Imperial Horology: A Guide to Carl Suchy & Söhne
An In-depth Look at the History, Watches and Clocks of Carl Suchy & Söhne
By Drake Moore
Along the shores of the upper Danube, if you look closely, it can be observed that everything of great historical import here once fell under the domain of the House of Habsburg. The Habsburgs ruled Austria with longevity from 1282 until 1918. During that time, their house and its cadet branches would proliferate greatly; they would, over various periods, rule the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, vast swathes of Italy, and even Mexico. There’s a medieval saying that summarizes well the Habsburgs’ dynastic ambitions and their dream of a Pax Austriaca: “Let others wage war. Let you, happy Austria, marry.”
Of the innumerable territories that the Habsburgs ruled over, no region enjoyed a position of esteem so comparable to Austria as the rich crown land of Bohemia. Joined to the Double-headed Eagle in 1526 and known to us today as the Czech Republic, it was then, as it is now, anchored by the “Golden City” of Prague. It is here, among a hundred spires, that Carl Suchy will be born in 1796. Introduced to the world during the early throes of the Industrial Revolution, he will create the clockmaking company known by all for producing the only timekeeper brazen enough to demand punctuality of a king: Carl Suchy & Söhne.
The original Suchy workshop in Prague.
From Royal Beginnings
In 1812, at the age of 16, Carl completed his watchmaking apprenticeship under the tutelage of longcase and table clock specialist Franz Lehner. He would spend the next several years exploring Switzerland and cultivating his knowledge before returning to Prague, where he would marry his wife, Josephine, in 1821. In 1822, Carl Suchy opened his shop, building on his apprenticeship with Lehner through success in creating both pendulum and wall clocks. Carl and Josephine’s first of four sons, Carl Junior, was born in 1827. His second son, Johann Anton, was born three years later in 1830 - the same year as future emperor Franz Joseph I.
An example of an antique triple-register Suchy pocket watch.
The growth of Carl’s family would coincide with prestige for the Suchy name. At the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1832, Suchy’s clocks won prizes against market-leading English and Swiss competition. Emperor Ferdinand I, known affectionately in Czech as Ferdinand Dobrotivý for his kindheartedness (and medical infirmity), ascended to the throne in 1835 and, while frequently residing in Prague as King of Bohemia, maintained his primary imperial court in Vienna. Ferdinand’s coronation saw not only the accession of a new monarch but of an unofficial royal watch provider, with Carl Suchy’s artisanal works being the Emperor’s choice due to their beauty and technical excellence. Carl’s role would take on a magisterial designation in 1844, where he would henceforth be known as the first “Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court.” The Austrian Empire now had an official timekeeper, and handcrafted Suchy watches would become increasingly recognized as cosmopolitan staples of both courtly and intellectual life.
Two of Carl Suchy & Söhne’s most esteemed clients - renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and Emperor Franz Joseph I - came from very different walks of life. Alongside the emperor’s wife, Elisabeth, they are representative of the highly esteemed and diverse clientele that the brand served.
Carl’s watchmaking operations would increasingly expand as a family affair. Carl Junior and third eldest son Hans would complete their own apprenticeships under Czech watchmaker Josef Kosek in 1845 before following their father’s footsteps and undergoing a scholarly pilgrimage to Switzerland. In 1849, a year after Ferdinand I abdicated and Franz Joseph I took the purple, the business was officially renamed as Carl Suchy & Söhne (“CSS” or “Suchy”) to honor the watchmaking contributions of Carl’s four sons. It was to be as legitimate a horological bloodline as the Habsburgs were a royal one. Carl Junior would go on to found a pocket watch factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1853; Hans would open up a workshop in the Rotenturmstraße, the beating heart of Vienna; and Johann Anton would take over the family store in Prague. Of Carl’s four sons, it was Johann who would succeed his father in the position in 1863.
Carl Suchy Junior attending the 20th wedding anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife, Empress Elisabeth.
Carl Suchy passed away in 1866 at the age of 70, but his family continued to dutifully steward Austrian horology after his passing. Youngest son Emanuel took over the shop in Prague; his civil life was one of distinction, with Franz Joseph I awarding him the Knight’s Cross of the Imperial Order in 1894 as thanks for his patronage of Prague’s fire brigades. Hans outlived his baby brother by two years and Johann Anton by five. His widow, Therese, would eventually take over the shop in the Rotenturmstraße and be named the third and last of the Suchy Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court. The watchmaking shop that had grown from humble roots in the Golden City moved to its final location on Na Příkopě that year. World War I would begin seven years later.
Carl Suchy Junior’s pocket watch workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The adversary of all great empires and divine idol of all great watchmakers, Time, eventually succeeded in closing the chapter on Austrian hegemony over central Europe. Contrary to that popular saying about Habsburg diplomacy, happy Austria made war with regularity - eventually, it resulted in the downfall of the Habsburgs and the partition of their empire. Perhaps with great sadness to the horological world of today, the end of the royal state apparatus that had become Carl Suchy & Söhne’s greatest patron also meant the end of Carl Suchy & Söhne itself. Watchmaking operations continued in a significantly reduced capacity as late as the 1930s, but postwar economic turbulence and difficult family dynamics between those based in Prague and Vienna eventually silenced both Suchy workshops.
Fortunately, Carl Suchy & Söhne’s story doesn’t end there. Austria’s greatest watchmaker returned to action in 2016, revived by renowned art and design expert (as well as current CEO) Robert Punkenhofer. I had the great pleasure of speaking with Robert about CSS’s direction and grammar of design - stay tuned for periodic wisdom from him as our conversation progresses.
A collection of Imperial-era Suchy pieces from the archives.
Time In Review: Imperial-era Suchy
There’s no way to rediscover the exact feeling that captivated Ferdinand I so thoroughly before elevating Carl Suchy’s station at court (that would naturally require a conversation with the king), but it is at least possible for us to enjoy the beauty of the past through the historical cornucopia that CSS has collected over the past several years.
We are quite fortunate that Robert, the mind behind Carl Suchy & Söhne’s renaissance, is such a diligent curator. The amount of research he has gathered on Suchy’s history and Austrian watchmaking is invaluable; there was no historical repository when he revived the brand, so Robert had to gather intel from scratch. “Every single piece to be acquired has some significance in informing us either aesthetically or via complication,” Robert says. The revival of Suchy feels as focused on the preservation of history as it is on being an economic endeavor.
An important bit of context we need to cover is the size of the Austrian watch industry. In the late 1700s, geopolitical events like the French Revolution caused an exodus of refugees to the Austrian crown. A key side-effect of this population groundswell was the diaspora of craftsmen, particularly watchmakers; what was once a decent-sized cottage industry swelled to thousands of watchmakers at its height. The large number highlights two points: 1) Austria was a legitimate watchmaking country, and 2) the amount of competition makes Suchy’s elevation in court that much more impressive.
Suchy craftsmanship reflects the prevailing design sentiment of the day: historicism. Historicism takes the greatest hits of not just one era, but two or three, and rewrites them with a contemporary spin. Architecture provides us with a solid baseline of tangible examples erected in the likeness of previous periods, such as Antiquity or the Middle Ages. The Votivkirche cathedral and Rathaus, Vienna’s city hall, are trademark specimens of Gothic architecture. They are, in fact, quite younger than their appearances might suggest - the former was completed in 1879, while the latter was completed just four years later in 1883. Before Viennese Modernism (which we will touch on shortly), the conservatism of the Empire meant that inspiration was generally intended to come from before, not within.
Carl and his sons made their careers in channeling the ornamental elegance of historicism. Suchy timepieces were built to function with endurance in mind, but their form often reflected the opulence and lordliness of the nobles who purchased them. They featured precious metal, enamel dials, engraved floral motifs, and deft handfinishing. Movements were often regulated by anchor escapements, although the lever escapement had been invented almost a half-century before Carl’s birth and was quickly becoming a dominant force in the industry. Sometimes these movements featured complications we consider luxurious in today’s day and age: alarms and repeaters were not uncommon, and at least one example even featured musicality to its chiming.
Pocket watches are a wonderful example of how much care the royal watchmaker took in serving its clients. The silver savonnette or “hunter” pocket watch shown above is about as understated as it gets; dating back to 1900, it features a guilloché-engraved caseback with monogrammed initials displayed at the center in a gold cartouche. Atop the Arabic-numeralled dial, time is measured with filigree-pierced gold hands and a small seconds subdial at six o’clock. In contrast, the ornamental savonnette opposite it couldn’t be more philosophically different. This is a far more definitive piece in terms of how historicism bled into watchmaking; constructed out of 18-karat gold, the 38mm case features intricate floral engraving complemented by a black enamel fill and rose-cut diamonds. The white enamel dial hides a horological easter egg, too: this particular movement’s balance wheel is regulated by a hairspring from Breguet.
Of rare utilitarian import among Suchy creations is this stopwatch “vitesse,” which means “speed” in French. Featuring a central chronograph hand and a trademark Suchy velvet case, this stopwatch is dual-scaled for seconds and speed (likely kilometers per hour). It is shown housed in its original velvet box, which is embossed with the Suchy Double Griffin and was a common accompaniment to the brand’s timepieces. Keeping in mind that Sigmund Freud and Franz Joseph I were both famed customers from their respective societal echelons, it seems plausible that clients of CSS were just as likely to be involved in mechanical or scientific pursuits as they were aristocratic ones.
We know that pocket watches were a popular CSS genre, but the archives also pen a story of Carl Suchy building upon his apprenticeship with Lehner. Wedding, wall, and travel clocks were very much in the purview of the Purveyor. The travel clock shown above was made at Carl Suchy & Söhne’s Prague location just a few years after his passing. It is as clear an example of historicism in horology as we can find, given that the faceted gilt bronze case has been shaped with an emphasis on ornamentation. Powered by a spring-driven one-day movement, this travel clock has significant functionality: it chimes at each quarter hour, has an alarm, and a repeater.
This wall clock, ca. 1880 - 1900, exemplifies late Imperial interior design. Check out that gilded and silvered dial inside the hand-carved walnut case - absolutely stunning.
Suchy creations were fit for all occasions, even those of a marital persuasion. This 19th-century wedding clock was probably commissioned as a bridal present. Encased within the glass dome is a landscape of classical architecture - a gilt brass case atop ebonized wood, holding a rectangular brass movement capable of quarter-hour strikes against twin spiral gongs. Still fully functional today, it is a good reminder of the enduring artistry that Carl Suchy & Söhne institutionalized during its first round as Austria’s preeminent watchmaker.
Despite historicism being the dominant style, there’s at least one archival example from 1880 that seems strangely irreverent and even downright anachronistic compared to everything else we have seen. This alarm-equipped travel clock was probably made for the classical road trip. With a polished brass case and beveled glazing, it looks remarkably out of time due to an almost complete lack of ornamentation. With Viennese Modernism on the horizon, this travel clock makes one wonder if the royal watchmaker might have evolved down a different path had the empire lasted a few decades longer.
In the same way that the brand created stunning timepieces whilst in the employ of the court, so too did it readily maintain and service them. There’s nothing like quite paperwork to confirm provenance and a great narrative - in this case, we have an official imperial invoice (dated October 1894) that was issued to Suchy’s Rotenturmstraße location in Vienna. It refers to the company as “k. k. Hof- und landesbefugter Uhrenfabrikant,” which roughly translates as the “Imperial and Royal Court’s state-authorized watchmaker” (or clockmaker, depending on interpretation). The services requested here are extensive - enamel chronometer repair, movement replacement, and dial restoration - and show just how much faith the crown placed in Carl Suchy & Söhne.
Despite the plethora of great archival examples gathered, the works of Carl Suchy & Söhne are still difficult to locate in the wild. If you wish to see them in any significant concentration, your best bet is to travel east to the former lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - both the Museum of Applied Arts (“Das MAK”) in Vienna and the Technical Museum in Prague display Carl’s timepieces readily.
Wiener Moderne, Manifested: Suchy Today
Blink and you might miss it - while the Habsburgs reigned for several hundred years, the cultural movement of Viennese Modernism spanned just two decades from 1890 until 1910. They were only here for a quick waltz, but the intellectual rockstars of Wiener Moderne burned brightly, and we continue to enjoy their impact on art and architecture even today.
The great minds of Viennese Modernism are 19th-century contemporaries of Carl’s sons, building legacies in art and architecture during the Secession movement whilst the Suchy family honed their craft in watchmaking. We’ll focus very briefly on three names that best exemplify the movement: Otto Wagner, Gustav Klimt, and Adolf Loos.
Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. Credit: Belvedere, Wien
All three men are responsible for creating the foundations of Viennese Modernism. Otto Wagner was born in the same year as Emanuel in 1841. Vienna’s great urban planner of the age, Otto would go on to memorialize his architectural style in a variety of buildings ranging from floral-organic Art Nouveau to thoroughly geometric designs. Gustav Klimt, born in 1862, would build his personal legacy via the brush stroke. His ‘Golden Phase’ produced such paintings as The Kiss and Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I, and they earned him an equally aurelian honor from Franz Joseph I in the form of the Golden Cross of Merit with the Crown.
Adolf Loos, renowned Austrian architect and creator of the Looshaus.
Other torch bearers like Adolf Loos would not earn the same imperial recognition. An Austrian-born architect from Brno (then Austria-Hungary) and student of American architecture from his time in Chicago, Adolf was instrumental in cementing “form first, function second” for the architects who would succeed him. Adolf’s heretically stark (and now famous) Looshaus so dejected Franz Joseph I that he reportedly refused to leave the Hofburg from the gate closest in proximity to it.
The Looshaus in Vienna. Credit: Archeyes
Opposite historicism, Viennese Modernism (and Viennese Art Nouveau, by extension) represents the other half of Vienna’s cultural zeitgeist during the late stages of the empire. From the movement that Wagner, Klimt, and Loos pioneered, we gain focus on new artistic building blocks - materials, symmetry, geometric shapes, minimalism, and fluidity.
The Vienna in Blue Danube.
Just as historicism and modernism are unique, so too is Suchy today versus Imperial-era Suchy. The latter had its own clear (albeit informal) mandate - create finely crafted timepieces for the court in a manner that celebrated Austria-Hungary’s established cultural tastes. Today’s Suchy has a new creative mandate: honor the history of Austrian watchmaking while also incorporating the intellectual heritage of Viennese Modernism.
Carl Suchy & Söhne CEO Robert Punkenhofer.
The focus on fusing art and watchmaking clearly comes from Robert. An ex-diplomat who credits his decision to revive Suchy with the entrepreneurial lessons he learned in New York as a young man, Robert cultivated a career in art and design long before watches ever came into scope. “When I was a diplomat, I was in charge of promoting creative industries and historic brands on the cutting edge of contemporary,” Robert says. It was during his research that he plucked Suchy from a list of over 200 Austrian companies that had disappeared over time. Robert fell in love with the story and decided it was a name worth reviving with a contemporary spin. The first 22 pieces, a labor of love, were completed with now-master watchmaker Marc Jenni at his side. As difficult a process as it was, it was also highly rewarding, and Robert determined it was worth continuing and growing the brand.
Master watchmaker Marc Jenni.
The ultimate question for Robert was where to take Carl Suchy & Söhne. “My notion was, where should we continue with design development? Carl was locked in the 19th century, where ornamentation was key,” Robert says. “What came next was Viennese Modernism and Art Nouveau, with Bauhaus coming later. I felt we should take it from there with Modernism as the next step - it’s nice to play with this theme and keep pushing.”
Robert’s anecdotal wisdom on Central European design aesthetics further expands the thought process behind Suchy. “German design takes precedence in the north of Austria: it’s very overengineered, very clean. Design in the south, near Italy, is pure emotion. The Balkans are fire. Near Vienna, we keep German cleanliness but emotionalize it.”
All four lines of the new generation of Suchy - the Waltz N°1, Belvedere, Table Waltz, and Vienna - are guided by Modernist tenets. The theme that unites them is threefold: minimalist design, unique accents, and exceptional functionality. Lines are intentionally fluid and organic in the modernist way, and decoration is tastefully added via the use of interesting materials where possible. They also all have what the brand calls the “Suchy twist,” or intriguing creative takes on otherwise well-established complications. Finally, each watch is tested to respectable accuracy standards - while CSS doesn’t externally submit their watches to COSC or Glashutte, the brand states that each watch is regulated to +/- 5 seconds per day.
A Dance With Adolf Loos: The Waltz N°1
The watch that revived the Purveyor to the Court - the Waltz N°1. The Waltz heralded the return of Carl Suchy & Söhne in 2016 and represents CSS’s reentry into the modern world of horology. Initially limited to just 22 pieces, the Waltz has now grown to encompass multiple references and is what we can consider the brand’s original take on Viennese modernism.
Among those who were at the helm of Wiener Moderne, it is Adolf Loos whom we have to thank for the inspiration behind the Waltz. Adolf was a minimalist advocate and rejected what he saw as ornamental hedonism; it should therefore come as no surprise that the Waltz is an exercise in channeling Adolf’s restraint. All of the sculpting is clean and intentional, from the non-reflective sapphire porthole curving gently into the casing to the lugs forming a neat line parallel to the bezel. The best way to describe the Waltz is fluid - it’s a watch with a profile that is continuously sleek no matter where you look. And at 41.5mm in diameter and 9.3mm thick, the Waltz’s case gives a helping of extra wrist presence while still being plenty thin enough to slip under a suit cuff.
There are four variations of the Waltz. They are united first and foremost by their use of Suchy’s modern trademark guilloché pattern on the dial, which is divided between vertical and horizontal striping. The Waltz gets its name from the “Waltzing Disc” small seconds indicator at six o’clock. This indicator forgoes a hand in favor of fully rotating, so the dial is only in complete alignment once every sixty seconds. The dial is sloped along the circumference, a trick that the rhodium-plated indices follow to enhance visual depth. Interestingly, “Swiss Made” has been placed at nine o’clock - alongside the dial pattern, we will see these recurring features throughout the new generation of Suchy watches.
- The original Waltz N°1 debuted in 2016. The base model encompasses multiple options: there is Blue Danube, a core Suchy color staple, as well as black and silver dials available in either bare or DLC-coated stainless steel cases.
- The Waltz N°1 Moll is a limited reference of 10 pieces. The case is a hybrid finish, featuring both bare steel and DLC-coated accents. The rotating small seconds indicator is now black to go with the updated finishing.
- The Waltz N°1 Skeleton is open-worked and had a total production run of just five pieces. It came with either a skeletonized black or white dial, as well as in Blue Danube.
- The Waltz N°1 Gold is a callback to the brand’s history of precious metal pocket watches. It featured an 18-carat gold case and, like the Skeleton, was limited to just five pieces in total. Black, white, gold, and Blue Danube were available as dial choices.
The Caliber 5401 from Vaucher Fleurier. Note the reduction in the bridges between the standard Blue Danube and the Skeleton.
Sandwiched between sapphire crystal and caseback is the Waltz’s automatic Caliber VMF 5401, which beats at 21,600 vph and has a 48-hour power reserve. Made by Vaucher Fleurier, Parmigiani Fleurier’s in-house movement manufacturer, the ultra-thin 5401 is equipped with a decentralized micro-rotor and is just 2.6mm thick. It’s worth noting that, like with the dial, there are finishing changes depending on which reference is in hand. Both the original Waltz and Gold features Côtes-de-Genève finishing along the bridges, while the limited edition Moll features a finer Côtes-du-Soleil “sunray” finish. The rhodium-plated bridges of the Skeleton’s model-specific 5401/180 run the same open-work theme as the dial and are PVD-coated for enhanced contrast against the rest of the movement.
The Waltz is special because it is, as far as we know, the first widespread production wrist watch from Suchy in either era. The brand did make the occasional wrist watch at the turn of the 20th century; there are at least two known examples that have been brought to Robert’s attention, so we can’t quite claim the Waltz is the first of its kind. However, they are rare, and a century passing by has likely not helped their population.
My conversation with Robert gives some insight into his thoughts on where the Waltz resides in the Suchy pantheon. “As a good father, I love them all and they are my babies,” Robert says with a laugh and a smile. “But in a way, the first one, the Waltz N°1, it is special.”
A Beautiful View: The Belvedere
Sport watches may not necessarily be Carl Suchy & Söhne’s historical forte, but elegance certainly is, and Robert and Marc know how to infuse that quality into their watches. Enter the Belvedere - introduced in 2023 for the brand’s 200th anniversary, it is CSS’s take on combining sporting form and creative functionality through a rare jumping date complication. Meaning “beautiful view” in Italian, the Belvedere is named after the baroque Viennese summer palace built by Austrian war hero Prince Eugene of Savoy during the 18th century.
Despite being a sports watch, the Belvedere does its best to blur the lines between genres. The Belvedere embraces its dressy side with a lacquered guilloché dial, which follows the Waltz in using the company’s striped geometric pattern. It also features a similar concave perimeter and is set with rhodium-plated indices (this time filled with Super-LumiNova for usability after dusk). The time-telling bits have received no less attention: the dial is complemented by skeletonized dauphine hands with a dual polish-satin finish for the minutes and hours.
The “Suchy twist” here is the Belvedere’s inner disc, which has a clever way of telling you the date. As I mentioned above, this watch features a jumping date complication - every 24 hours, the disc rotates the oval date aperture one position above a fixed date wheel. Reading the date is interpreted by the number of underscores outlined under each numeral (which corresponds to certain date ranges). For example, the numeral “1” with two underscores would indicate the 21st day of the month, while one underscore would indicate the 11th. The date can be manually corrected through a pusher located at eight o’clock. Given the kinetic nature of the inner dial, CSS has foregone conventional text placement; “Swiss Made” is once more signed at nine o’clock to make room for the jumping date, while “Wien 1822” has been placed opposite it at three o’clock.
The Belvedere is equipped with the automatic Caliber CSS201. Beating at 28,800 vph and carrying a 42-hour power reserve, the CSS201 is a customized version of Dubois Dépraz’s modular DD90010 (which itself is built upon the venerable ETA 2892-A2). Perlage has been tastefully applied across the bridges, and a decorative gold-plated ring hugging the perimeter caseback is signed with the Belvedere name and specs, Carl Suchy & Söhne, and the unit number. The true pièce de résistance under the hood is the Belvedere’s skeletonized rotor - an art piece with a hue that Klimt might have been proud of, it is micro-engraved with a beautiful golden facade of the upper section of the palace.
Check out that deliciously ornate rotor facade.
The Belvedere is split into two sections, the Upper and Lower Belvedere. The upper section shown here is the architectural inspiration for the rotor facade. Credit: Secret Vienna
Sculpted primarily from 316L pearl-blasted stainless steel, the Belvedere’s case features mirror polishing on the bezel rim and lugs. This case is angular, compact, and sits somewhere along the cushion-tonneau continuum; the diameter is 40.8mm, but at 12.2mm tall and a squat 43.9mm lug-to-lug, Carl Suchy & Söhne has produced a watch with a highly approachable profile. The screwdown crown is neatly knurled along the surface and is also engraved with the company’s modernist geometric pattern. In concert with its robust case, the Belvedere gives a confidence-inspiring (and highly practical) 100 meters of water resistance.
The Belvedere is produced at 100 units annually. It has seven distinct references, all of which come with a quick-release rubber strap (22mm tapering down to 20mm) that matches the rotor with an imprinted motif of the Belvedere palace grounds. Each Belvedere is provided in a handmade Viennese velvet case with an integrated leather travel pouch.
- The three main Carl Suchy & Söhne colorways form the original core of the range: Day, Night, and Danube. Unlike the Waltz N°1 and Vienna, the blue dial Belvedere has the distinction of just being named Danube, not Blue Danube.
- Recently, the brand added two strikingly bold liveries: Bordeaux, a deep burgundy red, and crisply bright Champagne, which feels especially well-suited given the golden accents of the movement.
- The two sportiest options also have the most unique aesthetics. Titan features a matte sheen and is constructed from Grade 5 Titanium (which is harder and stronger than Grade 2). Midnight has a stealth black DLC coating applied to the steel case and is the only Belvedere equipped with a fluted bezel.
The Belvedere is the Suchy watch closest to the “daily driver” archetype (Robert even uses it as such), but it feels like a unique timepiece in the sporting landscape. Very rarely, if ever, do you get a sports watch with such a healthy dose of architectural history baked into the design - it’s anomalous in an era where the vast majority of brands lack such specific inspiration.
I’ll endeavor to leave you with a parting thought. CSS states that the Belvedere’s temperament is as suited to taking a dip in the Danube as it is to visiting a ballroom in the Hofburg. In truth, a great many watches would be able to achieve this pair of feats. The Belvedere, however, might be the only one with both the versatility and cultural legitimacy to do so.
A Historical Suchy Special: The Table Waltz
Of the four production models from modern Suchy, perhaps none pays as special a tribute to founder Carl Suchy’s training and legacy in clockmaking than the classically genred Table Waltz.
A modernist take on the Suchy table clock, this special model designed by Rainer Mutsch is an Austrian thoroughbred - every plate, pin, and gear of the in-house CS-T-1 movement is Austrian-made, while the clock itself is assembled in Vienna. The CS-T-1’s bell chimes on the hour (although it can be locked) and features both an integrated key winder for protecting against overwinding as well as a whopping seven-day power reserve. The Table Waltz’s dark matte case is fashioned from nickel-plated brass, while hand-cut, engraved glass is present to protect the movement as well as display the Double Griffin and additional text. Brass features heavily throughout this clock as the metal of choice for the mainplate and gears, while the bell is made with lacquered silver.
The Table Waltz comes in two additional flavors: the Jubilee and the Tourbillon. The gilded Jubilee is a touch more opulent; it trades the silver bell for a gold-plated one, while the inner case now has a mirror-like sheen thanks to the application of glossy colorless lacquer. The Tourbillon is as advertised and adds the theoretical power of gravity nullification to the Table Waltz’s already impressive resume. There’s something unapologetically bold about putting a tourbillon in a presumably stationary table clock, and maybe it gives some credence to the idea that certain pieces are worth making on the simple merit that you have the skill to execute them. Philosophical waxing aside, the Table Waltz Tourbillon extracts maximum visual entertainment as the overengineered sibling of the trio.
The Table Waltz trio is definitively a small-batch product, just like the Suchy table clocks of the 19th century. Only ten of the base and Jubilee references are made per year, while the Tourbillon is just ten total. In my mind, these might be the coolest time-telling instruments that Carl Suchy & Söhne produce today. In Robert’s mind, they are the most significant. “From a risk-taking perspective, the Table Waltz is in a way the hardest but also the most important of our creations. After 100 years, we are once again capable of creating a table clock with everything handcrafted in and around Vienna,” Robert says. “It’s dearest to my heart.”
A City In Motion: The Vienna
Introduced in April 2025 as a limited run of 50 units, the Vienna is the latest artistic expression from the watchmakers of Carl Suchy & Söhne. Like the Waltz N°1 and Belvedere that came before it, the Vienna is an exercise in translating Viennese Modernism directly onto your wrist.
If the Waltz N°1 can be thought of as the artistic blueprint for Suchy watches, the Vienna is the next evolution and phase of the journey. Architecture continues to provide the primary inspiration - there’s just as much of our friend Adolf Loos here as there is in the Waltz - but it has been diligently adjusted to provide a new experience. The Vienna’s dial once again features Suchy’s geometric grid pattern (as does the crown), but the dial stripes are noticeably magnified this time around compared to the Waltz and Belvedere. This dial draws inspiration from both of its siblings: it retains the “Waltzing Disc” small seconds indicator of the former, while utilizing rhodium-plated indices filled with Super-LumiNova like the latter.
Credits: Brent Robillard, The Lavish Attic
The Vienna’s case continues the tradition of lessons learned from the Waltz. 316L stainless steel remains the workhorse metal of choice, but the profile has been reduced - the Vienna is both smaller at 39mm by 41.2mm lug-to-lug as well as thinner at 7.9mm in height. The improvement in thinness is no doubt in part due to CSS’s continued collaborative efforts with Vaucher Fleurier. The Vienna uses the newly upgraded Caliber CSS-V1, which is an update of the VMF 5401 found in the Waltz.
The CSS-V1 isn’t necessarily a technological leap forward over the 5401 (it is still a 29-jewel micro-rotor movement with a 48-hour power reserve); rather, it is the finishing that has seen an upgrade. The Vienna’s micro-rotor now features the Suchy Double Griffin, while the bridges feature a new proprietary finish - Côtes-de-Vienne - which gives the Vienna’s metal a far more organic feel. Unlike Geneva striping, which runs in parallel, Viennese striping is characterized by graceful sweeping lines. It is entirely decorative (the ability of striping to catch dust has always been a dubious claim), but tasteful decoration is what modern Suchy is all about. For now, this finishing remains exclusive to the Vienna among CSS’s lineup.
The Vienna is offered in CSS’s three core colorways: Day, Night, and Blue Danube. Each Vienna comes with a 20mm quick-release leather strap whose interior has been micro-engraved with the roof of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and is delivered in a handmade Suchy velvet case.
Carl Suchy & Söhne describes the Vienna as a love letter to the city whose architecture and history inspired it. Being frank, it might be appropriate to extrapolate that label - the entire lineup feels like a love letter, considering we have a clear source of inspiration based in Vienna for each - but this dress watch takes the best of all of them and ties it all together. The Vienna is a clear refinement of Suchy’s outlook on modernist expression.
Let You, Happy Austria, Tell Time
Carl Suchy & Söhne isn’t the first historical watch brand to return from an extended “creative hiatus,” and it likely won’t be the last. Revival in and of itself isn’t special; to merely exist a second time in this industry is not a novel quality. What is special, however, is the manner in which a brand makes good on that second chance. Done properly, it is as noble an endeavor as any in the world of creative expression.
What Robert and his team have worked hard to accomplish is translate their creativity directly into the Suchy lineup. They have thought critically about what horizons the brand might have reached had it continued deeper into the 20th century, and in the process incorporated a diverse host of culturally Viennese memories, places, and ideas. That’s what we call romance for the modern watch lover: paying homage to the past, but properly innovating to bring it into the present. The Waltz N°1, Belvedere, Table Waltz, and Vienna feel like timepieces that Austria can be proud of.
Our conversation has been a lengthy one, so I’m going to bring us full circle with one last burst of imagination. Along the shore of the upper Danube, if you look closely, beyond the Habsburgs, beyond the churches and the museums, you will find a watchmaker quietly nestled across the street from a not-so-humble chateau called the Belvedere. Not just any watchmaker, mind you, but one that has finally returned home after a century away and cares deeply about honoring a city in motion: Carl Suchy & Söhne.
All images courtesy of Carl Suchy & Söhne unless otherwise noted.
Drake Moore is a Collective contributor. A Ducati and Datsun aficionado, he’s happiest wearing a watch on the “wrong” wrist while checking the time on his iPhone. Drake's love for horology comes from the stories and adventures that watches collect alongside their owners. He hopes to share that enthusiasm and inspire others to add a time-telling companion to their own journeys. Located in Los Angeles, he’s always up for talking watches — and the occasional watch-shaped retirement setback — over an ice-cold beer or two. You can find more of Drake's writing along with his podcast, Count Sunny Hours, at countsunnyhours.com.