Serica

Gabriel Vachette and Jerome Burgert founded Serica in Paris in 2018 as a vintage-inspired French microbrand. Both were watch enthusiasts rather than industry insiders; Vachette had a background in fashion and Burgert in design. Their founding idea was that French military wristwatches of the 1950s and 1960s, a period that produced distinctive pilot-and-dress references before French watchmaking was overshadowed by Swiss and Japanese production, deserved a modern revival.

The launch reference, the Serica 4512 (2019), was a dress wristwatch with Arabic numerals, clean typography, and 37.7mm steel case proportions sized for historical authenticity rather than modern bigger-is-better conventions. The dial was deliberately restrained: matte silver with applied indices, printed minute markers, and a pencil seconds hand. The movement was a Swiss Sellita SW216 hand-wound automatic. Retail at launch was approximately CHF 1,500, positioning Serica at the accessible end of the design-led microbrand segment.

The Serica 6190 (2022) extended the collection into dive-watch territory: 39mm steel case, 300m water resistance, rotating bezel, vintage-styled proportions. Dial variants include matte black, matte blue, and a distinctive 'California' two-tone layout (Roman numerals on top half, Arabic on bottom) that draws on 1930s-1940s US military wristwatches. Serica has established strong collector interest in both the European and American enthusiast markets.

Production is concentrated in Switzerland (all Swiss Made) with design and distribution from Paris. Vachette and Burgert run the brand direct-to-consumer through the Serica website and a small network of boutique partners. Retail runs from approximately CHF 1,500 (4512 dress steel) to CHF 3,000 (6190 dive titanium) and CHF 5,000+ for specific limited editions. Annual production has grown from a few hundred pieces at launch to an estimated several thousand per year by 2024, making Serica one of the fastest-growing serious design-led microbrands at the accessible price tier.