April 4, 2018 | Watches & Jewelry
Top watch brands are reaching beyond the boundaries to create futuristic 3-D timepieces embracing a bold look forward. Thanks to progress in nanotechnology, these visionary watches are architectural wonders bordering on the Space Age while remaining true to the tenets of fine timepiece design.
FROM LEFT
Urwerk UR-T8
It doesn’t get much more futuristic than this. The UR-T8—with the T standing for transformer—features a dial that ips up and reverses, giving the wearer the option of looking at the dial side and time display, or at a notched and patterned reverse side that is akin to an armadillo’s back. The time is displayed via a patented satellite complication wherein the 12 hours are formed in three groups of four on a carousel beneath the dial that continuously rotates. The UR-T8 is created in an initial series of 60 pieces in titanium or titanium with a black PVD coating. $100,000, urwerk.com
Richard Mille RM 056 Tourbillon Sapphire Jean Todt 50th Anniversary Limited Edition
Watchmaker Richard Mille’s designs have always looked to the future, with a unique blend of artistic air that still honors traditional timekeeping. This watch features a totally transparent sapphire case—one of the most dicult to create. In fact, it takes 1,000 hours to machine just one incredibly hard, scratch-resistant case like this. The watch is powered by a mechanical movement with a high-performance split-seconds chronograph function. The collection is limited because of the extraordinary time it takes to build a single watch. $1,939,000, richardmille.com
Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Aperta Watchmaker
Hublot’s collaboration with automaker Ferrari has given birth to another unique timepiece, the MP-05 LaFerrari Aperta. The movement is equipped with a suspended vertical tourbillon and oers transparent display rolls for the hour, minute, seconds and power reserve—which is a massive 50 days. The case is a polished smoked sapphire crystal material that is incredibly dicult to create. Inspired by the LaFerrari Aperta ubercar, the watch is designed and developed in-house by Hublot. $553,000, Hyde Park Jewelers, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver; hublot.com
Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 8
This eighth watch in a special series of the raried complication by Harry Winston is equipped with two biaxial tourbillons—each with two cages rotating at dierent speeds. On the right side of the dial, two 3-D cones rising up from the dial display the hours and minutes, giving a forward-looking time-telling aspect to this masterpiece. Only 10 pieces will be made. Price upon request, Meridian Jewelers; harrywinston.com
