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A Movement Like No Other

written by A.Morgan - 9th Jan 2012

When Vincent Perriard, the former CEO of ultra-futuristic watchmaker Concord, expert movement designer Jean-Francois Mojon and technological innovators Helbling Technik come together, the result is going to be nothing short of spectacular.

It may sound like some sort of fictional watchmaking A-Team, but there is nothing fictional about it; it’s the very real amalgamation of watchmaking talent and original thinking of the likes never seen before. For those of you not quite as familiar with these three technological power houses, here are the details:

Vincent Perriard was the driving force behind the Concord C1 QuantumGravity, a mechanical mind-crunch that married a double-axis tourbillon with a liquid power reserve in a case that looks like it came straight off the set of the 1987 film, ‘Batteries Not Included.’ Then there’s Jean-Francois Mojon, who developed number ten of the revered Harry Winston Opus series, as well realising the astounding floating balance wheel movement of the MB&F Legacy Machine No.1 released to critical acclaim in 2011. Lastly, but definitely not leastly, Helbling Technik, who have developed such visions of the future as surgical positioning technology, ground-breaking meteorological software, and, oh yes, the Nestlé Nespresso coffee machine.

Due to be revealed closer to the Baselworld 2012 watch show, the culmination of this effort so far is just known as the HYT H1, a movement that uses glowing liquid and pneumatic pistons (in my mind they definitely hiss like an old bellows) that can only be described in its appearance as a ‘contraption,’ the sort made by scientists with dubious moral backgrounds in the basements of deserted gothic castles… in other words, awesome!

UPDATE:

The finished watch, the HYT Hydro H1, has now been revealed. Sized at 48.8mm in diameter and available in titanium, DLC titanium and red gold, the Hydro H1 features a retrograde hours counter unlike any other seen before; a curved glass tube filled with florescent liquid that is pushed and pulled by the mechanically operated bellows. Prices start at $45,000.