The MIH Gaïa Series III turns the architecture of Switzerland’s Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) into a 100-piece mechanical watch: its blue, engraved dial echoes the marks left by concrete formwork, while its unusual disc display replaces conventional central hands. Introduced in 2024 for the museum building’s 50th anniversary, it also has a stated purpose beyond the wrist: supporting preservation and enhancement of the museum’s collections.
How the Gaïa Series III connects to the MIH building
The dial’s blue is the museum’s institutional color. Its laser-engraved pattern takes inspiration from the visible formwork traces on the MIH’s concrete walls. The parallel and perpendicular lines recall the building’s right angles and Brutalist structure, translating a specific architectural detail into the watch’s surface rather than applying a generic museum logo.
The dial is treated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) by Positive Coating. The central minute disc also receives ALD treatment, while the hour disc is rhodium plated. The result is a design in which the architecture informs both the pattern and the unconventional way the time is read. MIH’s official Gaïa page describes these details.
A disc display instead of central hands
Minutes are read from a rotating disc at the center of the dial. Hours appear through an arched aperture at the top. This display gives the watch a clear visual distinction from a conventional three-hand model, and continues the Gaïa family’s effort to express the museum’s architecture through watch design.
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What the MIH Gaïa Series III offers
| Specification | MIH Gaïa Series III |
|---|---|
| Edition | 100 numbered pieces, according to the official MIH Gaïa site. |
| Case | 316L stainless steel; 39 mm diameter and 9.74 mm thick, per the official technical specifications. |
| Crystal and water resistance | Sapphire crystal; 3 ATM water resistance, per the official technical specifications. |
| Movement | Self-winding Sellita SW400-1; 26 jewels; 28,800 vibrations per hour; 38-hour power reserve, per the official technical specifications. |
| Display | Central rotating minute disc and an hour disc shown through an upper arched aperture. |
| Strap and buckle | Apple vegan leather strap; pin buckle with tool-free removal, engraved with MIH and the museum’s coordinates, per the official technical specifications. |
| Listed price | CHF 3,400 on the official technical page; the Monochrome Watches hands-on article reports this price excluding taxes. |
The official specification lists 3 ATM water resistance but does not establish suitability for swimming or diving. Treat it as a stated technical rating, not a use recommendation.
Why the watch matters beyond its design
The MIH says the purpose of its Gaïa editions is to fund preservation and enhancement work for the museum’s collections. Its broader collecting and preservation mission covers objects related to time, time measurement and watchmaking; details appear on the MIH collections page. The museum has not specified what amount or share of Series III sales supports a particular restoration, so the fundraising connection is meaningful but should not be mistaken for a disclosed per-watch donation.
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The project also has a regional dimension. In its September 19, 2024 launch announcement, the MIH said the anniversary watches were developed within its restoration workshop and made with regional artisans and companies. The movement’s oscillating weight is engraved with the museum’s name, another direct link between the object and the institution behind it.
Series III versus the 50th-anniversary edition
The blue Series III is one of two distinct 2024 releases associated with the museum building’s 50th anniversary. It should not be confused with the separate 50th-anniversary edition, whose silver dials were hand-guilloché by Georges Brodbeck.
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| Feature | Gaïa Series III | 50th-anniversary edition |
|---|---|---|
| Edition size | 100 numbered pieces, per the official Gaïa site. | 50 unique watches, per the MIH’s 2024 launch announcement. |
| Dial | Blue, laser-engraved pattern inspired by concrete formwork traces, per the official Gaïa site. | Silver dial, hand-guilloché by Georges Brodbeck, per the MIH’s 2024 launch announcement. |
| Current price and availability | Current stock and final tax-inclusive cost are not established by the dated launch information; check the official product page. | Current price and availability are not stated in the MIH’s 2024 launch announcement. |
Where Series III sits in the Gaïa story
The Series III follows the MIH Watch of 2005 and the Gaïa models introduced in 2019, with Series II following in 2021, according to Monochrome Watches’ 2026 hands-on account. That article describes the earlier MIH Watch as an annual-calendar monopusher chronograph project associated with Ludwig Oechslin and Paul Gerber. This history is useful context, but it comes from secondary reporting rather than the museum’s archival material cited here.
The more direct continuity is conceptual: the Gaïa family uses a disc-based display and draws on the museum’s subterranean Brutalist architecture. Series III makes that link especially legible through the blue, concrete-inspired dial pattern and the museum’s stated fundraising purpose.
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- Case Size: 40.00 mm, Band Width: 20, Case Thickness: 8.25 mm
- Quartz movement, 316L stainless steel case, Index dial type, Date, SuperLuminova-coated hands, enabling precise reading even in the dark, EOL (battery end-of-life indicator).
- Stainless steel strap/bracelet, interchangeable quick release bracelet, butterfly clasp with push-buttons closure
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
- 2 Year International Warranty
Price and availability
The official MIH technical page lists CHF 3,400. Monochrome Watches reports that price excluding taxes. Because the 100-piece release dates to 2024, the launch information does not establish current stock or delivery timing; check the MIH product page for current availability and confirm taxes and delivery terms with the seller before treating CHF 3,400 as a final consumer price.
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Best Value
- COSC Certified Chronometer
- Case Size: 39.00 mm, Band Width: 20 mm, Case Thickness: 10.98 mm
- Automatic movement, 316L solid stainless steel bracelet, Roman dial type, Date
- Water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft): suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but no diving or snorkeling.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
