Born from an encounter
Human·Cultural
·Artisanal
Three men.
One dream
One was a banker, from Africa, with the rigour of numbers and the fire of entrepreneurship. The other, a watchmaker at heart, raised in a culture of precision and innovation. An admirer of lines, of mechanisms, of traditions. Always looking for new processes and unexpected materials. The third brought a digital vision and a mind for systems.
It all began around a tableNot in a meeting room, nor in front of a whiteboard. But over dinner, in a conversation that was meant to last a few hours and went on all night. Between the ideas, the glasses of wine and the shared stories, one question stood out: why is there no watch that truly reflects who we are? A piece able to bring two cultures into dialogue without ever having to choose between them. A piece that tells a story, carries an identity and crosses borders. A watch that seeks not only to be beautiful, but to mean something. They talked, they shared, they became friends. Then partners.
They decided to create something unique: a watch that stands for their meeting, three visions but one single dream.
The source of our story, in Cameroon, the Sanaga river flows through the country and its landscapes, carrying stories, exchanges and memories with it. Our name comes from it. Sanhaga is a tribute to this origin, to what came before us and stays with us. More than a place, the Sanaga embodies part of our identity: a living, deep Africa, rich in its heritage and firmly turned towards tomorrow.
This is where our ideas take shape. In Lyon.
Across the Mediterranean, in Lyon, another story is taking shape. A story of gesture, material and craftsmanship. Of women and men convinced that hands can bring to life what the mind imagines. Lyon embodies this culture of creation and high standards: thinking through every detail, choosing every material, seeking the right balance between beauty and precision.
On one side, a story nourished by the land, by symbols and by transmission. On the other, a tradition shaped by workshops, gesture and mastery.
Sanhaga was born where they meet. Not to set two cultures against each other, nor to blend them, but to bring them into dialogue. With the conviction that something singular can come from this meeting: another way of telling time.
When the West meets Africa
Blending French craft and technology
98.5% Made in France
"Behind every Sanhaga watch lies a network of local craftspeople and skills. Each part passes through expert hands, each bringing its own gesture. Choosing to make things close to home means preserving these skills, keeping a local ecosystem alive, and creating watches that truly bear the mark of those who shape them." Pierre Alanic-Lewi · Sanhaga Technical Director
3D printing: a metal additive manufacturing process used to create our complex three-dimensional cases, light and highly resistant.
The design and making of our parts to the micron, to very high precision standards.
Polishing: a finishing process done by hand in our workshops to reveal the true nature and shine of our parts.
Dial: a sandwich dial combining technical skill and craftsmanship
Movement France Ébauches, French, 100% from the Jura
Hands: an in-house creation, assegai-tipped hands
Straps: a hand-crafted technique working marine and artisanal leathers
Hand assembly by our watchmakers, testing, quality control, follow-up and after-sales service, then each owner receives their Watch Certificate™ passport.
From this encounter,
the Raphaël watch was born
The first watch signed Sanhaga
Raphaël
We have worked with our French artisans and partners to better control our production costs. This work allows us to offer the Raphaël Édition at €4,500, with the same materials, the same components and the same standard of quality.
Designed with precision and excellence
The shortage of dial makers in France led Sanhaga to revive this craft.
We work with the most prestigious hand maker in France.
They come with their Watch Certificate™ passport, handed to each owner.
Case diameter: 40 mm
Case thickness: 10.61 mm
Lug width: 22 mm
Lug to lug: 49.15 mm
Our watches are made piece by piece, by hand.
Precision DED·P 40 microns
Power reserve: 44 h
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
Oscillating weight decorated by Sanhaga, snailed bridges, blued screws under a sapphire caseback
Lion head engraving
Made in 18-carat white gold, the lion head adorns the side of every Sanhaga case.
A symbol with a double meaning: the African big cat, from the house's other homeland, and Lyon, the city where the watches take shape and whose historic emblem is the lion.
It is not a mere detail: it is a signature. An engraved emblem that sets each watch apart and asserts the high standards carried into every step of its making.
Present on every Sanhaga watch, without exception, it embodies a commitment: never to compromise on quality.
What defines us
Sanhaga is not just a watch. It is the material expression of a set of deep convictions about excellence, about identity, about what it means to create something true in the age of mass production.
Artisanal excellence
Every Raphaël Édition comes from a making process that cannot be reduced to mass production. DED·P laser 3D printing in medical-grade Grade 23 ELI titanium, mirror polishing piece by piece, assembly by an expert watchmaker. Excellence is not a standard, it is a constant requirement.
Encounter as a foundation
Sanhaga was born from a friendship between three men: one from banking, the second from watchmaking, the third from digital. This diversity is not a marketing argument, it is part of the object itself. The Raphaël watch carries Africa, France, and the meeting of the two.
Proudly Made in France
More than 98.5% of production is French. Lyon for printing and machining, the Jura for the movement and the hands. This choice is a conviction: French industrial excellence deserves to be supported, valued and brought to light by projects that demand the best of it.
Each piece, one of a kind
Laser sintering gives each case a unique texture, impossible to reproduce identically. Every watch is numbered. Owning a Sanhaga means owning an object that has no twin in the world, a singular work with its own character.
The daring of innovation
Using DED·P additive 3D printing for a high-end watch case brings watchmaking into the era of advanced manufacturing. Sanhaga refuses to choose between tradition and technology: it fuses them, without compromise.
Transmission
A quality watch is handed down. It crosses generations and carries the story of whoever wore it before. Sanhaga designs the Raphaël to last: unalterable materials, a high-end French movement, finishes designed to stand the test of time, creating today for tomorrow.
"We did not create a watch for the market. We created the watch we would have wanted to find, one that carries our culture, our friendship and our demand for beauty all at once."The Founders · Sanhaga Watches
A shared vision and
complementary expertise
The Raphaël watch
& you
Your Raphaël Édition does not leave the workshop alone: it leaves with its watch passport, issued by Watch Certificate™, the standard of watch manufactures and workshops. Tamper-proof, it carries the identity of your watch and will follow it all its life, from one owner to the next.
Authenticity from the start
The passport of your Raphaël is created when it leaves the workshop, even before it reaches you, and carries its edition number as well as its serial number. Your watch does not need an appraisal to be authenticated: its house authenticates it from day one.
Your ownership established
Scan the QR code on your card to activate ownership of your piece. You can prove its authenticity, its history and its value at any time. Your identity never appears in its history.
Servicing and insurance
Every visit to a workshop is recorded, like a service book. From your passport, you can request a service from an approved workshop, or insure your watch against theft depending on your country of residence.
Protected in case of theft
Your watch's serial number is blacklisted with players in the global market, with dedicated monitoring and a mediation case opened.
- 01Scan the QR code on the card
- 02Complete your account
- 03Confirm by e-mail
- 04Keep the passport on your phone
Passport issued by Watch Certificate™, data hosted in Switzerland, processing compliant with the GDPR. Activation is free and without commitment. If the watch changes hands, ownership is transferred to the new owner. watchcertificate.com
They support us
Incubators, engineering schools, research institutes and trade fairs that believe in our vision.
La French TechSaint-Étienne Lyon
ECAM LaSalleEngineering school · Lyon
Tech360Deep-tech incubator
L'InnoverieImpact incubator
IRIIGResearch Institute for Innovation & Growth
Global IndustrieInternational trade fair · Lyon
Let's get
in touch
A question about your pre-order or the
Raphaël Édition? We are here to listen.