Absinthe by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès

Absinthe by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès is a limited-edition wristwatch with a hypnotic, green dial; a sleek 38.5mm case in stainless steel; and a proprietary movement designed by Massena LAB and independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès. 

The caliber M690, which powers the Absinthe limited edition, is an iteration of the M660, Massena LAB’s first proprietary movement. The M690, like its predecessor, is a manual-winding, Swiss-made movement with hand-finishing and a power reserve of 60 hours but moves its small seconds subdial from six o’clock to nine. 

Visible through a transparent, sapphire caseback, the M690 features a broad plate with Côtes de Genève finishing with hand-chamfered plates and bridges. Raúl Pagès’ signature, the poinçon Pagès, is tucked subtly under the caliber’s balance wheel and takes the form of a tortoise. The finishing touch: overlapping decorative circles of perlage finishing surrounding this poinçon.

The M690 was designed by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès. While Pagès oversees and supervises the production of the M690, which is achieved by a small network of Swiss watchmakers, he does not handle the production or the decoration of the movement himself as he would for one of his own creations. 

The emerald dial finds inspiration in nature–from the green hills of Scotland and Ireland to Lake Carezza in Italy–and from the art and literature of 19th–century Paris, the Golden Age of the famous green drink depicted in the art of Edgar Degas and the writings of Ernest Hemingway. While it found notoriety in Belle Époque France, absinthe is actually a Swiss invention, much like the watch that borrows its name. 

Collectors who purchase Absinthe will have the opportunity to send their watch to the Horological Society of New York for testing as part of the organization’s HSNY Chronometer Certification™ Program. At completion of HSNY’s rigorous testing protocol, owners will receive a physical certificate listing individual results for their timepiece.