Unusual materials are part of our brand’s DNA. For this edition, we wanted to combine that spirit of experimentation with American football, a sport whose toughness and physicality are a natural match for the rugged Helicoprion.
To achieve this, we used genuine football leather from Horween Tannery, one of the most historic tanneries in the U.S., to create the watch dial. There are no team logos or obvious football graphics. The connection to the Sport comes solely from the material itself.
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HEINRICH DNA
HEINRICH is inspired by the watches of the 1970s—a time when watch design became bolder. Shapes became more angular, colors more intense, and traditional notions of what a watch should look like were repeatedly challenged.
Experiments were also conducted with materials. Natural stones such as lapis lazuli, tiger's eye, malachite, and onyx found their way onto watch dials.
This spirit of experimentation continues to define HEINRICH to this day.
We, too, frequently work with materials that one might not initially associate with watchmaking—and whose natural structure gives each watch its own unique character.
But it's never just about incorporating an unusual material into a watch.
The key question is:
Can something new emerge from this that still unmistakably remains HEINRICH?
What else could a watch dial be?
ORIGIN OF THE IDEA
The idea for this watch came to me about twelve months ago, when it was confirmed that my son would be spending a year as an exchange student at an American high school starting in the summer of 2026. For me, the U.S. and American football have always gone hand in hand. That’s what inspired me to capture that connection in a watch.
What I didn't know at the time was that he would actually start playing football at his high school. What had started as an idea about his upcoming year in the U.S. suddenly turned into a very personal story.
— Wolfgang Heinrich, Founder
Leather has been a staple of wristwatches for generations. On the dial, however, it has remained a rare exception.
In 1974, certain versions of the Spaceman Audacieuse, designed by André Le Marquand, featured genuine leather dials, including a model marketed under the name Kotana.
More than four decades later, Hublot revisited the idea in collaboration with Berluti: The Classic Fusion Berluti, unveiled in 2016, featured patinated Venezia leather on both the dial and the strap.
André Le Marquand · Kotana · Leather Dial & Strap
Berluti Leather Dial & Venezia Leather Strap
2026
→
HEINRICH
OUR INTERPRETATION
The connection to American football shouldn’t come from logos, team colors, or graphics, but rather from an authentic material from the sport. That’s how we came across Horween football leather from Chicago. Instead of simply replicating the characteristic grain of a football or printing it on a conventional watch dial, we use the actual material.
Its distinctive texture remains visible and lends the watch a warm, almost tactile depth.
The football-leather dials are manufactured by HEINRICH Watches.
NOT JUST A FOOTBALL LOOK. REAL FOOTBALL LEATHER.
ONE MATERIAL. ONE IDEA.
The story of the materials doesn’t end with the dial. The strap, developed specifically for this edition, is also crafted from genuine Horween football leather. This is a collaboration with our long-standing German partner, Fluco. The result is a transatlantic story: football leather from Chicago, craftsmanship in Germany, and the watch manufactured in Pforzheim.
THE BASICS
For this project, there was only one watch that came into consideration for us: the Helicoprion. We didn't want to simply give an elegant watch a football-themed dial; even the base model had to fit the story.
The Helicoprion is a true mechanical sports watch: robust, solid, and built for action.
40.5 mm stainless steel case. Only 10.5 mm thick, including the glass. Water-resistant to 200 meters. Screw-down crown. Box-shaped sapphire crystal.
Added to this is the distinctive vertically brushed bezel with twelve screws, one of the Helicoprion's key design features.
A durable material made from tough sport, integrated into a genuine mechanical sports watch.
Water-resistant to 200 meters
Screw down crown
Sapphire chrystal
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BEYOND THE GAME
It was clear from the start: this wasn't going to be an obvious fan watch. No team colors, no football symbol, no team logo.
From a distance, the leather dial looks almost abstract. Only upon closer inspection do you discover its distinctive texture and the story behind it.
What really stands out about the stainless steel bracelet, in particular, is that it is a distinctive mechanical sports watch with an extraordinary dial.
For football fans and for anyone who loves unusual materials, unique designs, and watches with a story behind them.
HEINRICH × MARLIN KLEIN
As the watch took shape, we wanted to tell this story of football with someone whose own journey fit the narrative. That's how we came to Marlin Klein.
Marlin grew up in Cologne, moved to the U.S. as a teenager, and later played for the Michigan Wolverines. In 2023, he was part of the team that won the national championship.
The next big step came in 2026:
Houston selected Marlin with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft.
From soccer in Germany all the way to the NFL. That's exactly where we saw a parallel.
Marlin will make his NFL debut as a rookie in 2026. HEINRICH was founded in 2021 and, like the big names in the watch world, is also still a rookie. Two completely different worlds. A similar mindset:
Start as an underdog. Take a risk. Step into an established world. And forge your own path.
The Football Edition is not a Marlin Klein Signature Watch. It was developed and designed by HEINRICH.
Marlin helps us tell the story behind it all authentically: German independent watchmaking, American football, and a German player at the start of his NFL career.
STUTTGART → HOUSTON
Sometimes you just have to follow through on an idea. So I flew to Houston to meet Marlin in person and work with him to document the story of the Football Edition.
The timing couldn't have been better: The night before our photo shoot, I was sitting in the stadium watching Marlin play in his first NFL preseason game. He immediately made a name for himself with a 31-yard catch.
The next day, we stood in front of the camera together.
Suddenly, everything that had seemed like a pretty crazy idea just months earlier all came together: HEINRICH from Stuttgart, a German NFL player. American football and a mechanical watch made of real football leather.
THE INTERVIEW
How does one make it from Germany to the highest level of American football? During our meeting in Houston, we spoke with Marlin about his journey, Germany, football, the NFL, his ambitions, and what it means to forge his own path as an underdog.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW
THE ATTITUDE
The words on the case back have a genuine connection to the history of American football.
“Never Die Easy” is closely associated with the legendary running back Walter Payton, who credited the phrase to his coach, Bob Hill, at Jackson State. Payton was known for never simply running out of bounds to avoid a tackle. When he was stopped, his opponent had to earn that stop.
Over time, this evolved into an attitude that extends far beyond the playing field: determination, resilience, and a willingness not always to take the easy way out.
That's exactly why we think this quote fits this edition.
There are easier ways than building an independent watch brand. There are easier ways than leaving Germany as a teenager to pursue your football dream in the U.S. And there are certainly easier materials to use for a watch dial than real football leather.
THE DETAILS
The first thing that catches the eye is the football-leather strap. Beneath it lies a mechanical watch, designed with the same attention to proportions, craftsmanship, and details as every HEINRICH timepiece.
Genuine Horween football leather forms the visible surface of the dial—the same leather used for official NFL footballs. It comes from the Horween Leather Company in Chicago, one of the most historic tanneries in the United States.
The story of the materials continues at the wrist: The matching strap is also made of genuine Horween Football leather.
Working with leather on a watch dial requires precision. Each piece is carefully selected and incorporated into the design.
Developed in Stuttgart and manufactured in Pforzheim.
Leather on the inside. Sapphire crystal and solid stainless steel on the outside. Water-resistant to 200 meters and built for action
Each watch from the first production run bears its own unique number, XXX/100, on the case back, which was specially designed for the Football Edition.
TWO VOLUMES INCLUDED
Each Football Edition comes with the leather strap and Stainless Steel bracelet.
The leather strap, designed specifically for this edition, seamlessly extends the material theme from the dial to the wrist.
The high-quality stainless steel band features screw-fastened links and a clasp with tool-free fine adjustment.
With a leather strap, the watch showcases its football-inspired style. With a stainless steel bracelet, it becomes a more classic mechanical sports watch.
Two straps. Two looks. One watch.
YOUR CHOICE
Automatic
regulated in 4 positions
Approx. 38-hour power reserve
1,200 € / 1,400 USD
Automatic
regulated in 4 positions
Approx. 65 hours of power reserve
1,300 € / 1,500 USD
Both versions include a Horween Football Leather strap and a HEINRICH Beads-of-Rice stainless steel bracelet.
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THE FIRST PRODUCTION
The first production run of the Football Edition consists of 100 individually numbered watches.
01–50
Shipping begins in late October 2026
51–100
Scheduled for early 2027
Additional productions may be possible depending on demand.
THE FIRST 25
The first 25 watches will also come with a collector's card personally signed by Marlin Klein.
A small connection between the first editions of "Football," the launch of the project, and the start of Marlin's NFL career.
UP CLOSE
The closer you get, the more the material reveals itself: its natural grain, subtle variations, and a surface that reacts to light in a way that is completely different from metal or stone.
No two dials are exactly alike.
LAUNCH · SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
Both wristbands are included.
The first 25 watches will also come with a collector's card personally signed by Marlin Klein.
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Case variant
Stainless steel, brushed with polished edges
Diameter
40.5 mm
Height
10.5 mm, including glass
Lug-to-lug
48 mm
Water resistance
200 m / 20 ATM
Glass
Box-shaped sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on the inside
Crown
Large knurled screw-down crown
Bezel
Vertically brushed stainless steel ring with 12 screws
Dial
Genuine Horween Football Leather
Lume
Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9
Movement
Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré or SW200-2 Power+ Elaboré
Steel strap
HEINRICH Beads-of-Rice with tool-free fine adjustment
Leather strap
Genuine Horween Football Leather, made in collaboration with Fluco
Development
Stuttgart
Production & Assembly
Pforzheim
Origin
Made in Germany
ANY QUESTIONS?
An unusual material raises some unusual questions. Here, we answer the most important questions about the Football Edition, its leather dial, and its creation.
