RENAUD TIXIER
Witness a meeting of two minds and generations in exceptional watchmaking as Dominique Renaud, a pioneer of contemporary horology and Julien Tixier, a prodigious young talent, forge a creative alliance.
Their shared ambition is to revisit seven core horological principles, starting with the crucial aspect of energy. Their inaugural three-hand watch, Monday, features a revolutionary kinetic engine micro-rotor that solves a decades-long efficiency flaw of traditional micro-rotors in haute horlogerie.
The “Dancer”
Slim and elegant, classic micro-rotors avoid blocking intricate movement details, yet they waste plenty of kinetic energy: subtle daily wrist movements like typing and casual gestures cannot maintain their rotation smoothly. To tackle this industry gap, Renaud Tixier created the patented "Dancer" kinetic engine fitted at the core of the new micro-rotor. Built purely with refined micromechanics without digital tech, the Dancer boasts three core breakthroughs:
1. It harvests every fraction of wrist kinetic energy with zero waste;
2. it absorbs harsh shocks just like tennis racket strings, converting impact force into extra winding power;
3. and it delivers delicate rhythmic mechanical motions visible via the caseback, acting as a miniature automaton that unlocks the long-unrealized potential of conventional micro-rotors.
Far more than a debut timepiece, Monday demonstrates their core watchmaking belief: meaningful innovation comes from fixing overlooked technical gaps in traditional mechanics, rather than unnecessary high-tech gimmicks.
The team
Dominique Renaud was the driving force behind Renaud & Papi (co-created in 1986 with his friend Giulio Papi), the first-ever independent movement developer and manufacturer in horology.
Following Audemars Piguet’s acquisition of Renaud & Papi in 2000, Dominique Renaud pursued the path of an independent and relocated to the south of France. He returned to Switzerland about twelve years later to focus on developing his own inventions. It was during this time that he met a young watchmaker whose talents left an indelible impression on him: Julien Tixier.
After completing his studies, Julien Tixier was initially involved in the design, machining and fine-tuning of an exceptional timepiece for Parmigiani Fleurier: the ‘Hippologia’ automaton. In 2016, he began his watchmaking career at Laurent Ferrier, where he came face to face with the rigorous demands of the trade and honed his skills. The turning point came in 2016, when he met Dominique Renaud.
