Introducing Mineroci, a Semi-Finalist in the 2025-26 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize
A standout entry featuring constant force, jumping seconds, and a fully symmetric movement design
On July 17, 2025, Louis Vuitton announced the 20 semi-finalists for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. To this group, being selected from hundreds of submissions is already a significant achievement. It is a truly global lineup, featuring some of the most promising independent watch and clockmakers from Switzerland, Germany, Japan, China, France, the United States, Russia, and Australia.
Among the semi-finalists are a few familiar names previously featured in this newsletter: Kudoke, Petermann Bédat, and Masa’s Pastime. While browsing the competing timepieces, one entry stood out, the Mineroci RD002. Its symmetrical dial and movement design caught my eye, along with the impressive combination of constant force and jumping seconds mechanisms.
Coincidentally, just two weeks earlier, I had been introduced to Mr. Chang Qu, the principal founder of Mineroci, through a fellow watch enthusiast. At the time, I had been inquiring about their first model, the RD001. While the RD001 is a refined two-hand or three-hand watch with custom dials, the RD002 marks a significant step forward in technical sophistication and artistic creativity.
I reached out to Chang Qu immediately to learn more about this new creation and the story behind their horological journey. I cannot wait to share my findings with you.
A Brief History of A Young Brand
Chang Qu, born in 1988, is a designer by training. After college, he joined Intel’s China R&D Center in 2010. A little over a year later, he left to start his own company focused on virtual reality applications. The startup was acquired after two years, a fairly successful exit for a young entrepreneur.
In 2014, Chang Qu teamed up with Zhengyang Pan, another designer five years his junior, to establish Roci Design in Beijing. The firm offers a full range of design services for consumer products, including product design, mechanical and structural design, interactive design, and project management. Its biggest client has been Xiaomi, a major conglomerate in China’s consumer electronics and smart home space. Roci Design has completed the design work of more than 30 products for brands under the Xiaomi umbrella.
By 2018, Chang Qu began exploring the watch industry, sensing long-term potential. He has since attended the EPHJ in Geneva for 3 years. He determined the best entry point for his firm was to develop a software system for designing mechanical movements. The software development took two years to complete.
To demonstrate the software’s capabilities, Chang Qu decided to create a fully functional mechanical watch. He and his partner started with the 6498 geartrain architecture and redesigned nearly everything else. They hired two watchmakers, but the founders also got hands-on with component making, polishing and assembly. Many components were made in-house, while others were sourced from trusted suppliers.
At the same time, the team experimented with dial-making techniques and materials, including stone, guilloché, and enamel. In total, they produced more than 100 dial designs and over 50 dial prototypes. They felt confident that these offerings could meet the needs of most clients.
These efforts culminated in the first model, RD001, launched in 2023 under a new brand name: Mineroci, meaning “Our Roci.” The model featured an in-house movement and was released as a 99-piece limited edition, with ample options for dial choice and customization. In many ways, RD001 became a playground for the young watchmaking team to learn, experiment and refine watchmaking skills. They got to engage with some fantastic watch enthusiasts in China and learned about their needs.
With the software now proven for three-hand movements, Chang Qu and his team began working on more advanced complications. One project, a constant force and jumping seconds mechanism, resulted in a functional engineering prototype about one year ago. After hearing about the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, Chang Qu decided to submit a new watch based on this prototype. That watch became the RD002, a symmetrical and technically ambitious design now just being selected as one of the semi-finalists in the LV Watch Prize.
Now that we’ve recapped the origin of Mineroci, let’s take a closer look at some striking examples of RD001 that have been delivered to collectors.
Mineroci RD001
The RD001 features a manually wound three-hand movement with a subsidiary seconds display at 6 o’clock. It can also be configured as a two-hand caliber. The movement beats at 3 Hz, offers a power reserve of 52 hours, and is regulated to an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per day.
Constructed from German silver, the movement is offered to clients with three different finishing styles:
Brushed finish (rhodium-plated)
Milled Geneva stripes (rhodium-plated)
Polished Geneva stripes (unplated, which will naturally oxidize over time)
The case measures 42mm in diameter and 10.5mm in thickness. It can be made from either stainless steel or a precious metal. The dial is customizable based on the client’s preferences.
The following pictures of an early release RD001 were kindly provided by @boyle.bear, a watch lover who connected me with Gang Qu.
The following pictures of three RD001 examples including two with precious metal cases were taken by @zh.macro, a watch collector and photographer with superior macro skills. The internal and external angles in the macro shots are absolutely stunning.
One of the signature dials offered by Mineroci is the cloisonné enamel guilloché fish dial. In Chinese culture, the fish symbolizes wealth, abundance, and prosperity. The dial design is based on a pattern originally created by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher.
Creating this dial involves two distinct steps: guilloché and cloisonné enameling. The guilloché is done in-house using a digital lathe. Even with modern equipment, each dial still takes about eight hours to complete. By comparison, hand-operated rose engines may require about three to four days to finish the work, estimated by Chang Qu.
The cloisonné enamel work is handled by three skilled artisans based in Beijing and Shanghai. Fine gold wires are used to outline the fish, separating each color section. Enamel is then carefully applied and fired in a kiln. Timing is critical, just five or six seconds too long or too short can result in flawed colors. The current yield is only 20 to 30 percent, meaning many dials must be discarded.
The price of the RD001 ranges from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the choice of dial and case material. With many movement components made in-house and hand-finishing required, production is limited to one watch per month. The current wait time is 18 to 24 months. As a result, Mineroci has paused new orders for now. If you're interested, you can still contact them to join the waitlist. The contact email is: mineroci@mineroci.com.
Mineroci RD002
With the help of their proprietary movement design software, the Mineroci team developed functional prototypes featuring advanced complications. These include jumping hours, chiming mechanisms, and a constant force system combined with jumping seconds.
For the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, Chang Qu chose to submit a watch with the constant force (Remontoire) and jumping seconds mechanism. This combination has been attempted in the past by a few high-end brands. Still, he felt that wasn’t enough. He wanted to create a watch with a partially openworked, symmetrical dial and a matching symmetrical movement.
Very few have succeeded in this type of design. Rexhep Rexhepi’s RRCC and RRCC 2 are rare examples. The challenge lies in the complex calculations required to reposition components to achieve symmetry layouts, a task that is extremely difficult with traditional methods. For the Mineroci team, this became the ultimate test of their software, and it passed with flying colors.
The result is a stunning watch—both front and back.
The movement beats at 3 Hz and uses twin mainsprings to deliver a 48-hour power reserve. The case measures 39mm in diameter and 9.5mm in thickness. Both the case and the movement plate are crafted from 18K gold. On the dial side, there is a power reserve indicator. It will be a limited production of 21 pieces.
The Next Steps
The next major milestone for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize will take place on December 15, 2025, when the Committee of 65 experts selects five finalists. As part of this process, all 20 semi-finalists will present their timepieces in person to the Committee.
Each entry is strong in its own way, and narrowing the field to just five will not be easy. The Mineroci team, like all the others, will be working hard to prepare for this important moment. Let’s wish every team the best of luck, and may the finest creations rise to the top.
On March 24, 2026, the five finalists will gather in Paris to present their watches to the final jury. After interviews and evaluations, the jury will select the winner of the second edition of the prize.
Follow Mineroci’s journey on the IG account @mineroci_official, or contact them by email through mineroci@mineroci.com.
I can see why the design and intricacies of the movement finishing appeal to you. Because the 1 and the 2 are simply stunning.
Great share, looks superb.