Ralf Tech
Academie Automatique City - Silver Dial, Full-Set

RALF TECH Académie Automatic City reference ACY-1105, limited edition of 100 pieces, fully polished 41 mm 316L surgical-steel case, no-date silver sunray dial, applied steel hour markers and faceted hands with Super-LumiNova BGW9 luminous surfaces, contrasting peripheral minute track, 2.5 mm domed Glassbox-type sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, screw-down crown, screw-down caseback engraved with its serial number, 22 mm lug width, hand-stitched black-and-white tweed strap whose herringbone pattern appears grey on the wrist, signed polished pin buckle, second black silicone Tropic strap, grey fabric travel pouch, RALF TECH calibre RTA003 self-winding mechanical movement developed from a Seiko NH35/NH36 architecture, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, approximately 40-hour power reserve after full winding, 24 jewels, 200-metre water resistance, 2026 Full Set watch in near-mint condition, made in France, sold pre-owned by Mostra, fully inspected, authenticated and covered by a 3-year warranty.

“Some watches borrow their elegance from the past without ever abandoning the present. They preserve the warmth of a domed crystal, the clarity of an old dial and the refinement of a city strap, while concealing beneath that apparent delicacy the resistance of a genuine instrument.”

The RALF TECH Académie Automatic City ACY-1105 belongs to that rare family of watches whose personality is born from contrast. At first glance, it evokes a classical watch from the 1950s or 1960s, the type one might have worn with a white shirt, a double-breasted jacket or a perfectly cut overcoat. Then the technical specifications appear: a screw-down crown, a thick sapphire crystal, 316L steel construction and 200-metre water resistance. Beneath the calm lines of a city watch lies a robustness its aesthetics never attempt to advertise.

This contrast gives the Académie collection its entire interest. RALF TECH is generally associated with substantial dive watches, powerful cases, professional environments and pieces designed to endure where more conventional watches reach their limits. With the Académie, the Maison adopts another language without abandoning its principles. The volume becomes more restrained, the surfaces are polished, the bezel disappears and the dial returns to the composure of great three-hand watches. Resistance remains, yet ceases to be visible. On the wrist, the 41 mm polished case has a subtler presence than its diameter might suggest. Its rounded flanks, long yet progressively tapered lugs and smooth bezel create a supple, almost continuous line. The watch does not sit like an angular or massive object. It follows the shape of the wrist and allows light to move across the steel, sometimes highly brilliant on the polished surfaces, sometimes softer when the case slips beneath a cuff.

The photographs reveal this work on shape particularly well. The lugs extend with almost architectural tension, yet their edges remain sufficiently softened to preserve the overall elegance. The screw-down crown, decorated with the RALF TECH symbol, is deliberately discreet. It recalls the technical construction of the watch without interrupting the line of the case. Nothing appears to have been added simply to create an artificial vintage character. The watch merely recovers the proportions, curves and simplicity that gave 1950s and 1960s pieces their natural elegance. The Glassbox sapphire crystal contributes greatly to this impression. Its domed profile recalls old acrylic crystals, with that distinctive way of extending the dial and slightly distorting the markers when the watch is viewed from the side. Beneath this historical appearance, however, RALF TECH uses a 2.5 mm anti-reflective sapphire crystal, considerably more scratch-resistant than traditional acrylic. The old aesthetic therefore becomes a contemporary advantage: visual warmth remains while much of the fragility disappears.  The silver sunray dial forms the calm centre of the watch. Its colour lies somewhere between silver, pale grey and a faint champagne tone when the light grows warmer. It does not simply reflect light uniformly. The radial brushing carries it from the centre toward the markers, giving the dial a different depth according to the angle of the wrist. In direct light it appears almost metallic. Indoors it becomes softer and more matte, with the slightly powdery presence visible in the photographs.

The applied hour markers reinforce this depth. Their rectangular design, polished facets and double construction at 12 and 6 o’clock structure the dial without weighing it down. They catch the light like small architectural elements, sometimes highly visible, sometimes almost absorbed by the silver surface. The dark peripheral minute track provides the necessary contrast and recalls the precise dials of post-war institutional or military watches, when legibility had to remain immediate without sacrificing elegance. The hour and minute hands follow the same logic. Their faceted construction catches the light along the edges, while their Super-LumiNova BGW9 surfaces preserve legibility as the surroundings darken. The fine central seconds hand brings movement and prevents the dial from becoming overly static. It crosses the composition with restraint, without a date or additional indication interrupting the balance.

The absence of a date window is a genuine aesthetic and practical advantage here. It preserves the symmetry of the dial, allows the markers to be distributed with regularity and simplifies use when the watch has not been worn for several days. One need only set the time, give the crown a few turns and return the Académie to the wrist. This simplicity corresponds perfectly to the spirit of a classical watch, designed to last rather than accumulate functions. The grey herringbone tweed strap gives this example an immediately recognisable personality. RALF TECH describes it as hand-stitched black-and-white tweed; once worn, the interwoven threads create a grey, almost mottled tone recalling British jackets, winter fabrics and the relaxed elegance of the 1950s. The herringbone pattern adds texture, while the fabric creates a highly successful contrast with the smooth, brilliant surface of the steel.  This strap does more than support the vintage theme. It genuinely changes the way the watch is worn. Fabric feels warmer than steel, more original than traditional black leather and less sporty than a technical strap. It allows the Académie City to accompany a jacket, sweater, shirt, coat or more casual outfit without ever appearing overly formal. The signed polished pin buckle preserves the coherence of the whole, while the dark lining protects the structure of the strap and improves comfort.

The presence of the second black Tropic strap considerably broadens its possibilities of use. A few minutes are enough to move the watch from an urban textile interpretation to a sportier configuration, resistant to water and suited to summer days, travel or nautical activities. This second personality is not a secondary accessory within the Full Set. It reveals the true nature of the Académie: a classical watch capable of leaving the city without losing coherence. On tweed, the watch evokes a 1960s city piece. On the Tropic strap, it reminds the wearer that the dial discreetly carries the inscription “660 ft / 200 m Automatic.” The wording then becomes almost a confidence. Nothing in the smooth bezel or silver dial suggests such resistance. Yet the construction allows the Académie to accompany water, travel, heat and an active life with a freedom rarely found in such a classical watch.

The Académie was designed by Frank Huyghe in 2015. RALF TECH describes the collection as directly inspired by the 1950s and 1960s, reinterpreted without distortion, with the Glassbox crystal serving as one of its principal aesthetic signatures. This origin explains why the watch feels more sincere than a simple neo-retro creation: it does not reproduce a famous model, but translates the memory of a family watch and the elegance of an era.  The reference to the past nevertheless remains measured. The dial receives no artificial patina, the markers do not attempt to imitate aged tritium and the case does not reproduce the marks of an old watch. The model assumes its contemporary materials, polished finish and current production. Its vintage character lies in the proportions, domed crystal, simplicity of the display and choice of strap, not in an attempt to make a new watch appear old.

This is precisely what makes the Académie Automatic City so appealing to an owner. It recovers the charm of a 1950s or 1960s watch without accepting the constraints of a genuine vintage piece. Sapphire protects the dial, the screw-down crown secures the case, the automatic movement can be maintained with confidence and 200-metre water resistance greatly frees everyday use. The watch retains the emotion of an old line while remaining ready for a contemporary day.

The resistance of this Académie should not be understood as an abstract performance. It concretely changes the relationship with the watch. A traditional dress piece often requires its owner to remain attentive to rain, humidity, travel or changes of activity. Here, the watch can be worn to the office in the morning, kept on during a journey, left on beside the water and transferred to its Tropic strap when the programme becomes sportier. The same watch accompanies several moments without requiring permanent caution.

The RTA003 automatic movement continues this philosophy. Developed from a Seiko NH35/NH36 architecture, it operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour, offers an approximately 40-hour power reserve after full winding and rests on a 24-jewel construction. It provides automatic winding, manual winding and hacking seconds for precise setting. RALF TECH selected it for its robustness, straightforward servicing and coherence with a watch intended to be genuinely worn.

Its 3 Hz frequency gives the seconds hand a more measured progression than a high-frequency calibre. This rhythm particularly suits the aesthetics of the Académie. The watch seeks neither the nervous energy of a chronograph nor the display of a movement visible through a caseback. It tells time with regularity, winds through the movement of the wrist and remains available behind the discretion of a closed back.

The approximately 40-hour power reserve allows the watch to be left aside overnight or through a day before being picked up again, while manual winding facilitates restarting after a longer stop. The 24 jewels reduce friction at the principal rotating points of the calibre. This proven architecture gives the owner an essential advantage: a comprehensible, reliable mechanism suited to long-term maintenance rather than unnecessary complexity.

From a collector’s perspective, this limited edition of 100 pieces possesses several strong arguments. It represents one of the most classical expressions of RALF TECH, a Maison mainly recognised for professional watches and divers. It preserves a highly identifiable aesthetic, a silver dial, an unusual textile strap, genuine 200-metre resistance and production sufficiently restricted to remain confidential.

Its interest does not rest on artificial speculation. It comes from the coherence of the piece. The Académie City reveals another side of RALF TECH, that of a Maison capable of applying its culture of robustness to an urban and elegant watch. Within a collection of divers, chronographs or military watches, it brings another register without breaking with the technical identity of the brand.

The 2026 Full Set reinforces this reading. The grey fabric travel pouch, documents, original tweed strap, signed buckle and second Tropic strap preserve the watch in the configuration imagined by RALF TECH. Completeness becomes especially important with a limited edition: it documents the way the piece was presented and gives its future owner every intended possibility of use.

Its near-mint condition adds another quality. The polished surfaces, highly sensitive to marks when a watch is worn frequently, retain excellent definition here. The dial remains luminous, the markers preserve their facets and the textile strap retains the spirit of the original presentation. The whole allows the watch to be enjoyed immediately while preserving strong collector coherence.

Wearing this Académie City today means choosing a watch that refuses to remain within a single category. It looks like a dress watch yet resists like a sports watch. It evokes the 1950s while using sapphire, Super-LumiNova and a screw-down crown. It is worn on tweed with a jacket, then on Tropic beside the water. This duality is not a compromise. It is the watch’s true personality.

This example is offered as a 2026 RALF TECH Académie Automatic City ACY-1105 Full Set, limited to 100 pieces, with its grey tweed strap, second black Tropic strap, original pouch and documents, in near-mint condition. The watch has been carefully inspected in our workshop in order to provide a transparent reading of its authenticity, operation, condition and completeness.

Choosing a RALF TECH Académie from Mostra requires a perspective extending beyond the watch’s classical appearance alone. Each piece is selected with more than 40 years of watchmaking expertise, with attention given to the movement, case, dial, straps, serial number and completeness of the Full Set. This ACY-1105 has been fully inspected, authenticated and prepared so that it can be worn immediately with confidence. You benefit from personalised guidance as well as a 3-year Mostra warranty, a commitment reflecting our confidence in the watches we offer. A piece such as this is chosen for its 1950s and 1960s-inspired elegance, limited production, silver dial, unexpected resistance and that rare ability to become as naturally a collector’s watch as a genuine everyday companion.