Baselworld 2015 Longines & Tudor ... Looking at Some Other Watches

Note all these views and for the Pateks in the post below are just from press pics. Final determination of yay or nay will be after seeing them in the metal. 

• Longines got it right with the Pulsometer Chronograph, very nice vintage lines. 
• Tudor got it wrong with the North Flag, it looks like one of those quartz Emporio Armani watches or something similar to that.
• The Blue Pelagos' blue looks a bit off to me, too bright, from what live pics I have seen or maybe just not to my taste. five lines of text seems a bit much but don't matter much to me as the overall design doesn't do it for me. Helium escape valve vs Gas escape valve... the latter just sounds like what some might call their... nevermind 

The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph

Longines draws upon its rich watchmaking heritage in reviving one of its 1920s models that was essentially used for medical purposes. Its pulsometric scale meant this monopusher chronograph made it possible not only to measure time, but also the heartbeat in a simple, reliable and accurate manner. Pulse measurements used to be taken over a 60-second period and involved counting the exact number of heartbeats during that entire time. The procedure was not always very rigorous and the creation of the pulsometer served to remedy such potential imprecision. Like the original model, The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph uses the chronograph hand sweeping around the pulsometric scale to indicate the patient’s pulse on the dial after just 30 beats.

• Movement: Mechanical automatic monopusher column-wheel chronograph L788.2 calibre, developed by ETA exclusively for Longines, 27 jewels, 28,800 vib/h, 54-hour power reserve
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, pulsometer, date
• Case: Steel, 40 mm Crown-integrated single pusher Sapphire crystal and back Water-resistant to 3 bar (30 m /100 ft)
• Dial: Lacquered white Red pulsometric scale 9 painted Arabic numerals “Breguet” type blued steel hands

North Flag with new in-house movement [slightly tissot looking perhaps? or less than chf200 swatch]

In the early 1950s, Tudor set out with the British North Greenland Expedition, an adventure during which the reliability, precision and resistance of Tudor's watches proved vital for the expedition's scientists. Inspired by these cornerstones of its history, and by vast expanses of untamed territory, the brand presents North Flag, which is driven by the first movement to be entirely developed and manufactured by Tudor. Made to perform, the MT5621 Manufacture calibre delivers an impressive power reserve of some 70 hours, which is shown at 9 o'clock. Beating at 28,800 vibrations/hour, it is fitted with a variable inertia balance with silicon balance spring, held by a transversal bridge that is secured at each end to fully withstand shocks and vibrations. Further benefits include a bi-directional automatic winding system and COSC chronometer certification – another first for Tudor.

• Movement: Mechanical automatic, Tudor MT5621 manufacture calibre, COSC-certified chronometer, variable inertia balance, silicon balance spring, 28 jewels, 28,800 vib/h, approximately 70-hour power reserve
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power-reserve indicator
• Case: Satin-finish steel, 40 mm Double bezel, steel and ceramic Sapphire crystal front and back Water-resistant to 100 metres (10 bar/330 ft)
• Dial: Black Luminescent hands, numerals and hour-markers
• Bracelet/strap: Leather or steel with folding clasp

Blue Pelagos with new in-house movement in Ti (list is CHF4.2k)

the ceramic bezel with luminous is cool... Titanium, unidirectional rotatable bezel graduated 

over 60 minutes with ceramic matt blue or black disc and graduations with white luminescent material

In case you can't read it... the 5 lines say: 
PELAGOS

CHRONOMETER 

OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED

ROTOR SELF-WINDING

500m ~ 1640ft

Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524 Split-Seconds Chronograph Ref. 5370 Baselworld 2015... A Tale of Two Pateks

This watch is getting a reaction :) It kind of makes me think a China replica watch maker took a dodgy looking low grade Zenith pilot replica he had on his bench and put Patek on the dial for the fun of it... of course PP have some nice classic pieces out this year but that is kind of par for the course for Patek. For them to make a try at aviator watches they had to knock it out of the park instead of... 

whatever this is... 

that may not be the funniest part... it's list price is CHF43k if i got it right

Press Release: For almost 80 years, Patek Philippe has defied time zones with disconcerting ease. In 1959, its patented Travel Time mechanism became its own legend, and in 1996 attained a new level of perfection. When the local time hand is moved forwards or backwards in one-hour increments, an isolator uncouples the time-zone mechanism from the main movement. These adjustments therefore have no influence on the amplitude of the balance or the regularity with which it oscillates, hence the watch's precision is unperturbed. This sophisticated device has been incorporated into the 324 S C FUS calibre inside the new Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524 with centre seconds, date shown by hand, and a heavy central rotor in 21K gold. In a quest for constant innovation, this refined mechanism is fitted with a Gyromax® balance with a patented geometry Spiromax® balance spring, so as to guarantee the extreme precision and reliability required by the Patek Philippe Seal.

• Movement: 324 S C FUS automatic calibre, 294 parts, 29 jewels, 28,800 vib/h, Gyromax® balance, Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®, between 35 and 45 hours of power reserve
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, dual time zone, separate day/night indications for local and home times
• Case: 18K white gold, 42 mm Sapphire back Water-resistant to 30 metres (3 bar/100 ft)
• Dial: Blue, varnished Luminescent hands and numerals Openwork hand for home time
• Bracelet/strap: Brown calfskin, 18K white gold buckle

Ok ok there was some quality too... 41mm platinum goodness... Split-Seconds Chronograph Ref. 5370

As a mechanism that measures intermediate times while continuing to time an ongoing interval, the split-seconds chronograph has long been, for collectors, one of the most coveted among Patek Philippe's specialities. The new Ref. 5370 marks the debut of the CHR 29-535 PS calibre in its purest form, with no additional complications. It also introduces a "double time" device, namely two pushers for the basic chronograph functions and a pusher in the crown to start and stop the split-seconds hand. While celebrating tradition with its architecture, manual winding, two column wheels and horizontal clutch, this is very much a chronograph for the twenty-first century, thanks to the many patented optimisations. The sumptuous black enamel dial promises perfect legibility, enhanced by the platinum case. The prestigious Patek Philippe Seal crowns the whole.

list is probably CHF220k or around there... for the folks with swimming pools of cash ;)

Movement: Mechanical hand-wound, CHR 29-535 PS calibre, 312 parts, 34 jewels, 28,800 vib/h, Gyromax® balance, Breguet balance spring, between 55 and 65 hours of power reserve

Daniel Niederer on SevenFriday & SG 2015 Post Event Release

Thanks again to Sugi of Red Army Watches and Dan Niederer for providing the Q&A from the session below. Post event press release comes after :) for retailers in SG who sell SevenFriday, see about in their FB page LINK. cheers

hmmm what's that on his wrist?

Q1. It's been slightly more than 2 years since the first Sevenfriday image surfaced out in the market, how have things changed so far? Now and then. Run through the key points, e.g number of watches sold, number of countries, IG followers, etc.

A1. We are now 2 1/2 years old and the journey has been incredible thanks to all the support we received from many sides! We are now in about 75 countries present and in close to 500 POS. In our first years we sold a surprising 12K watches and even more surprising 27K in 2014!

Q2. Any regrets so far? What would be some of the things that you wish you would have done differently back then?

A2. Not really, can’t recall any on the top of my mind! In any case I prefer to look forward rather than drooling on regrets…

Q3 After 2 years, I guess it's easier for you to see the profile of your typical customers. Yes, you mentioned before it was quite broad, that you yourself didn't see any point of segmentation and profiling but I guess no harm asking you that question again now. Any difference?

A3. We have to be dynamic and adjustable to reality. The profile is indeed very versatile in regards to gender, age, culture etc… which is a great thing for us!

Q4. Based on our own experience here, we've sold Sevenfriday to quite a number of serious watch collectors here who pulled the trigger out of curiosity, out of genuine interest in the brand story and many are also intrigued by the design.  Having said that, there are still a lot of people here who do not believe that Design, I mean Good Design in a product, deserves recognition and a premium. What do you have to say to say to this group?

A4. Anybody is entitled to hers and his opinion. Design in without a doubt a very important element of all consumer products and not to be discounted, so is quality, innovation but also price…

Q5. A lot of brands decided to launch a sister brand to cater to a more mass audience. Sevenfriday on the other is already at a niche whereby going down in price offering will hurt the brand image, so the only option is to go higher. Is there a possibility of launching a new sister brand of Sevenfriday perhaps in the SGD10,000 price segment? Sevenfriday SGD1500 and MB&F SGD100,000. The gap is pretty wide.

A5. :-D , nothing is impossible but at the same time it is very important for any brand to respect and stay true to ist identity!

Q6. Okay let's talk about the FAKES now if they are worth a discussion at all, that is.

A6. Not really….Copies are the most sincere form of flattery, but very annoying and illegal! If you don’t have copies you’re not a brand, so we did well I guess :-D! On the other hand you take risks and invest a lot of resources, so it is very annoying seeing people profiting in such manner.

Q7. Last but not  least, what's next for Sevenfriday. Any hints on what's coming? SF at Jays for example. Do you see it happening here?

A7. Many developments are in  the pipeline for SEVEFRIDAY, more watches coming this year….but for the first time also some new watch accessories…and much more which should remain a surprise for the time being

Post Event Press Release: SevenFriday Singapore World Tour 2015: A Gilt-Filled Evening

5 March 2015, Singapore – SevenFriday World Tour returns to Singapore with a titillating evening of fine timepieces, whisky, company as well as supporting a good cause. 4 March 2015 marked the return of the highly anticipated SevenFriday World Tour to Singapore. This time, the event was held at Lowercase, located in the artsy campus of LA SALLE College of the Arts. SevenFriday and LA SALLE both share common traits: maintaining a strong design ethos while daring to be original. The nonconformist and unconventional design of a SevenFriday watch is also echoed in the architecture of the campus as well as the art and design curriculum on offer. What better venue to hold the World Tour when both organisations are deeply rooted in design.

The interiors of Lowercase further reflected what SevenFriday was all about: an easygoing vibe with a hint of industrialism. For the uninitiated, one might mistake Lowercase as a SevenFriday café, thanks to the meticulous planning of the décor. The wood-themed stage featured emblems found on a SevenFriday watch box, exhorting buyers to “Carry with Caution”, as an example. The close to 200 guests who turned up for the SevenFriday Singapore World Tour 2015 were greeted by a huge SevenFriday Big Block poster at the entrance, which also served as a preview of what was to come during the event.

In support of loveLASALLE Education Fund

As a show of its continual commitment to nurturing and supporting local talent, SevenFriday Singapore held an auction for the evening to raise funds for the loveLASALLE Education Fund, which helps students in need of financial aid for their tuition fees. Alvan Loo, Director of Communications and Advancement with LASALLE, who is in charge of the loveLASALLE Education Fund was present to inform guests at the event about how their donations would be utilized to assist students.

Up for auction were the limited edition SevenFriday Big Block and Yamazaki 18 whisky. Both items are highly coveted in their own way. The SevenFriday Big Block is limited to 350 pieces globally with very few pieces available for sale across the more than 50
markets that SevenFriday is present in. The Yamazaki 18 is a fine whisky crafted in Japan’s first commercial distillery, which is owned by Suntory. The single malt is sought after for the deep rich aroma for which it is known. The two items fetched a neat sum of S$3,000 from the auction, above their combined retail value of S$2,500. Niederer sweetened the deal by including a SevenFriday bag from his personal collection, which also bore his autograph. 100% of proceeds from this auction went to the loveLASALLE Education Fund.

As a further show of support to the arts, Joie Tan, a budding talent studying at LASALLE performed a set consisting of both covers and original compositions. She serenaded the crowd with her vocals as guests continued to mingle with Niederer and other SevenFriday fans after the auction.

Gilt-infused evening

When invites for the event were first sent out, one of the questions that came back was whether there had been a typo for the “gilty pleasure” promised for the evening. The use of the term gilt was purely a word play, meant as a teaser of one of the things to come from SevenFriday this year. The main inspiration of this theme can be found sitting on the wrist of Niederer. Eagle eyed fans were able to catch a glimpse of the gilt-edged SevenFriday M-series which will be launched in conjunction with the upcoming BaselWorld 2015.

To inject an element of fun to the evening and also as a precursor of the muchanticipated SevenFriday at Jay’s – which is a 7-night long event organised by SevenFriday at the club, Jay’s, located in Basel over the duration of BaselWorld 2015, SevenFriday Singapore teamed up with Iki Shouten, a proprietor of fine Japanese and Scotch whiskies as well as sake and various spirits and wines, to come up with a SevenFriday-inspired cocktail for the evening. Dubbed Gilty Pleasure, the SevenFriday Singapore cocktail was crafted by the founders of Iki Shouten, Min Xiang Yang and Andrew Pang. Made using a combination of the fine Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve Japanese whisky which is embraced for its herbal, gently smoky flavour; elegant yuzu juice; and exotic fennel seeds-infused syrup, the Gilty Pleasure is a burst of citrusy followed by mild savoury notes that was a crowd pleaser. The mellow gold coloured drink mimics the theme of the event – gilt. Whether you like your whisky neat or dirty, the dynamic team of Iki Shouten was ready to serve up your poison of choice for the evening.

Confused about the differences of the Hakushu or Yamazaki served during the World Tour? Fret not as brand ambassador of Suntory, Jamey Merkel was present to explain the subtle differences of the whiskies. With his vast knowledge of whisky and in particular, Suntory brands, Merkel gave an intimate whisky appreciation session to enthusiasts wanting to learn more about Japanese whisky.

Event goers went home with a SevenFriday slap-on flash drive on their wrist and a set of drink coasters in their pockets. Not limiting itself to just wrist candy, the SevenFriday slap-on accessory doubles up as a flash drive as well. Replicating the Gilty Pleasure cocktail can be done easily at home with the recipe for the SevenFriday Singapore cocktail printed on the flipside of the coaster.

Overall, with fine timepieces, whisky, company and memorabilia, the gilt-filled evening was an enjoyable one, which saw the café being abuzz with chatter and laughter throughout. Keep an eye out for the latest addition to the SevenFriday M series, which will be released after BaselWorld 2015. More new releases can be expected in the second half of the year.

Sevenfriday Singapore 2015 World Tour

First off thanks to the cool folks at Red Army Watches  for the invite down and SevenFriday for embarking on a world tour pre-Basel 2015 and stopping by Singapore... And so i find myself surrounded by like minded folks, here to celebrate SevenFriday watches and imbibe in a little bit(or A LOT) of Japanese whisky. having owned my p2/2 for over a year now (review here LINK and my take on the original P range here LINK) what are my thoughts as an owner of this watch and the brand over a year on?

It still rocks! On the 'what you are paying for' front, i would put it down mostly to a great design and it being a fun, generous sized watch to have in the box. It is reasonably priced noting the offerings that are out there these days and what watch companies believe is acceptable to charge their customers for and so it's positioning sits well with me. Kudos to Dan and his team for churning out interesting timepieces and i look forward to more from the brand soon, and to Sugi and Red Army Watches LINK for doing a great job building up interest in SevenFriday LINK in this neck of the woods. 

Reach Out... Touch Faith ;) Dan sharing on SevenFriday's journey and Sugi asking the questions and moderating

preaching to the converted... SevenFriday Lovers Unite!

The special cocktail of the night deserves a mention... Gilty Pleasure was a nice cocktail drink which I thoroughly enjoyed. Made using a combination of the fine Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve Japanese whisky(40ml) which is embraced for its herbal, gently smoky flavour; elegant yuzu juice(80ml); and exotic fennel seeds-­‐infused syrup(20ml) and a good shake. 

waitamoment it's on this coaster they gave out... oh u r supposed to wear your 

sevenfriday when you drink it ;)

The Yamazaki and Hakushu on the rocks i had were both very nice and potent to me. Japanese whisky is huge now so was good to taste them but not being a connoisseur i just enjoyed it for what it was.

other wonderful drinks were available to us... 
some fine Japanese whisky on the rocks

some hakushu for u? why not... why not indeed... 
Hakushu is “the mountain  forest distillery,” 
located deep in the forest of Japan’s Southern Alps. 
It is embraced for its herbal, gently smoky flavour

let's check out what was around and abouts shall we... Seven Friday watches of course!

very cool range of straps to go with your sevenfriday piece. some from the brand and some 
sourced by Red Army... I need one of the denim ones i think :)

hmm and maybe one of the leather ones... 

"For relaxing times, make it Suntory time" The Yamazaki was born in Suntory’s historic distillery, the first of its kind in Japan

free me Raphael! take me home! [i tried, i really did... :) ]

With Dan, the Man With The Plan

finger foods and desserts... 

and the watch and whisky set on auction with proceeds going to the lasalle fund... will have more
info on the winning bid and info shared that night in the post party press release...

a close up of the big block limited edition watch (limited to 350 pieces) Two distinctive racing stripes 
in a metallic flaming red hue cut across the face of the famed “squircle” watch case and are evident on 
the left and right sides of the eloxed matte black animation ring of the watch

In terms of watch kakis there, was great to connect with Triton from SGROC(thanks for the pizza!) and Janet(our whisky connoisseur), Harry and Massi(professors and bloggers :) ... a quick hello to Aaron(the man who knows a thing or two about leather) and Teck Meng, Sam and his wife. 

ol' skool bloggers... watching horology LINK since 2005 and timetapestry since 2007 

PRESS RELEASE

Join SevenFriday Singapore for a Gilt trip! 

The Singapore leg of SevenFriday’s 2015 World Tour promises to be a gilt-­‐ ridden one this time. 2015 has seen the series of popular SevenFriday World Tour and flash parties continuing. Ahead of the much-­‐anticipated SevenFriday at Jay’s (#sevenfridayatjays) held in conjunction with BaselWorld 2015, SevenFriday founder Daniel Niederer will be making a pit stop in Singapore on 4 March. 

Through rose gold-­‐tinted lenses 
Different from last year’s Carnivale theme, this year sees the SevenFriday Singapore event being a gilt-­‐ ridden one, as a teaser for things to come. Niederer, as part of his travels around the more than 50 countries where SevenFriday is now sold, is expected to share news on upcoming releases from the brand that fans can look forward to. The event also provides an opportunity for SevenFriday collectors and non-­‐collectors alike to mingle with Niederer and pose some interesting questions to “the SevenFriday Guy”. 

Indulge in some Gilty Pleasure with us
SevenFriday Singapore is also excited to be partnering with Iki Shouten, a proprietor of fine Japanese and Scotch whiskies as well as sake and various spirits and wines. As part of this collaboration, the experts at Iki Shouten has crafted an exclusive cocktail inspired by SevenFriday and created specially for the Singapore market. The cocktail will be unveiled at our upcoming event and is aptly-­‐named Gilty Pleasure – a tongue-­‐in-­‐cheek take on the rose gold theme as well as referencing the mellow gold hue of the drink. Made using a combination of the fine Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve Japanese whisky which is embraced for its herbal, gently smoky flavour; elegant yuzu juice; and exotic fennel seeds-­‐infused syrup, expect Gilty Pleasure to be a burst of citrusy followed by mild savoury notes. 

Last chance to own the highly-­‐coveted SevenFriday Big Block and do good at the same time 

Continuing along the vein of a gilt-­‐laden evening – but with a chance to redeem yourself in the spirit of contributing to a good cause, another highlight of the evening will be the chance to bid for the last untouched piece of the highly sought-­‐after SevenFriday Big Block. Limited to only 350 pieces worldwide with only 15 pieces allocated for sale in the Singapore market, the handsome timepiece is inspired by the American muscle cars of the 60s. It is also the first SevenFriday to featured lume-­‐painted hour indices and hands. The SevenFriday Big Block together with a bottle of the desirable Yamazaki 18 Year Old whisky – known for its smooth, easy-­‐to-­‐drink, sweet strawberry notes – will be put up for auction during the SevenFriday Singapore event. 100% of proceeds from this auction will go to the loveLASALLE Education Fund, in support of students in need of financial aid. SevenFriday is a brand steeped in art and design with available models thus far boasting strong designs based on industrial elements. Supporting the grooming of future art and design talents in the Singapore market is a natural fit to the brand ethos. 

About SevenFriday 
SevenFriday, a Zürich (Switzerland) based company, was officially founded in May 2012 by Daniel Niederer, though he had already been working on product and brand development for more than a year and a half prior to the official launch. The company started with three models P1, P2 and P3, which use different materials on the same design. These have since expanded to 9 P-­‐series models that will soon be joined by the M-­‐series, which was officially launched in BaselWorld 2014 with the first two models – M1 and M2 – being available for sale worldwide from June. 

About Iki Shouten 
Iki Shouten is a proprietor of fine Japanese and Scotch whiskies, as well as sake and other spirits and wines in Singapore. Fronted by two young but entrepreneurial individuals who are also connoisseurs of the spirits and wines they espouse, Iki Shouten aims to be the source of knowledge, innovation, convenience and value to our customers. Iki Shouten hopes to inspire and educe a sense of unbound adventure, and an openness to new experiences that engages all the senses. Services offered by Iki Shouten include but are not limited to the following: holding wine and whisky appreciation sessions, mobile bar services and bespoke luxury gift solutions for individuals and corporates. 

About loveLASALLE Education Fund 
Initiated in 2012, the loveLASALLE Education Fund is a financial support scheme that is developed to help students from families with financial difficulties and to provide them with the education they require to harness their artistic and creative talents to break out from the vicious cycle. The scheme aims to be self-­‐sustaining, with funds raised primarily through alumni giving and boosted by donations from corporate organisations and other benefactors. Find out more about how you can contribute HERE

a wristshot to end... with the cool band with press info in a small usb thingie at the end

HYT H3 Pre - Baselworld 2015 Launch

Timetapestry's Take: I like the new layout of the watch and like that there is a variation to the case shape other than the round ones in H1 and H2. Some of the stylings of it is not for me but I do like the indicators, hour and minute, and how they move to represent time. I look forward to seeing the actual piece in time :)

the HYT H3 & the linear fluid Revolution! do check out the vid 
to see the movement of the hours and minutes

PRESS RELEASE:

The world has been waiting for it, but no one knew what to expect. After keeping us on tenterhooks for a whole year, HYT's H3 has now burst onto the watchmaking scene. But can we still use the word "horology" to describe it?

Starting with a blank page

Known for blurring the lines, HYT has once again defied the limits of what is possible. The sculptural H3 is essentially inspired by a fluid portrayal of time, a field which the young independent brand has not only conquered, but one which it has radically (re)created in all areas.

Following on from the H1 and H2, HYT is back and shaking the foundations of watchmaking once more. With the H3, the brand is deconstructing time and reconstructing it around its founding principle: two bellows injecting a capillary with fluid which moves to display the time.

In the conventional sense, there is no midday and there are no hands. The H3 is reinventing the wrist watch with its case measuring 62 x 41 mm. Its bespoke shaped movement is a perfect fit for each contour.

HYT and its partners have succeeded in creating a timepiece with a highly complex architecture. One of the main challenges lay in machining the case and the sapphire crystal. When it came to the movement, one of the most delicate steps in creating the H3 involved recovering the energy provided in the retrograde movement, which then powered the semi-instantaneous rotation of the watch's dial.

Its construction was initially inspired by the desire to have a linear portrayal of time, which resulted in a design with the bellows at opposite ends. The movement engineering teams then worked around this constraint – which became the stylistic signature of the H3 – to create the complete calibre.

A fully linear portrayal of time

The upper part of this living sculpture houses the bellows mechanism. The first, on the left, drives the progression of the fluid and therefore the time display. Its counterpart, on the right, compensates for this progression in the capillary. Less than one millimetre in diameter, this glass tube, operating in a vacuum, still contains two fluids: the first, (water-based) yellow fluid serves to tell the time; the second (viscous-based) translucent fluid works in opposition. A meniscus separates them.

The central part of the H3 is reserved for the time display. This features neither hands, nor satellite, nor any other system of time-reading ever invented before. Instead, HYT has created a rotating dial with 4 faces arranged along the time display tube. Each of these faces is graduated with 6 hours, thereby enabling the 24 hours of the day to be displayed.

To ensure a harmonious and linear progression between the hours, HYT has developed an exclusive movement. A complication is used to rotate the dial on itself, to display the section concerned for the current time. The other three faces are not visible. At the end of each 6-hour period, the time display makes a retrograde movement. During this time lapse, the dial begins a controlled rotation, enabling the time display to jump semi-instantaneously. When the liquid's retrograde movement is engaged, the calibre then uses the energy stored in the bellows and provides the force needed by the hour dial movement.

To ensure the technical and stylistic cohesion of the H3, HYT has also developed a linear display for the minutes. On the lower right-hand part of the timepiece, there is a twin articulated arm which sweeps across a graduated rule. At its end, the retrograde mechanism instantaneously returns to its starting point.

very cool

The time is set using a push-button, located on the left of the assembly. With each press, the central time display bar turns on itself by one quarter of a turn. This ingenious principle enables the desired time period to be quickly set by jumping in periods of six hours. Next, the circular movement of the crown enables the exact hour and minutes chosen to be set within this period.

Mechanical choreography in triple time
Each of the H3's vital organs therefore follows its own rhythm, bringing the dial to life as well revitalising time itself. Exclusively composed by HYT, the choreography was once again orchestrated by APRP (Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi), also responsible for its predecessor, the H2.

"We started with a blank page and we capitalised on our fluid experience to create something entirely new", explained Vincent Perriard, HYT CEO. "Placing the bellows in opposition was something that really posed a challenge. They are coupled by a mechanical assembly (comprising a spindle, sensor and thermal compensator), and fitting this between the bellows was a very delicate operation."

An exceptional limited edition

As HYT had explained from the very start, the H3 stands out as the most exceptional timepiece in the brand's collections. Thanks to its two barrels, it boasts a 170-hour power reserve (equivalent to around 7 days). Produced in charcoal grey PVD-coated titanium and platinum, the series will be limited to 25 timepieces. The first timepieces will be available from September 2015.

H3 DATA SHEET

Case:
Charcoal grey PVD-coated titanium and platinum with a micro-blasted, satin finish
- Length: 62 mm;
- Width: 41 mm
- Height: 16 mm
- Screw-down dynamometric crown sheathed in rubber
- Screwed offset lugs
- Domed sapphire crystal (box) with anti-reflection coating
- Open screw-down back in titanium
- Water-resistant to 30 metres

Functions:
- Retrograde fluidic hours
- Retrograde minute indicator
- Crown position indicator (T-N-W)
- Power reserve indicator (on back)
- Push-button for hour rotation

Movement:
Mechanical with manual winding, exclusive HYT calibre
- 21,600 Vph, 3 Hz, 53 jewels
- Decorated micro-blasted charcoal grey PVD-coated titanium bridges with titanium-coloured satin-finished accents, rhodium-plated bellows
- 170-hour (7-day) power reserve

Dial:
- Sapphire minutes dial
- Aluminium hours dial  

Strap:
- Black alligator leather
- Charcoal grey PVD-coated titanium folding buckle

Reference: 361-TP-01-GF-AG

Series limited to 25 pieces