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Habring

Habring

Austrian precision meets innovative watchmaking in Habring’s handcrafted, award-winning timepieces.

Habring is an Austrian watch brand known for its innovative complications and handcrafted mechanical timepieces. The brand emphasizes precision engineering and understated elegance in its limited-production watches.

Brand Information

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Learn More About

Habring

If you’re a watch enthusiast looking for something refreshingly different, Habring² is a name you’ll want to remember. Founded in 2004 by the husband-and-wife team Richard and Maria Habring, this Austrian brand has quietly carved out a unique niche in the world of independent watchmaking. While many brands chase after mass production and flashy marketing, Habring² takes a more personal, hands-on approach—think of it as the horological equivalent of a family-run vineyard, where every bottle (or in this case, every watch) tells a story.

What sets Habring² apart isn’t just its small-scale production or its charming Austrian roots. It’s the brand’s commitment to mechanical ingenuity and understated elegance. Richard Habring, a watchmaker with a storied career (including a stint at IWC, where he developed the Doppelchronograph), brings a wealth of technical expertise to the table. The result? Timepieces that are not only beautifully crafted but also packed with clever complications—like deadbeat seconds, split-seconds chronographs, and jumping seconds—that you’d usually only find in much pricier watches.

But don’t mistake Habring²’s technical prowess for cold precision. There’s a warmth and authenticity to their watches, a sense that each piece is made with genuine passion and care. The brand’s limited production—often just a few hundred watches a year—means that owning a Habring² feels like joining a close-knit club of connoisseurs who appreciate the artistry behind every tick and tock.

In a world where luxury often means excess, Habring² stands out for its humility, innovation, and heartfelt craftsmanship. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting your horological journey, this Austrian gem offers a refreshing reminder of what makes watchmaking truly special.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Habring and what are they known for?

Habring² is an Austrian independent watch brand founded by Richard and Maria Habring, based in Graz. Richard Habring is a former movement developer at IWC where he led the development of the Portuguese chronograph. The brand produces technically serious watches in small numbers, with a particular focus on rattrapante (split-seconds) chronographs and jumping seconds complications. Their watches offer genuine technical depth at price points significantly below equivalent complications from major Swiss houses.

What chronograph complications does Habring² specialise in?

Habring² is particularly celebrated for their column-wheel rattrapante (split-seconds) chronograph — one of the most mechanically complex complications in watchmaking, requiring an additional overlay mechanism to the conventional chronograph. Richard Habring developed a simpler, more elegant rattrapante architecture that reduces the part count significantly compared to traditional designs, making the complication more reliable and accessible. This engineering achievement is at the heart of the brand's reputation.

How does Habring² position itself in the market?

Habring² positions itself as a maker of technically serious watches for knowledgeable collectors who care more about movement engineering than brand prestige. Their prices are deliberately accessible relative to the complication content — a rattrapante chronograph from Habring² costs a fraction of equivalent complications from Patek Philippe or A. Lange & Söhne. Richard Habring's industry credentials and the genuine engineering innovation they bring to each model give the brand credibility that pure marketing cannot manufacture.

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