If you hang around the watch industry long enough, you tend to hear almost every watchmaker say the same thing at some point: “There is rarely anything new in watchmaking, all inspiration is rooted in something else.” In terms of mechanics, this is undoubtedly true. But in terms of how to arrange those mechanics, there are well and truly still “firsts” to be had.
Using liquid to express timekeeping isn’t precisely new – in fact, Su Song is said to have created an astronomical water clock in the early Middle Ages in China. This complicated timekeeper is thought to also be the forerunner of the modern escapement system (which keeps the beat in a modern mechanical watch), so it is historically a pretty important timepiece involving the use of liquid.
But what is very new about HYT’s manner of expressing liquid time is the fact that it has been reliably used as the time display in the H1, H2, and recently released Skull models. For much more on the H1 and H2, please read When Opposites Collide: Microfluidics Of The HYT H1 And H2. For more on the funky HYT Skull, please read HYT Skull: Fad, Trend, Style, Or Movement?
The H1 Cigar, which includes real bits of Cuban cigar in the case, is the latest rendition of HYT's... [+]
The reliable production of the H1, H2, and Skull movements have until now been relatively difficult to accomplish. It’s easy to splash on a scene and cause a sensation. But in order to gain – and KEEP – clientele, the key is to make new technologies reliable in the long run (meaning make sure that they do not break down) and to ensure that they can be reliably manufactured (meaning it’s better to oversee production processes yourself). HYT has very cleverly built the resources it needs both inside and outside its own factory premises to ensure the type of longevity it is aiming for.
The next step in HYT’s logical evolution is the H3, launched on paper today and to be shown in the metal for the first time at Baselworld 2015, which opens its doors in just two weeks.
The HYT H2 in white gold with blue liquid: note the evolved movement, which is eminently visible... [+]
Aside from the obvious difference in the way that the H3 looks in comparison to the boutique brand’s previous models – arranged in a linear instead of a circular manner – there is one big difference in the H3 that is likely bound to ensure the brand’s future. Let’s take a closer look at what that could be.
In order to create an honest-to-goodness brand and not remain a one-trick pony, a new company needs a full collection of diverse complications (chronograph, second time zone, etc.). So far, the H1 and H2 have only been able to tell the most rudimentary aspects of time in regulator style – hours, minutes, seconds – though to be fair, the H2 with its redesigned movement includes a sort of jumping minute hand so as not to get in the way of the bellows as well as a crown position indicator, indication of the fluid’s temperature, and an eight-day power reserve.
In order to make a full collection of timepieces with a full range of complications, however, the HYT timepiece needed to undergo a bit of a metamorphosis. One inherent problem associated with the circular capillary is that it takes a ton of energy to move the bellows that maneuver the liquid. In fact, there is hardly enough energy (or room) left over in the movement to add much else of anything. And that in essence caps the collection. So HYT’s creative team had to think up something else to allow them to expand the collection.
This where the H3 comes in. Not only does it look totally different from the previous models – adding a whole new line to the collection – but its linear movement style also brings exactly the type of inherent energy necessary to power additional functions. It is no secret to a watchmaker that linear energy transfer can add up to 30 percent more usable energy to a movement. And that is precisely what the “hydro-horologists” have now capitalized upon with the H3. So, looking forward, we will likely see a whole host of new functionality emerge from this new linear style of timepiece using liquid as a time display.
But let’s get back to the here and now. To accommodate the linear movement, the brand-new H3 obviously needed a new case: it is housed in a PVD-coated titanium and platinum case measuring 62 x 41 x 16 mm. While this sounds quite big, the horizontal direction of it is actually very ergonomic and it will not appear so large when worn. That is another excellent side effect of a linear movement, and in this case one that is almost entirely visible from the front. As on the H1 and H2, the case back is crafted in sapphire crystal so that the owner can choose to look at the modernly decorated movement from the back that perfectly matches the progressive style of both the mechanics and the case.
As on the H1 and H2, the hours are shown by the green liquid captured within the proprietary glass capillary tube less than one millimeter in diameter that can do nothing else but pop right into your eye. For how this exactly works, please read When Opposites Collide: Microfluidics Of The HYT H1 And H2.
As you can see from the video above, while the 24-hour display looks a bit like Urwerk’s satellite display from the outside, when you see the watch in motion, you will understand that it is nothing like that system. The four rows divided into six numerals each (it goes up to 24) rotate to create four different “faces” to the watch; the row on display depends upon the current time, and the numerals are used in conjunction with the liquid line to depict the current hour. The minutes are also displayed in linear fashion, which also happens to be retrograde, in the lower right-hand corner of the dial – meaning that at when the little red pointer hits 60, it jumps back to the start. A total visual treat.
The hour is set using the pushbutton on the left side of the case while turning the rubber-coated crown – naturally outfitted with a function selector – on the right allows setting of the minutes and provides visual balance.
The manually wound movement of this watch limited to just 25 pieces provides seven days’ worth of power reserve, the status of which is shown on the back. For more information, visit HYT's website.
Elizabeth Doerr is the editor-in-chief of Quill & Pad, an online magazine that keeps a watch on time.
