An Inclined Balance Wheel Complication for Under $10,000

Z. L. Toh, also known as Kenny, was a watch collector who knew little about traditional craftsmanship. He would play YouTube videos by Tim Mosso of The 1916 Company while going about his day. One particular video, where Mosso delved deeply into the art of lacquering, heat-bluing, guilloché, and hand-polishing, stopped Kenny in his tracks.

Spellbound by the artistry, Kenny decided to learn these techniques firsthand and set up a home studio. He applied them to simple Sellita-powered watches, which he named Series 1. He hand-polished their hour markers, and heat-treated the hands to produce a range of rich colors.

But Kenny wasn’t content with that. Through his network, he connected with Raf Dzwonek, a Canadian engineer with expertise in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining who could help bring Kenny’s more ambitious ideas to life. From Series 1.5 onward, they collaborated, using Raf’s CNC equipment to craft the components more precisely.

Together, they founded the brand ZLTD (for Z. L. Toh Dzwonek) and began incorporating more artisanal finishing details. For instance, they lacquer the chapter rings using red Japanese cashew urushi lacquer—a nod to the flags of both Singapore and Canada—and use a rose engine to guilloché dials.

Raf made a particularly impressive modification for the Series 1.5 movement: by re-engineering the Sellita SW330 movement, he added a second crown position that lets you adjust the hour hand independently.

Their leather straps are made by an artisanal workshop called Atelier Kai, and Raf personally hand-finishes every ZLTD watch.

At Spring Sprang Sprung, an independent watch exhibition held earlier this month, ZLTD inadvertently stole the show with their most daring creation yet: the Series 2, featuring an inclined balance wheel.

This complication, which sets the “pacemaker” of the watch an angle, is difficult to execute and can only be found in a handful of watches by haute horlogerie brands like Greubel Forsey and Roger Dubuis. These rare complications often cost well over CHF 200,000.

ZLTD’s asking price for the prototype? Just US$ 7,500.

Kenny admits the reveal was unintentional. All 20 planned pieces—scheduled for delivery in 2026—have already been spoken for.

“The natural evolution of a young watch brand might be from central seconds to a small-seconds counter,” he explains, “but Raf said he could engineer an inclined balance wheel.”

Together, they spent a year building it: modifying an ETA 6498 caliber, designing bespoke bridges, and hand-finishing its surfaces.

“We kept the price of the Series 2 to USD 7,500 because we didn’t want to outprice our collectors,” divulges Kenny, adding that the substantial production costs have left him with a slim margin.

He humbly emphasizes that his inclined balance wheel is developed from an ETA base, while those of fine watchmaking’s top echelon are painstakingly developed from the ground up.

“We’re nothing compared to Greubel Forsey or Roger Dubuis in terms of finishing—we don’t even breathe the same air as them,” he says candidly.

Still, his brand offers the everyman a rare chance to own an inclined balance wheel complication, along with a slice of what may become new-world watchmaking history.

“But we aspire to reach that level one day, and produce more in-house complications.”