Home
Andreas Strehler: The Complete Brand Breakdown
Share:
Andreas Strehler is an independent Swiss watchmaker known for creating highly complicated mechanical watches in extremely limited quantities. Based in Sirnach, Switzerland, his workshop combines traditional hand-finishing methods with modern engineering and manufacturing technology. Strehler describes his position with the phrase “Engineer for the brands, watchmaker for the few,” reflecting both his technical work for established watch companies and the exclusive watches produced under his own name.
Brand origin and founding date
The Andreas Strehler watchmaking atelier originated in Switzerland. Andreas Strehler became an independent watchmaker in 1995, initially establishing his workshop near his hometown of Winterthur. His early work focused mainly on repairing and restoring antique clocks and watches. The official company history identifies 1995 as the beginning of his independent career.
This date should not be confused with the founding of STREHLER, a separate and more accessible watch collection created by Andreas Strehler in 2023. The original Andreas Strehler name represents his rare, handmade haute-horlogerie creations, while STREHLER was introduced as a related brand offering relatively more attainable everyday watches.
Original atelier established: 1995
Country of origin: Switzerland
Current location: Sirnach, Canton of Thurgau, Switzerland
Founder: Andreas Strehler
STREHLER sister brand launched: 2023
The founder’s early career
Andreas Strehler was born in 1971 in Winterthur, Switzerland. His interest in mechanical objects developed partly through his family’s involvement with antiques and old watches. He began a watchmaking apprenticeship in Frauenfeld in 1987 while also studying at a watchmaking school in Solothurn.
After completing his training in 1991, Strehler joined Renaud & Papi in Le Locle. The specialist movement-development company later became part of Audemars Piguet. During approximately four years there, Strehler worked as a head prototypist and gained experience in engineering complicated mechanical watch movements.
At the end of 1994, he returned to the Winterthur area. He began working independently in 1995, building the foundation of the workshop that would eventually carry his name.
The first Andreas Strehler creations
One of Strehler’s earliest important creations was the Tischkalender, presented at Baselworld in 1998. The unusual mechanism combined a removable pocket watch with a desk-mounted perpetual calendar. When connected, the pocket watch allowed the calendar mechanism to recognise and display the correct date. The official history describes it as the first watch with a form of mechanical memory and a modern interpretation of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s Sympathique clock concept.
In 1999, Strehler presented the Zwei, a mechanical pocket watch with switchable indications. Its hands could temporarily change their function to display calendar information before returning to indicate the time. The mechanism became an important part of Strehler’s technical identity and was later adapted for wristwatches and other projects.
UhrTeil AG and work for other brands
In 2005, Andreas Strehler founded UhrTeil AG, an engineering and manufacturing company created to develop prototypes, components, complications and complete movements. UhrTeil became the industrial and technical arm supporting Andreas Strehler watches while also carrying out specialist development work for other watch companies.
Strehler has contributed technical expertise to projects associated with brands such as Chronoswiss, H. Moser & Cie., Maurice Lacroix and Harry Winston. His work included the Chronoswiss Chronoscope movement, development work for H. Moser & Cie., Maurice Lacroix’s first manufacture chronograph movement and the Harry Winston Opus 7.
In 2007, the atelier and manufacturing operations moved into a dedicated building in Sirnach, in the German-speaking region of Switzerland near Lake Constance. The manufacture remains based there today.
Watchmaking philosophy
Andreas Strehler watches are produced according to a philosophy that combines historical craftsmanship with contemporary movement engineering. Movement components are manufactured in-house, individually finished and assembled by hand. At the same time, the movements are developed using modern design software and constructed according to demanding technical standards.
The workshop also designs components so that a sufficiently skilled watchmaker could theoretically repair or reproduce them in the future using traditional tools and materials. This emphasis on repairability supports the idea that a fine mechanical watch should remain functional across generations.
Strehler’s watches are especially recognisable for their open architecture, sculptural bridges and mechanisms that allow the wearer to observe the movement in operation. His designs frequently combine organic visual forms with advanced mechanical solutions such as constant-force systems, miniature differentials, conical gears and highly accurate astronomical displays.
Notable watches and technical achievements
The Papillon, introduced in 2008, established one of Strehler’s most recognisable designs. Its movement architecture was created to appear like a living mechanical organism, with a bridge structure resembling the wings of a butterfly.
In 2013, Strehler introduced the Sauterelle, fitted with his remontoir d’égalité. This constant-force mechanism supplies the escapement with a controlled amount of energy, helping maintain more consistent performance as the mainspring unwinds.
The Sauterelle à Lune Perpétuelle, presented in 2014, became one of his most famous watches. Its moon-phase display was calculated to deviate by only one day in approximately 2,060,757 years, earning recognition as the most precise moon-phase indication produced for a wristwatch at that time.
Other significant creations include the Cocon, Papillon d’Or, Lune Exacte, Sauterelle à Heure Mondiale and Trans-Axial Tourbillon.
Awards and professional recognition
Explore the
Biggest Pre-Owned Collection of Luxury Watches
Andreas Strehler became a member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants, commonly known as the AHCI, in 2000. The organisation represents independent watchmakers and creators who preserve and develop specialist horological craftsmanship.
In 2013, the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds awarded him the prestigious Gaïa Prize in the Craftsmanship-Creation category. The award recognised his contribution to technical and artistic watchmaking.
Andreas Strehler today
Today, Andreas Strehler operates from his manufacture in Sirnach, where watches and movements are developed, manufactured, finished, assembled and regulated. His production remains deliberately limited, making watches bearing the Andreas Strehler name rare even within the independent-watchmaking market.
The introduction of the separate STREHLER brand in 2023 expanded his watchmaking philosophy into a more practical category. However, the original Andreas Strehler atelier remains focused on technically ambitious, highly finished and individually produced mechanical watches intended for a small group of collectors.
Rather than functioning as a conventional luxury-watch company, Andreas Strehler represents a traditional independent manufacture centred on the knowledge, inventions and personal design language of one watchmaker. Its reputation is built on mechanical originality, in-house production and a commitment to creating watches capable of being maintained for generations.
About Exquisite Timepieces
Established in 1998, Exquisite Timepieces is your one-stop shop for all things luxury watches! We are an authorized dealer for 60+ luxury watch brands including Omega, Hublot, Seiko, & Longines! We are proud to showcase one of the world’s largest pre-owned watch collections, including renowned brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe. Check out our brand new watch arrivals here and popular pre-owned listings here.
