Hautlence Presents the New SPHERE Series 1 Watch with a Spectacular Display of Hours

Most timepiece makers seem to be heading back to their roots that have made them what they are today. Hautlence is no exception. The brand has now released its 28-piece limited edition of the SPHERE Series 1 (Ref.BA80-ST00) timepiece. The watch uses the signature mechanism of telling time with a playful and spectacular spherical jumping hour/retrograde minute display. In the world of horology, there are timepiece makers that go beyond the traditional concepts of watchmaking; such brands explore all other realms to create their own distinctive identity. Clearly, Hautlence doesn’t believe in traditional time-viewing experience — the brand wants the wearer to experience time in an exclusive way.

In a traditional timepiece, the circular motion of hands has been widely adopted as the norm for displaying time. The SPHERE 01 watch displays hours on a spinning sphere, also rotating on three axes. Coupled with a bevelled sapphire crystal fitted with a small dome, the blue ball shows the hours that seem to be floating in mid-air. The jumping hour mechanism is orchestrated by four conical gears that move around two crossed spindles, inclined at an angle of 21°. To the right of the sphere, there is a retrograde minute hand, which moves along a slender and elegant minute track that opens on to the movement. Through this opening, wearers can see the gear train which slows the movement of the minute hand when it returns to zero.

This 43 mm watch gets satin-finished and polished bezel, case, and crown. Under the dial lie a freewheel and a snail cam allowing the triggering of the jumping hour. The applied minute numerals, white by day and blue by night, are made of Globolight®, a ceramic-based material, charged with Super-LumiNova®. They are set on an intermediate sapphire crystal dial. What’s more, the timepiece gets the signature TV-shaped case, featuring skeletonised and rhodium-plated brass with a frosted finish for the base dial. 

Both the hour sphere and the minute marking are made of polished grade 5 titanium with blue PVD treatment while the engraved hour numerals have white SLN filling. Powering the watch is the manual winding mechanical movement A80, offering 72 hours of power reserve. Turning the watch over showcases the movement on the left and the hour sphere on the right. The watch is finished on a blue rubber strap with a steel buckle.