Inch (reloaded) custom analog watch.

Sam says: This is a revision of my Inch concept. I have made some changes, of which I think they improve the concept.

I gave the watch a sleeker look, giving it a more dynamic shape and distinguishing the straps sides from their faces with a translucent matte material.

The display is experiencing the biggest change. First, I gave it two magnetic watch hands that are clearly readable and loosely fixated on the bottom of the display so they can still be influenced by the two magnets in the bottom part of the case. That part is carrying a rather traditional analog watch mechanism now with the just mentioned magnets working as watch hands.

The readability was improved by adding indicators this time and taking the decision, of making indicators, away from the wearer. This is making his/her life a tad easier. The more traditional watch hands and the indicators are giving the watch a proper face now, independent from the material, that can be put into the straps.

The watch is again 1000 in 1. You can draw or print or cutout your own strips that have to be one inch in width. Whatever you like show it! Inch is individual like a Swatch or a Nooka watch, but customisable like a computer desktop background.

Inch is your playground, now play

Inch (reloaded) custom analog watch., 4.6 out of 5 based on 64 ratings

HYT H1 Watch Hands-On

It was crowded at HYT during the press conference. Lots of people went to hear Vincent Perriard discuss the inner workings of the H1, the new watch from his new brand called HYT. Teased for months and then recently debuted, the HYT is a high-end geek watch that aims to combine traditional mechanical watches and liquid. The H1 is the brand’s first release, with more liquid-themed watches to come in the future. I caught up with Perriard after the conference to get a special hands-on look and presentation from the man himself on the new watch.

If you know Perriard’s work in the past you’ll be familiar with his enthusiasm and design decisions. Futurism and “doing it differently” are factors that help motivate him. He speaks incredibly fast in French when explaining the watch, and in English shares the same level of insight and passion when showing off his toys. The H1 is an incredibly cool and unnecessary watch – the exact formula which breeds success in this industry when it comes to watches are this level. I first covered the HYT H1 here when I debuted it for the world.

Hands-on the H1 is pretty much what I expected – which is good. A bold futuristic design that is large on the wrist but still quite wearable. The case is a hefty 48.8mm wide and it is 17.8mm thick. With dropping lugs it is meant to fit on most wrists pretty well. You can’t help but notice the two bellows in the movement and ring of luminescent green liquid used to indicate the hours. The conceptual execution seems flawless, especially as you adjust the hours back and forward and the green goo moves around the scale promptly. It basically uses pressure, but nothing like this has ever been done using a crown as far as I know – and perhaps not on this small of a scale.

The piece we are checking out is in titanium coated with black DLC. There is a non-coated titanium version, as well as an all 18k pink gold and 18k pink gold mixed with black version. These four models will launch the brand and apparently have their first few batches of productions sold to retailers who will sell HYT watches all over the world.

Perriard likes to make high-end toys as I mentioned. The H1 feels exactly like that. It is like something a clever child would dream up. It is also something a grown-up child would happily wear. It takes a lot of technical expertise to full appreciate what the movement is doing, but the concept in action is something almost anyone can enjoy. I think Perriard understands this concept best – that if you are going to have a successful new watch brand selling high-priced items, its needs to be something that will wow the average person.

On the dial you have the retrograde liquid indicator for the hours, and a dial for the minutes – both are easy to read. There is a subsidiary seconds dial and a useful power reserve indicator for the manually wound movement. Perriard flips to the rear of the watch and explains how he wanted the movement to be finished and decorated in a relatively classic way – not wanting to potentially alienate core consumer watch lovers. The cheeky accordion bellows on the dial are something you’ve certainly never seen on a dial before. Such a signature element is sure to become an icon of the brand.

With a starting price of about $45,000 (up to the mid $60,000 range for the gold models) the H1 sits in a very interesting price zone. Most people expected the price to be much higher, say over $100,000. The price is still totally out of the question for most people, but it does give the wealthly, versus the ultra-rich a better opportunity to own and enjoy a highly exotic watch. Myself, among others, are enjoying what the H1 offers in style and poise, as well as technical innovation. Perriard promises more and more complication in the future, so I anticipate that the H1 is going to be their entry level model for the years to come. Usually brands like this start with an ultra-high flagship model, but getting the tech right was likely the most important thing for HYT to begin. I really like what they are doing and CEO Perriard’s passion for the product certainly sweetens the deal. Look for HYT H1 watches in select retailers soon.

Technomarine Watches Join Up With Manny Pacquiao for the MP8 Watch

Technomarine have joined with Manny Pacquiao to introduce a limited edition watch.

The new watch is called the Manny Pacquiao 8 – or MP8 for short and comes with an interchangable strap with both red and white options or yellow and blue.

The watch is just a part of the range of Technomarine watches which are made from stainless steel or ceramic heads that can be customized with interchangable straps that come in a wide choice of colours allowing the wearer to change the appearance of their Technomarine watch so suit their outfit and each Technomarine watch has a water resistance of up to 200 meters.

Manny Pacquiao – also known as Pacman is a professional boxer from the Philippines who has won 8 world boxing titles – hense the name of the watch MP8, he is also a politician having won the election to represent the province on Sarangani in May 2010.

The MP8 Technomarine watch was given a lavish launch party at Sky Lounge which was attended by Manny himself and a whole host of Filipino celebrities, models and press. At present the model is only available in the Philippines with a limited edition run of only 1000 pieces.

URWERK – UR-110

 

Everything is a question of style, no more so than in the world of haute horlogerie. If engineering ingenuity remains the quickest way into a watch aficionado’s heart, nothing can replace that feeling of setting eyes on a mechanical masterpiece for the very first time, that sensation of horological love at first sight. Connoisseurs have already been wooed by the technical innovation of ‘s 110 collection, presented until now in either monochromatic natural titanium or anthracite. Now the UR-110 affirms its presence and expresses itself as never before thanks to the UR-110 TTH – with a super strong Tantalum hull – and the UR-110 ST – with a distinctively grooved AlTiN bezel. Whether you prefer it strong and rugged or smooth and refined, there is a UR-110 style for you.

The UR-110 TTH
More robust than its stablemates, the UR-110 TTH is an imposing timepiece that commands respect from the very first glance. Why? Well, just as a vessel derives its strength from an unbreakable hull, the UR-110 derives its strength from its bezel crafted in tantalum, a particularly hard and dense metal, well known for resistance to corrosion and for its bio-inertness. Indeed, the TTH stands for “Tantalum Hull”. Naturally, the sapphire crystal of the UR-110 TTH has also been upgraded.
The armoured bezel of the UR-110 TTH boasts a thickness of 4.10mm (as opposed to 2.40mm on other UR-110 models). This huge piece, attached to the titanium case by six screws, gives it a battle-hardened character reinforced by the bluish-gray tint of the natural tantalum. Another feature with quasi-military overtones is the registration number etched on the sapphire crystal of the UR-110 TTH at 8 o’clock.
“Tantalum is a rare metal of which the name comes from Tantalus, a Greek mythological figure synonymous with temptation,” explains co-founder and chief watchmaker Felix Baumgartner. “We therefore naturally succumbed to its charms! Its colour is such that we decided to use it in its natural state while satin-finishing and sand-blasting helped to enhance the natural beauty of this intriguing material.”

The UR-110 ST
The UR-110 ST sees continuing to embrace three-dimensionality in horological architecture. It is a model that well and truly appeals to the tactile senses, for it can even reveal itself when your eyes are closed. Run the tips of your fingers over its dial, and you will feel the perfect smoothness of the sapphire crystal soon replaced by grooves in the AlTiN bezel. Such a sensorial experience is just what co-founder and artist-designer Martin Frei wanted to create for the UR-110 ST’s owner.

“A watch worn on a daily basis should be a source of pleasure – the primal pleasure of possession, naturally, but also the pleasure of the experience of it on the wrist,” he says. “There is a quote I like from French poet and diplomat Paul Claudel: ‘Sculpture is the need to touch.’ I very much hope the UR-110 ST creates this need.”

Having won the 2011 Grand Prix de Genève prize for Best Design Watch, the UR-110 is at the forefront of watchmaking excellence, continuing ‘s radical tradition of telling the time using orbiting satellite complications.

In the UR-110 TTH and the UR-110 ST, the time is always shown on the right side of the watch. Three hour satellites follow a vertically arced line, graded from 0 to 60 minutes, in a downward motion. Planetary gearing keeps the satellites and their arrow-shaped “torpedoes” in parallel formation as they take turns to indicate the time as they pass the 60-minute track. This performance is made possible by means of an architecture featuring three levels of complexity:
- A central carousel providing the complication with stability and equilibrium
- Planetary gearing assuring the parallel rotation of the three hour satellites as they orbit the dial
- The three counter-rotating hour modules – each comprising an hour satellite, minute hand and counter balance – are each mounted on a planetary gear. These three modules are in constant counter-rotation to counter the direction of rotation of the central carousel.

The ingenuity of the layout lies in allowing the wearer to view the time discreetly and elegantly without the need to pull a cuff or sleeve back.

The UR-110′s technology can be appreciated through the large panoramic sapphire crystal. As well as indicating the hours and minutes, the UR-110 also features a Control Board on the dial side with indicators for “Day/Night” and “Oil Change” – ‘s service interval display – as well as small seconds on a sub dial. Turning the watch over, the titanium back encloses the innovative automatic winding system regulated by dual turbines.

“The 110 collection is a natural evolution of our creations,” says Martin frei.  “We imagined a kind of ‘silent journey’. Our hour satellite makes a complete rotation of the dial, but it is an understated revolution as it moves slowly. Between rotation and counter-rotation, the effect is subtle. There is something happening on the dial which is not detectable at first glance, not natural, but the fluidity gives the appearance of normality.”

“The development of the 110 collection has mobilised our entire team for nearly two years,” says Felix Baumgartner. “There have been many challenges, including finding the perfect adjustment between the carousel and the central hours of the mobile modules. We finally opted for a technical solution radically different from our other creations. There is no ball bearing here, but a fixed axis running along the entire height of the watch. The whole satellite complication is in perfect balance on that anchor point.”