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CiRCULA ProLab Pilot Watch

Starting from 2.390 €

The CiRCULA ProLab is a watchmaking set born from an unprecedented collaboration between two independent houses from Pforzheim, CiRCULA and Laco. Sold as an inseparable pair, the two watches in the box share the same Swiss calibre and the same 40 mm diameter, yet oppose each other in character: the ProLab Sand displays a field watch aesthetic with its sand dial, while the ProLab Schwarz reinterprets the tradition of pilot's observation watches with a black Type B dial. Limited to 170 sets worldwide, this duo celebrates an anniversary year shared by both brands and speaks to enthusiasts of military watches, German manufacturing and genuinely limited runs. A collector's item as much as a pair of instruments to wear daily.

CiRCULA ProLab Sand and Schwarz pilot's watch

CiRCULA and Laco are two independent houses based in Pforzheim, the historic cradle of German watchmaking. They have known each other, crossed paths and competed for decades. The ProLab was born from a meeting between Cornelius Huber, for CiRCULA, and Uwe Rücker, for Laco, around a shared anniversary year: Laco's hundredth and CiRCULA's seventieth. From that figure comes the project's limitation to one hundred and seventy sets, a run presented as clearly defined rather than artificially scarce.

Both brands describe the venture as a first in the German watch industry, two direct competitors signing off on the same product together. The name sums up the idea: Pro refers to CiRCULA's ProTrail and to Laco's PRO models, Lab denotes the shared experimental ground. The project was meant to produce a single watch; it produced two, sold as an inseparable pair. The most interesting gesture is a crossed exchange of identities.

The ProLab Sand borrows the vintage case of the Laco PRO, with its round bezel and curved lugs, but receives a field watch dial derived from the ProTrail language. The ProLab Schwarz adopts the angular, hardened case of the ProTrail, paired with a Type B pilot's observation dial, with minutes on the outer ring and hours from 1 to 12 inside, in CiRCULA typography. Both dials carry the logos of both brands as well as the words Made in Pforzheim below six o'clock, while the screwed caseback is engraved with a map of the city where two gilt dots mark each manufacturer's historic sites.

Technical specifications CiRCULA ProLab PL-SS-SS

Brand: CiRCULA
Model: ProLab
Reference: PL-SS-SS
Indicative price: 2.390 €
Movement: Swiss automatic
Calibre: Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré
Power reserve: 38 h min
Diameter: 40 mm
Water resistance: 20 ATM (Sand) / 15 ATM (Schwarz)
Materials: 316L stainless steel
Crystal: Slightly domed sapphire, internal anti-reflective coating
Dial: Sand or black Type B
Strap: Canvas nylon lined with leather
Warranty: 2 years
Box contents: Two identically numbered watches, presentation box, gilt medal with serial number

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The CiRCULA ProLab set, two characters for one shared format

The ProLab is not sold individually: the box brings together two identically numbered watches, designed to be worn in alternation. They share a common format of 40 mm in diameter, a versatile size that slips easily under a cuff and suits most wrists. On the wrist, though, the two pieces differ: lug-to-lug reaches 47.5 mm on the Sand against 46 mm on the Schwarz, and thickness runs from 11.3 to 12.3 mm including the crystal. The case is made from the same 316L stainless steel, but treated differently, with a dark sandblasted finish for the Sand and a hardening surface treatment for the Schwarz.

Montre Circula ProLab 8

The dials were designed specifically for this set. The sand version takes a field watch reading, with circular graining at the centre and an outer ring fully coated in Swiss Super-LumiNova® Old Radium. The black version follows the Type B logic of observation watches, its numerals and markers treated with Super-LumiNova® BGW9. The hands, shared by both watches, are heat-blued, with the hour and minute hands also carrying a luminescent charge. Each watch comes on a canvas nylon strap lined with genuine leather, sand for one, black for the other, fitted on a quick-release system. The whole set claims German production, assembled and regulated in Pforzheim.

Limited to 170 sets for aviation enthusiasts

Both ProLab watches rely on the same engine, the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré calibre, a Swiss automatic with 26 jewels oscillating at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It is offered here without a date, which simplifies crown handling and frees the dial of any window. The stated power reserve is 38 hours at minimum, typically 41 hours in practice, and each movement undergoes fine regulation in Pforzheim, within a tolerance of -5/+7 seconds per day. A ball-bearing rotor, manual winding, hacking seconds and Incabloc shock protection round out the technical specification.

Montre Circula ProLab 9

The two cases do not quite serve the same purpose. The Sand is built in two pieces, the Schwarz in three, with a soft iron cage that shields the movement from magnetism up to 80,000 A/m. Water resistance follows the same differentiated logic: 20 ATM for the Sand, 15 ATM for the Schwarz, with a screw-down crown on both watches. The slightly domed sapphire crystal receives an internal anti-reflective treatment, doubled on the black version. Limited to 170 sets worldwide, the ProLab is aimed first at collectors drawn to German watchmaking, pilot's observation watches and genuinely limited series. The engraved caseback, the numbered gilt medal and the two matching serial numbers reinforce this collector's item status.

CiRCULA ProLab Sand and Schwarz pilot's watch: the Type B dial revisited

The CiRCULA ProLab brings together two watches sold as an inseparable pair, a field watch with a sand dial and a pilot's watch with a black Type B dial. Both measure 40 mm in 316L stainless steel, under a slightly domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and house the Swiss Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré calibre without a date, finely regulated in Pforzheim. Water resistance reaches 20 ATM on the Sand and 15 ATM on the Schwarz, with a screw-down crown. The canvas nylon straps lined with leather change without tools. The set, limited to 170 identically numbered pieces, is delivered with a gilt medal bearing its serial number.

Movement

Both watches in the set share the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré calibre, a Swiss automatic without a date. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, counts 26 jewels and offers a power reserve of 38 hours at minimum, typically 41 hours. Winding is handled by a ball-bearing rotor, complemented by manual winding and a hacking seconds function useful for setting the time. Incabloc shock protection preserves the balance wheel, and each unit is finely regulated in Pforzheim within a tolerance of -5/+7 seconds per day.

Diameter and materials

The set adopts a case of 40 mm in diameter in 316L stainless steel, offered in two distinct treatments. The ProLab Sand receives a dark sandblasted finish and a two-piece construction, at 11.3 mm thick including the crystal and 47.5 mm lug-to-lug. The ProLab Schwarz, in three pieces, benefits from a surface treatment resistant up to 1,200 Vickers and measures 12.3 mm for 46 mm between lugs. The slightly domed sapphire crystal receives an internal anti-reflective treatment, and the screwed caseback is engraved with a map of Pforzheim.

Water resistance

The two pieces do not target quite the same level of immersion: the ProLab Sand claims 20 ATM, or 200 metres, while the ProLab Schwarz is limited to 15 ATM, or 150 metres. In both cases, the construction relies on a screw-down crown and a screwed caseback, a configuration that comfortably allows swimming and surface water activities. The Swiss Super-LumiNova® applied to the hands, numerals and markers also ensures clear low-light legibility.

Accessories

Each watch arrives on a canvas nylon strap lined with genuine leather, sand for the first, black for the second, closed with a scratch-resistant pin buckle. A quick-release system allows the two straps to be swapped without tools, changing the look of each piece. The set is delivered in an aluminium box holding both watches bearing the same serial number, accompanied by a numbered gilt medal repeating that number, a genuine signature of the edition.

Warranty

CiRCULA backs its watches with a two-year warranty covering the movement, hands and dial. It covers manufacturing defects, not normal wear of exposed elements, particularly the strap and crystal. After-sales service is handled from Pforzheim, the same place where the calibres are regulated, simplifying upkeep of a set produced in a very small run. As of the date of consultation, the ProLab set is listed as sold out on the brand's website, shifting the search to the secondhand market.