STAR POWER
Taking inspiration from the best-selling Big Bang family of watches, Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang watch – seen here in a case constructed using the brand’s proprietary King Gold alloy – reinterprets the former’s bold aesthetic codes within a tonneau-shaped case. The marks include, of course, the H-shaped titanium screws on its bezel and strap attachments, its distinctive hands and large crown.
For All Time
MB&F’s founder, Maximilian Busser, never intended to make a perpetual calendar – until Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell presented a wholly new movement designed to do away with common problems associated with this high complication. Based on a 28-day system, the integrated perpetual calendar movement of the Legacy Machine Perpetual, available in red gold or platinum, uses a unique mechanical processor that eliminates problems like skipping dates and jammed gears.
GRAND OPUS
Housed in a white gold case measuring 57.4mm by 21.9mm, the Harry Winston Opus 14 is definitely hefty, but we can forgive that in a timepiece that houses a jukebox. Well, kind of. The much-anticipated addition to the technically stunning Opus series has four discs that respectively display the local time, GMT time, the date, and a star bearing the signature of Harry Winston. Only 50 pieces of the 1,066-component timepiece will be made.
GOTHIC PERIOD
The skull motif occupies a special place in rebellious watchmaking, but the HYT Skull Maori sets itself apart with a couple of major distinctions. Firstly, the brand’s trademark fl uid-based time-indicating capillary here is worked around the skull instead of around the perimeter of the watch – a challenge, especially at the right angles at the base of the skull. A second distinguishing touch that marks the morbid motif: an engraved Maori tribal tattoo.
A Knight’s Tale
With a hand-brushed titanium case faceted to resemble the Batmobile, this dark design is RJ-Romain Jerome‘s tribute to DC Comics superhero Batman. While the Spacecraft: Batman might look somewhat confusing at fi rst glance, it is perfectly easy to tell the time by. The side of the case shows the hour display, while the minute is displayed by a rotating disc on the top. An exclusive automatic movement drives this particular Batmobile, which will be available in a limited edition of 75 pieces.
BURNING BRIGHT
Leave it to maverick watchmaker Richard Mille to place a symbol of foreboding at the heart of his brand’s latest artistic model. The Evil Eye RM 26-02 Tourbillon is ablaze with red flames and an ominous eye – handcrafted from red gold, and finished with grand feu enamelling or lacquering. The Evil Eye gains its energy from the manually wound RM26-02 calibre, which features plate and bridges in titanium.
MOMENT OF CLARITY
Six sapphire windows are used to form the rectangular case of the Hautlence Vortex, giving it a distinctively arresting appearance and allowing admirers to gaze at its components from all angles. And there is plenty to look at: a rotating chain with 12 links tells the hours, a retrograde hand indicates the minutes and its escapement rotates when the hours do.
