Laco x Circula ProLab

Two German brands rooted in the same city, separated by only a few streets and thirty years of founding history, have chosen to mark a significant joint anniversary not with a single timepiece, but with a dual release that fundamentally intertwines their respective identities. The year 2025 represents a massive milestone for the town of Pforzheim, often referred to as the gateway to the Black Forest and the historical heart of the country's jewelry and watchmaking industry. Laco, established in 1925, is celebrating a centennial of uninterrupted operation, a tenure that has seen them produce legendary observation watches for aerial navigation. Circula, a slightly younger but equally steadfast neighbor founded in 1955 by the Huber family, is marking its seventieth year. Together, these two entities represent 170 years of manufacturing continuity in a region that has weathered the quartz crisis and global shifts in production, emerging as a renewed center for high-quality mechanical horology.



The collaboration, titled ProLab, is a tangible result of the close-knit nature of the Pforzheim watchmaking community. Unlike major Swiss conglomerates where brands operate in silos or fierce competition, the atmosphere in this German municipality often fosters a different kind of professional relationship. Over the past several years, Uwe Rücker of Laco and Cornelius Huber of Circula found themselves frequently crossing paths at trade fairs, local industry events, and informal gatherings. These recurring interactions revealed a shared philosophy regarding design, production ethics, and the importance of maintaining regional manufacturing capabilities. What began as casual professional courtesy evolved into a concrete plan to merge their distinct approaches into a unified project. The ProLab concept is not merely a branding exercise but a literal exchange of design language and hardware, effectively swapping the genetic material of their most popular tool watch lines to create something that belongs to both but looks entirely new.



The name chosen for this project, ProLab, serves as a linguistic bridge between the two source families that contributed to these watches. The "Pro" prefix is derived directly from the Laco PRO series and the Circula ProTrail collection, both of which serve as the modern, robust pillars of their respective catalogs. The "Lab" portion signifies the experimental nature of the studio work that went into this release, a space where strict brand guidelines were temporarily suspended to allow for cross-pollination. It is an acknowledgment that this project was treated as a laboratory for design, testing, and refinement, free from the usual constraints of standard model hierarchies. This freedom allowed them to explore a "DNA swap" concept that is rarely seen in the industry: instead of making one watch that compromises both visions, they created two watches that amplify the specific strengths of the other partner.



The first component of this limited set is the ProLab Sand, a field watch that immediately strikes a viewer with its warm, distinctively textured visage. It utilizes the case architecture of the Laco PRO, a stainless steel housing that has been subjected to a dark sandblasting treatment. This finishing choice is significant; rather than the bright, reflective polish found on dress watches, the sandblasted surface absorbs light, giving the steel a muted, industrial grey tone that speaks to its utility. At 40 millimeters in diameter and just over 11 millimeters thick, the case sits with a purposeful stance on the wrist, balancing modern presence with wearable dimensions. The finishing also provides a tactile quality, a matte smoothness that resists fingerprints and minor abrasions, reinforcing the tool-watch ethos that underpins the entire project.



The dial of the ProLab Sand is where the fusion of styles becomes most apparent visually. The base color is a dark sand tone, reminiscent of desert gear or vintage parchment, but executed with a modern, technical complexity. The surface is divided into two distinct zones. The central circle features a fine circular graining, a texture that catches the light in a radial pattern and adds depth to the display. Surrounding this is a matte outer ring that provides high contrast for the printed indices. A viewer examining the dial will notice the railway minute track, a classic element that frames the composition, but the numerals themselves break from tradition. They are printed in a sharp, legible font that includes a blue 24-hour scale on the inner track, providing military time reference at a glance.



One of the most striking visual features of the ProLab Sand is the handset. The hands are thermally blued, a traditional process where steel is heated to a precise temperature until it oxidizes to a rich, deep cornflower blue. This isn't merely a coating; it is a chemical change in the metal that ensures the color remains vibrant indefinitely. These blue hands contrast sharply against the sand-colored dial, ensuring readability in various lighting conditions. The specific shape of the hands is robust, tapering to a point that aligns perfectly with the minute markers. In low-light situations, the functionality shifts to the luminescent application. The outer area of the dial is coated with Swiss Super-LumiNova Old Radium, while the hands glow with a blue BGW9 luminescence. This two-tone night-time signature ensures that orientation is maintained even in complete darkness.



Under the hood of the ProLab Sand beats the Laco 200 movement. This automatic caliber is based on the reliable Sellita SW200, a Swiss mechanism known for its serviceability and consistent performance. It features a stop-second function, allowing the wearer to halt the balance wheel and synchronize the watch to a reference time signal with absolute precision. The movement oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, providing a smooth sweep of the seconds hand. While the movement is a workhorse, the focus here is on reliability and the ease of maintenance, ensuring that the watch can be kept running within factory specifications for decades, mirroring the longevity of the brands themselves.



The second half of this commemorative duo is the ProLab Schwarz, which takes the design language in a darker, more pilot-focused direction. This model is built upon the chassis of the Circula ProTrail, a case distinguished by its extreme durability. The stainless steel here has been treated to achieve a surface hardness of 1,200 Vickers, making it significantly more resistant to scratches than standard 316L steel. This is a critical feature for a watch intended for daily wear, as it preserves the factory finish against the inevitable knocks and scrapes of everyday life. Furthermore, the case construction includes a soft iron cage surrounding the movement. This internal shield protects the balance spring from magnetic fields up to 80,000 A/m, a level of protection that ensures accuracy even when exposed to the magnetic interference common in modern electronic environments.



Visually, the ProLab Schwarz adopts a layout inspired by the historic Type-B pilot dials, a design originally developed for navigators who needed to prioritize minute and second legibility over the hour. The dial is dominated by a black background that absorbs light, minimizing glare. Like its sandy counterpart, it features a dual-texture finish, with circular graining in the center and a matte finish on the periphery. The minute track is prominent on the outer edge, with large numerals marking every five minutes, while the hours are relegated to a smaller inner circle. This inversion of the standard layout is a nod to Laco's aviation heritage, transposed onto the modern geometry of a Circula case.



The hands on the ProLab Schwarz are also thermally blued, maintaining a visual consistency across the set. Against the deep black dial, the blue steel creates a subtle yet sophisticated interplay of color that is only fully revealed when light hits the hands at the correct angle. The legibility is enhanced by the use of Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 on the numerals and indexes. This compound appears white in daylight but emits a strong blue glow in the dark. The contrast is stark and immediate, prioritizing function above all else. A triangular marker at the twelve o'clock position serves as a quick orientation point, a mandatory feature for any watch claiming pilot lineage.



Connecting the two watches is a shared caseback design that serves as a hidden map for the owner. The solid steel backs are deeply engraved with a street map of Pforzheim. This is not a generic cartographic representation but a precise depiction of the city's layout. Embedded within this map are two small golden dots. These points are not random; they mark the actual physical locations of the Laco and Circula headquarters within the city. This detail is a quiet, intimate nod to the proximity of the two manufacturers, a reminder that these watches were born from the same soil. Above the map, the engraving "Made in Pforzheim" reinforces the regional pride that drives the project.



The strap selection for the ProLab set reflects the utilitarian nature of the watch heads. Both timepieces are mounted on high-quality sailcloth straps. The ProLab Sand features a strap in a matching sand tone, while the ProLab Schwarz is fitted with black sailcloth. This material is chosen for its ruggedness and resistance to fraying, yet both straps are lined with genuine leather to ensure comfort against the skin. They are equipped with quick-release spring bars, allowing the owner to swap straps without the need for tools. The buckles are finished to match their respective cases—dark sandblasted for the Laco-based model and scratch-resistant steel for the Circula-based model—demonstrating an attention to detail that extends to even the smallest components.



The packaging for the ProLab set is designed to be as enduring as the watches themselves. The set is delivered in a robust aluminum presentation case, eschewing the typical cardboard or faux-leather boxes often found in the industry. Inside, alongside the two watches, owners will find a commemorative coin. This gold-colored coin features the same limited-edition number as the watches, tying the entire package together as a singular collectible unit. The inclusion of the coin and the metal case suggests a focus on longevity and preservation, providing a secure home for the watches when they are not on the wrist.



The limitation of the ProLab set is strictly tied to the anniversary numbers. Only 170 sets will be produced, a figure derived by adding Laco's 100 years to Circula's 70 years. This is a finite run; once these 170 units are allocated, no further examples will be manufactured. This limitation is not merely a marketing tactic to drive urgency but a symbolic representation of the history being celebrated. Each watch in the set carries its unique limitation number engraved on the caseback, ensuring that every owner knows exactly where their specific example falls within the production run.



From a technical perspective, the dimensions of both watches are deliberately kept within a versatile range. The ProLab Sand measures 40 millimeters across with a lug width of 20 millimeters and a lug-to-lug distance that accommodates a wide variety of wrist sizes. Its water resistance is rated at 20 ATM, equivalent to 200 meters, making it suitable for swimming and recreational diving. The screw-down crown ensures the movement remains sealed against moisture and dust. The sapphire crystal is coated with an anti-reflective layer on the inside, preventing scratches on the glass while ensuring the dial remains legible even under harsh overhead lighting.



The ProLab Schwarz shares the 40-millimeter diameter and 20-millimeter lug width but differs slightly in thickness due to the anti-magnetic iron cage construction. It stands at 11.1 millimeters tall without the crystal, or 12.4 millimeters including the domed sapphire. Its water resistance is rated at 15 ATM, or 150 meters, which is still more than sufficient for almost any aquatic activity a user might encounter. Like the Sand model, it features a screw-down crown and an internal anti-reflective coating on the sapphire crystal. The weight of the Schwarz model is slightly higher at 95 grams compared to the Sand's 72 grams, a difference attributable to the denser case construction and magnetic shielding.



The collaboration between Laco and Circula offers a fascinating case study in how heritage brands can evolve without losing sight of their origins. By combining the "Pro" lines of both manufacturers, they have created a hybrid that feels authentic to both. The Laco field watch gains the modern, clean lines of the Circula dial philosophy, while the Circula pilot watch gains the historical gravitas of Laco's aviation background. It is a mutual strengthening of assets, proving that cooperation can yield results that competition cannot. The project highlights that Pforzheim is not just a historical footnote in watchmaking but an active, evolving hub where tradition is a foundation for new ideas rather than a shackle to the past.



The ProLab set is priced at $2,990 USD. This price point includes both the ProLab Sand and the ProLab Schwarz watches, the aluminum presentation case, and the commemorative coin. The sales window for this limited release opens on December 11, 2025. Given the extremely low production number of 170 sets and the significant anniversaries attached to the release, the allocation is expected to move quickly among enthusiasts of German horology. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of January 2026, marking the start of the anniversary year with a delivery of fresh metal. For collectors who value the distinct history of Pforzheim and the honest, tool-focused engineering of German watchmaking, this set represents a rare opportunity to own a piece of a shared century of history.



Case: ProLab Sand: Stainless steel, dark sandblasted finish, 40mm diameter, 11.3mm height (with crystal), 9.8mm height (without crystal), 20 ATM water resistance, screw-down crown, solid case back with engraving and limitation number, sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating. ProLab Schwarz: Stainless steel, scratch-resistant up to 1,200 Vickers, anti-magnetic up to 80,000 A/m with soft iron cage, 40mm diameter, 12.4mm height (with crystal), 11.1mm height (without crystal), 15 ATM water resistance, screw-down crown, closed case back with engraving and limited edition number, sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating.

Movement: ProLab Sand: Laco 200 automatic movement (base Sellita SW 200), second hand stop function. ProLab Schwarz: Sellita SW 200 Elaboré automatic movement, second hand stop function.

Dial: ProLab Sand: Sand-colored, circular graining on inside, matte finish on outside, outer area with Swiss Super-LumiNova Old Radium. ProLab Schwarz: Black, circular graining on inside, matte finish on outside, numerals and indexes with Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 lume.

Strap: ProLab Sand: Sand-colored sailcloth strap with genuine leather lining, quick-release spring bars, dark buckle, 20mm lug width. ProLab Schwarz: Black sailcloth strap with genuine leather lining, quick-release spring bars, scratch-resistant buckle, 20mm lug width.

Price: US $2,990.00 (for the set)

Reference Number: 862193

Notes: Limited to 170 sets worldwide. The casebacks feature two golden dots on an engraved map of Pforzheim, marking the headquarters of both brands. Includes a commemorative coin with the matching limitation number.