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All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
German watch brands Laco and Circula have come together to celebrate the historic town of Pforzheim - also known as Goldstadt or ‘Gold City’ for its history in jewellery and watchmaking, and still standing today as one of Germany’s key centres of mechanical watch production. Amongst the first watchmakers of the town, Laco is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and Circula marks its 70th anniversary this year. Both brands, popular for their ‘Pro’ lines, have joined forces to create the ProLab, a limited two-watch set created specifically for their shared milestone. This collaboration is limited to 170 sets, mirroring the combined age of both watchmakers.
The partnership grew naturally from years of regular exchanges between the two independent brands, which often crossed paths at regional fairs and industry events. By early 2025, Laco’s Uwe Rücker and Circula’s Cornelius Huber decided to formalise the relationship through a joint project that would highlight each company’s strengths without merging their identities. Rather than producing a single commemorative watch, the result was ProLab - a name referencing both Circula’s PROTrail and Laco’s PRO collections, which serve as the technical base.
Circula’s PROTrail is a 40 mm pilot-inspired watch made from stainless steel, measuring 12.3 mm in thickness. The case is topped by a sapphire crystal hardened to 1,200 Vickers for scratch resistance, is antimagnetic, and water-resistant up to 150 metres. The black dial features circular graining at the centre and a matte outer ring, with BGW9 Super-LumiNova on the numerals and markers, as well as on the thermally blued hands.
Laco’s piece, developed using the Laco PRO case, also measures 40 mm and is made in dark sandblasted stainless steel capped with a sapphire crystal. The thickness here is 11.3 mm, and the water resistance is up to 200 metres. The timepiece features a sand-coloured dial - giving the model a warmer character than its Circula counterpart - with a circular-grained centre and matte outer lining, illuminated with the same BGW9 Super-LumiNova on the hands and indexes.
Both timepieces are powered by the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré automatic movement, which beats at 4 Hz and offers a 38-hour autonomy. The movement is housed within the closed caseback, which carries engraved limitation numbers, along with the town’s map and subtle gold double dots referencing Pforzheim’s historic role in German watchmaking. Each set includes a gold-coloured coin stamped with the same number as the two watches.
The ProLab set is presented in an aluminium presentation box and is entirely Made in Germany. The combined set is priced at €2,390 (approx. INR 2,50,000), with sales opening on 11 December 2025 and deliveries scheduled to begin at the end of January 2026.
What we think -
Two of the best affordable German watchmakers coming together is literally the stuff of dreams for watch collectors worldwide. True to theme, celebrating milestone anniversaries, both brands have brought out the best of their capabilities for this collaborative effort. Both watches are the perfect blend and signify Pforzheim in the best way possible. Now, how to get one set to India (or a few)?
German watch brands Laco and Circula have come together to celebrate the historic town of Pforzheim - also known as Goldstadt or ‘Gold City’ for its history in jewellery and watchmaking, and still standing today as one of Germany’s key centres of mechanical watch production. Amongst the first watchmakers of the town, Laco is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and Circula marks its 70th anniversary this year. Both brands, popular for their ‘Pro’ lines, have joined forces to create the ProLab, a limited two-watch set created specifically for their shared milestone. This collaboration is limited to 170 sets, mirroring the combined age of both watchmakers.
The partnership grew naturally from years of regular exchanges between the two independent brands, which often crossed paths at regional fairs and industry events. By early 2025, Laco’s Uwe Rücker and Circula’s Cornelius Huber decided to formalise the relationship through a joint project that would highlight each company’s strengths without merging their identities. Rather than producing a single commemorative watch, the result was ProLab - a name referencing both Circula’s PROTrail and Laco’s PRO collections, which serve as the technical base.
Circula’s PROTrail is a 40 mm pilot-inspired watch made from stainless steel, measuring 12.3 mm in thickness. The case is topped by a sapphire crystal hardened to 1,200 Vickers for scratch resistance, is antimagnetic, and water-resistant up to 150 metres. The black dial features circular graining at the centre and a matte outer ring, with BGW9 Super-LumiNova on the numerals and markers, as well as on the thermally blued hands.
Laco’s piece, developed using the Laco PRO case, also measures 40 mm and is made in dark sandblasted stainless steel capped with a sapphire crystal. The thickness here is 11.3 mm, and the water resistance is up to 200 metres. The timepiece features a sand-coloured dial - giving the model a warmer character than its Circula counterpart - with a circular-grained centre and matte outer lining, illuminated with the same BGW9 Super-LumiNova on the hands and indexes.
Both timepieces are powered by the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré automatic movement, which beats at 4 Hz and offers a 38-hour autonomy. The movement is housed within the closed caseback, which carries engraved limitation numbers, along with the town’s map and subtle gold double dots referencing Pforzheim’s historic role in German watchmaking. Each set includes a gold-coloured coin stamped with the same number as the two watches.
The ProLab set is presented in an aluminium presentation box and is entirely Made in Germany. The combined set is priced at €2,390 (approx. INR 2,50,000), with sales opening on 11 December 2025 and deliveries scheduled to begin at the end of January 2026.
What we think -
Two of the best affordable German watchmakers coming together is literally the stuff of dreams for watch collectors worldwide. True to theme, celebrating milestone anniversaries, both brands have brought out the best of their capabilities for this collaborative effort. Both watches are the perfect blend and signify Pforzheim in the best way possible. Now, how to get one set to India (or a few)?
