When I previewed the new watch brand HYT just yesterday, I did not know that the brand’s first official watch release, the H1, was right around the corner. So consider my timing fortuitous — because here is the new HYT H1, and it is a pretty damn cool looking watch. But even greater, HYT represents a new concept in watchmaking — HYT stands for “Hydro Mechanical Horologists” and the brand will be dedicated to producing watches that not only contain liquid in them but use the liquid for a functional purpose. HYT claims seven pending patents for various aspects of the H1, further underscoring the new ground that HYT CEO Vincent Perriard is breaking with this watch.
The HYT H1 watch will be made in 3 case styles — titanium, black DLC-coated titanium, and red gold. It is a very case size — 48mm x 18mm thick — but the minimalist, tapered bezel may help it wear smaller than that (we’ll see). Of course the most notable aspect of the watch is the luminescent greenish-yellow liquid ring you see around the dial. The H1 uses the liquid to display the hours on a circular tube around the edge of the dial (must watch the video below for a good look at the watch in motion). The two piston looking devices you see on the bottom of the dial are used to push and pull the liquid to show the time on the scale. The minutes are displayed on the medium-sized sub dial set near the center-top watch, with a cool paddle-wheel style seconds hand to the left. On the right you can see there is also a power reserve indicator (65 hours) for the manual-wind mechanical movement. Even though this is a new concept in watchmaking, the watch design itself is not too far “out there” — which is a good thing. The HYT H1 watch price is $45,000 for the titanium model (the titanium DLC and red gold models with be meaningfully higher). Check it out!
HYT H1 Watch
48mm titanium case (17.9mm thick) (DLC-titanium and red gold also available), manual-wind mechanical exclusive HYT calibre (28,800 vph, 4 Hz, 35 jewels, bridges hand-chamfered and adorned with Côtes de Genève, rhodiumed bellows, 65-hour power reserve)
HYT H1 VIDEO
Dial close up:
Red gold and Black DLC-coated Titanium cases:
Movement
note the 2 liquid/hydraulic pistons
Just days away, the 2011 ONLY WATCH charity auction should be a dandy. I’m probably going to fall a few previews short of showing you all of the one-of-a-kind watches that will be sold at the Geneva event, but I’ve certainly shown you more than any other blog out there and I hope you’ve enjoyed them (see my full list of previews HERE). Today I wanted to share a few looks at one of the only non-watch items that will be at the event, the Ikepod Hourglass by designer Marc Newson (the Celsius le dix mechanical mobile phone is the other non-watch item). Needless to say, the Ikepod Hourglass is one of those items that would be such a thrill to be able to display on one’s desk, coffee table etc. Particularly this piece, which is done in a beautiful ruby red glass. Oh, and by the way, if you want to see a closer look at how these Ikepod Hourglasses look and sound in action, check out my previous Ikepod Hourglass review HERE>>
Ikepod Hourglass by Marc Newson for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
10-minute hourglass
above 2 photos: Hodinkee
My ONLY Watch 2011 previews roll on with the one-of-a-kind Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph watch. I’ve written about various Pulsograph watches over the years, including the Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph watch (debuted at SIHH 2011) and my personal favorite the Eterna Heritage Pulsometer watch (pulsometer being a synonym for pulsograph). The aforementioned rose gold Montblanc Pulsographe has a black enamel dial – but this “piece unique” definitely looks better and more legible with its unique white enamel dial. Note also that the movement on this watch is a monopusher chronograph — what a beautifully sculpted movement!
Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
39.5mm red gold case, white “Grand Feu” enamel dial, red gold hands,
Did You Know?
The Pulsograph
Eighty years ago, artillery officers and physicians numbered among the first users of wristwatch chronographs: the soldiers relied on their timepieces to perform ballistic calculations, while the doctors used theirs to measure patients’ pulse rates without having to continue feeling the pulse for a full minute. A physician wearing a wristwatch with a pulsograph’s scale could start his timepiece’s chronograph function the moment he began to palpate the patient’s pulse. If the scale was calibrated for thirty pulse beats, he would continue counting the throbs until he had felt the thirtieth pulsation, whereupon he would stop his chronograph: the tip of the designated hand would indicate the point along the pulsograph scale corresponding to the patient’s pulse rate per minute. This saved between thirty and forty seconds per patient and was a convincing reason to own such a watch, especially if the physician’s ward rounds required him to measure the pulse rates of fifty or more patients. Wristwatches with pulsograph scales soon earned fame as so-called “doctor’s watches.”
While their functionality has been seriously surpassed by modern technology (in fact couldn’t the same be said of most any modern mechanical watch?), I really like “pulosgraph” or “pulsometer” watches for the benefit they provided to Physician’s back in the day.
Designed for the southpaw…
Just about a week to go until ONLY Watch 2011 and my previews continue. Today we look at Zenith and the two unique pieces that they have created for the event. Both these watches are what are known as “destro” style (Italian word), meaning that the crown and chronograph pushers are located on the left side of the case (usually they are on the right side) which makes the watches are suitable for a left-hander to wear on his right wrist. Zenith says that “Like Leonardo da Vinci, one in ten people are left-handed, and the proportion varies considerably between various countries, reaching as much as one-quarter of the population in some cases. It is for them that these two models are specifically designed.” Both models house the legendary El Primero calibre which was launched by Zenith in 1969 and is now one of the most famous movement families in horological history.
See my comprehensive coverage of all of the special ONLY Watch 2011 pieces >>>
Zenith “Captain Chronograph”
Unique Piece
42mm gold case, automatic mechanical El Primero 400B chronograph caliber,
Zenith “Pilot Chronograph”
Unique Piece
42mm stainless steel case, inverted bezel, automatic mechanical El Primero 4002 chronograph caliber
Just 2 days and 2 weeks away, I am eagerly awaiting the ONLY Watch 2011 event. As readers know I have previewed the majority of the one-of-a-kind pieces to be offered for auction in Geneva — you can see them all here — but there are still more to be seen! Today we look at the Vacheron Constantin “Dove” watch. Inspired by famous graphic artist M.C. Escher, Vacheron Constantin’s “piece unique” for the ONLY Watch 2011 auction is a real beauty. The watch’s gold, enamelled and diamond-set dial depicts the flight of red and white doves, but of course it is not so simple. The dial adopts concepts such as geometry, symbolism and motion, subtly nesting and layering them in order to generate a beautiful dial that is sure to please anyone who might want to spend countless hours pondering the meaning of it all — a perfect homage to Escher!
Vacheron Constantin “Dove” for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
40mm white gold case, automatic mechanical movement (Vacheron Caliber 2460 SC)
This timepiece is inspired by a drawing by M.C. Escher – a Dutch engraver and graphic artist (1898-1972) whose work was based on a subtle play on architecture, perspective and space. The red and white doves – symbols of hope and love – are exquisitely interlocking like jigsaw puzzle parts, creating a truly stunning decorative motif.
Within the case beats high-precision mechanical self-winding Vacheron Constantin Calibre 2460, bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva.
Getting back to my ONLY Watch 2011 previews (see all my watch previews here), today we look at the Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo “Only Watch 2011″ edition. This watch is another evolution of the iconic “Freak” that was first introduced by Ulysse Nardin in 2001. The originally Freak was revolutionary at the time in that it possessed no true dial, crown or hands, and was the first timepiece to successfully present escapement wheels constructed of silicium. The Freak Diavolo “Only Watch” pays tribute to — and advances upon — the original Freak’s pioneering spirit. Silicum is used throughout most of the escapement, and the watch also features a flying tourbillon that indicates the seconds, among other technical advancements. Note also the lack of a crown — the Freak Diavolo is wound by turning the lower bezel, and the time is adjusted by turning the upper bezel.
Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
44.5mm stainless steel case, 60-second tourbillon
The two specially conceived ball bearing systems enable the “flying” function of the minute movement and of the seconds-indicator tourbillon without the need for a supporting bridge.
Here’s a look at Franck Muller’s contribution for the 2011 ONLY Watch charity auction — named “Totally Switzerland”, this is a unique take on one of Muller’s most famous watches, the Crazy Hours. I’ve also included a 19-second video demonstrating how Muller’s hallmark “Crazy Hours” watch works — basically the watch keeps normal time, but the hour markers are randomly placed — it’s crazy! Click here to see all of my ONLY Watch 2011 previews.
Franck Muller Totally Switzerland for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
35.2mm x 59.2mm white gold case (13.3mm thick), automatic mechanical movement, translucent lacquered red dial, hand-sewn red alligator strap
Demonstration of how a Franck Muller Crazy Hour watch works:
After a bit of time off, it’s time to get back to my previews of the one-of-a-kind watches that will be auctioned at the ONLY WATCH 2011 charity event. Today let’s look at the Chanel J12 Marine watch for ONLY Watch 2011, featuring a 38mm sand-blasted ceramic case with rose gold accents. This watch is not as inspiring as some of the other ONLY Watch 2011 pieces (See my other watch previews HERE), but of course it is a unique take on Chanel’s standard J12 Marine, a watch that I discussed in detail in a previous article.
Chanel J12 Marine Watch for ONLY Watch 2011
Unique Piece
38mm sand-blasted black ceramic case, pink gold crown, bezel and caseback, automatic mechanical movement (ETA), water resistant 300 meters, fitted on rubber strap
My previews of the ONLY Watch 2011 watch auction for charity continue with a look at the Vulcain Anniversary Heart. We don’t hear much about Vulcain here in the United States as distribution for the brand is limited — but this is not to say that they do not produce some splendid watches, which in fact they do. What you need to know is that the brand is most famous for two things — 1) in 1947, Vulcain invented the first wristwatch equipped with a genuinely operational alarm function, known as the “Cricket”, and 2) Vulcain fancies itself “President’s watch”, with a Vulcain watch having been owned President Harry S. Truman and each United States President since (as well as other eminent world figures). In the ONLY Watch 2011 piece, you get both the legendary Cricket movement and the beauty of a masterfully skeletonized piece!
Vulcain Anniversary Heart Watch for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
42mm rose gold case (12.7mm thick), Vulcain mechanical hand-wound movement with 20-second alarm function (double-barrel, 42 hours power reserve, fitted on black alligator strap with red gold pink buckle
The mainplate, the barrel bridge and the movement barrel are handcrafted and hand-decorated by the skilled hand of a master engraver
My ONLY Watch 2011 coverage continues with a look at the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic in titanium case. 2011 saw the launch of the first automatic mechanical movement for Corum’s iconic Golden Bridge watch, featuring an innovative linear winding system (see video clip below). Corum has take the watch to a new level for the special ONLY Watch event (soon upon us, Sept 2011) – the one-of-a-kind piece has a titanium case with a matte finish and provides great views of the movement from both the dial, case-back and sides of the watch. For more on ONLY Watch 2011, click here (all of my previews for ONLY Watch 2011 are listed).
Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium for ONLY WATCH 2011
Unique Piece
51.8mm tall x 37.2mm wide titanium case, Corum automatic mechanical movement, fitted on a black croc strap with red stitching and titanium pin buckle
The back of the watch is specially engraved with the Corum logo and the “ONLY WATCH PIECE UNIQUE” inscription in red.
Video of the Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Movement in action:
You can check out all of my previews for ONLY Watch 2011 here.
