Renaud Tixier may be a relatively new name in watchmaking, but at least one of its two founders is no stranger to the industry. Dominique Renaud, best known as the co-founder of Renaud & Papi, has over four decades of experience in watchmaking. In 2023, he teamed up with young watchmaker Julien Tixier to establish the independent brand.

The duo made their debut in 2024 with the Monday, a micro-rotor watch with a twist to its winding system. Now, the watch has been given a brand new look, with the dial removed to reveal the architecture underneath and, in turn, the finishing work carried out in-house.

Making every movement count

The Monday may appear simple on paper, being a time-only watch, but it is far from plain. For starters, it is an automatic watch with a micro-rotor, which already makes it stand out. But it isn’t just any micro-rotor, as there’s an interesting innovation in its winding system, as one would expect from Mr Renaud.

Because a micro-rotor is considerably smaller than a conventional rotor, it also has much lower inertia. This makes it harder to maintain sufficient momentum to wind the mainspring, particularly during gentle wrist movements, such as those made when working at a desk. Small movements and sudden changes in direction can interrupt the rotor’s momentum, causing some of that kinetic energy to go to waste.

To address this, Renaud Tixier has developed an auxiliary winding mechanism that captures these otherwise wasted movements. At its heart is an inertia flywheel housed within the micro-rotor, coupled to a propulsion spring nicknamed the “dancer”. Both the flywheel and micro-rotor are made of platinum. As the wrist moves, the interaction between these components loads the propulsion spring, which stores the captured energy before releasing it back into the movement to wind the mainspring.

The principle is somewhat like collecting individual water droplets in a container. Each droplet on its own may not amount to much, but once enough have accumulated, they can be released together to produce a more substantial flow. In much the same way, the “dancer” gathers small amounts of energy that would otherwise be lost.

Detailed skeleton

When the original Monday was released in 2024, it was already clear that the watch had a fairly complex architecture. The caseback, for example, features very little of a conventional base plate. Instead, the movement is built around a series of steel bridges in different shapes, both straight and curved.

The latest version takes this idea further, with even the remaining plate skeletonised. The result is a caseback filled with complex geometries, an aesthetic that has become increasingly popular among high-end independent watchmakers, including Biver, another brand founded by an industry veteran. Skeletonising the dial is a natural continuation of this approach, bringing the architecture on the front into line with that on the back.

The complexity of the architecture is reflected in the 238 interior angles that Renaud Tixier counts across the movement. That’s a considerable number, but what is particularly worth noting is the quality of the bevels, especially the wider ones, which feature beautifully executed interior angles with both sweeping curves and sharp points. This is all the more noteworthy given that Renaud Tixier carries out its finishing in-house rather than relying on external specialists.

Finally, there are a few other details that complement the elaborate skeletonisation of the movement. The caseband, for example, is hand-engraved with an irregular pattern that resembles hammered metal. The ratchet wheel cover also features an enamel surface matching the colour of the dial, in either blue or green.

Tech Specs: Renaud Tixier Monday Skeleton
Reference: RVI2025
Movement: RVI2025; automatic; 72 hours power reserve; 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz)
Functions: Hours, minutes, and small seconds
Case: 40.8 mm x 12.6 mm; 18k white gold; water resistant to 30 metres
Strap: Blue or green alligator leather with white gold pin buckle
Limited edition: 15 pieces in green and 15 pieces in blue