ur pilot watches are instruments, not jewels!” exclaimed De Motu Watches founder Valdemar Hirvelä in his four-wheel drive pickup truck when we were on our way to the brand’s HQ. After a bumpy ride on icy roads, we soon arrived at the perfect location for such a brand: the semi-abandoned Malmi airport north of Helsinki, where it occupies a workshop in one of the hangars.

De Motu is Latin, roughly translated as “motion”. “When I was looking for a name, I came across works by both Sir Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei that were called De Motu,” said Mr. Hirvelä, who, besides having a strong interest in aviation (he served in avionics in his military service), has a background in advertising as well as research and development in the robotics industry.  

Valdemar Hirvelä, CEO and designer at De Motu

De Motu was born in 2012 with a prototype concept watch, which had a built-in G-sensor. A presentation at Baselworld stirred quite some interest, especially from some Swiss brands that were drawn to incorporating the patented technology. Such collaborations never came to fruition, but Mr. Hirvelä, who designs the watches, knew by then that he’d found the right niche. “Normally watches are made for everybody. But we make only pilot watches. No compromise,” he said, adding that he hopes to incorporate the G-sensor in a future De Motu watch, “in 2026 at the earliest.”

The first watches from De Motu came in 2016, and from the beginning he was able to initiate collaborations with fighter pilots: most De Motu models are initially developed as squadron watches – watches that you can only buy if you are part of a special flying squadron – or in special editions that you can only buy if you are a pilot who has literally earned his or her wings. “Most of our models that are available for everybody are made afterwards as civil versions of these watches, but a bit different and with emblems and so on,” explained Mr. Hirvelä.

Controlling the dial before attaching the hands on a De Motu FINAF, which runs on an ETA 2824. The De Motu FINAF Hornet is developed together with Finnish Hornet fighter pilots. There is also a civil version available called DMF 44. (€ 5,807 plus VAT)

The De Motu FINAF Hornet started with an email sent to Mr. Hirvelä from a Finnish Hornet fighter pilot, who felt he could not find a suitable pilot watch on the market. Ten hours later he replied, and it ended up being a three-year process in which De Motu worked together with the emailing pilot and a group of five Finnish fighter pilots during the development process of a cockpit-styled, angular watch.

The DMG Pilot Instruments integrate a fully functional g-meter and a wristwatch. It will be available in the near future.

Photo: De Motu

From the pilots Mr. Hirvelä received invaluable feedback when it came to, for instance, the square shape of the 44mm watch, the large dial (which features the Hornet’s green night-flight motif and a metal Hornet element implanted in the dial), the shape of the crown protection, the angling of the lugs that make the 10mm-thin titanium watch fit both slender wrists and on top of a pilot suit, and the luminous material used, which fits in the spectrum where the eye adapts best in dark situations.

De Motu’s master watchmaker Tomi Seppälä modifies and assembles De Motu’s watches.

“The glass must be strong,” added Mr. Hirvelä. “When you fly at 13,000-metres altitude the different air pressure can break some glasses.” As there are 64 Hornet fighter jets in the Finnish Airforce, the FINAF Hornet will be made in a limited edition of 64 watches, which can only be bought by fighter pilots. Thankfully there will be another 64 watches made called DMF 44 (€5,807 plus VAT), a civil version of the watch, which started delivery in April 2024.

e Motu specialises in making special Editions, for instance for pilot squadrons.

Photo: De Motu

Both versions are run by an automatic ETA 2824 caliber, for which De Motu has modified and designed its own luminous big date at 6 o’clock.

Attaching the luminous hands on a De Motu FINAF.

Currently, De Motu’s production contains around 80% quartz and 20% automatic movements, but in the future, there will be more automatic than quartz. Another automatic model, a round watch, is the DM Zulu (€3,120 plus VAT in steel, the titanium version is sold out), a GMT watch run by a modified ETA 2893-2 (the premium version with ±4 seconds per day).

De Motu R 42 MK II in polished steel. Swiss quartz movement. (1,420 €)

Photo: De Motu

Thus, De Motu works with predominantly Swiss movements, but for instance design, assembly, lume work, movement adaptations, assembly, and service is all in-house. “Normally Tomi, our watchmaker, can service a watch in a few days,” said Mr. Hirvelä. In its workshop De Motu also assembles and finishes the spectacular anodised and laser-cut aluminium boxes that the watches are delivered in. The box contains an extra strap and tools required for strap change, alongside an “instrument logbook” with several handwritten sections about who made what on the watch. “We want books. We are not like the brands that put everything in the cloud. What will happen to all the information in the cloud in 50 years from now?” asked Mr. Hirvelä rhetorically.

De Motu DM Zulu MK II. Automatic, modified ETA 2893-2 movement. (3,920 €)

Photo: De Motu

The next step for De Motu is the USA, and Mr. Hirvelä is searching for a similar airport location across the pond. He is excited about the potential target group. “There are some 6,000 airfields in the US,” he said. “We don’t even have that many pilot licences in Finland.”