appears at all, belongs to the wearer alone.
A signet was once a personal seal — pressed into wax on the reverse of a folded letter, marking who had sent it. The Signet keeps the tradition, on the reverse of a folded case.
Every dimension is drawn to a purpose — the case sized to slip under a shirt cuff, the strap weighted for the wrist, the crystal domed to catch the light.
In 1931, in a small handful of Swiss workshops, a rectangular watch was drawn for a specific purpose — to withstand the sport its owners played. A hinged case that swung out of its carrier and rotated to protect the dial. A silver guilloche face. A plain reverse — a canvas for the owner's mark.
For nearly a century since, the design has remained the preserve of watchmaking's oldest houses — waited for, whispered about, kept out of reach of most of the people who admired it.
The Signet is Ströhm & Bauer's entry into that lineage. Drawn plainly, finished properly, and offered without ceremony to anyone who has watched the archetype from a distance.
A lacquered walnut case, lined in navy leather. An engraved steel identity card carrying the Signet's reference and its owner's name. A handwritten letter from the founder, sealed with the Ströhm & Bauer signet. And a piece whose reverse face is left plain — untouched, as it should be, until the wearer decides otherwise.
"A watch is not a purchase. It is the first sentence of a letter, addressed to whoever comes after you."
Register once. You will receive a single letter on the morning of release, with a private link to the collection at invited pricing of $845 — held below the public price of $995.