UPSIDE DOWN
At the latest edition of Baselworld, the surprises kept on coming. This offering from Kari Voutilainen stands out through its unique reversed structure.
The line dividing art and craftsmanship is sometimes very fine in watchmaking. Revealing the Voutilainen 28 Ti watch leads us to this position with no clear limit. With the dial-less time information, the beauty lies in the mechanics. Two Breguet stylized hands pass over a tiered composition. An impressive 13.60 mm balance wheel regulates its elegant and steady rhythm. In symmetry, the highly polished pinions and wheels placed on platinum reinforce the unique aesthetics of the watch. All this combined produces a visual harmony that is hard to take your eyes off. Each element plays a role in this artwork produced by hand by experienced craftsmen in the Finnish watchmaker’s studios based in Switzerland. But as if by magic, there is a further sense of mystery. For this, you have to turn over the watch to reveal it through the sapphire case back. A small second and a semicircular power reserve indicator can be seen in an arrangement giving pride of place once more to the mechanism.
In the 39 mm titanium dial beats a manual-winding movement, composed of 299 elements, with a reversed architecture inspired by the remarkable series of 2011 which came from Voutilainen’s fertile imagination, the Vingt-8. Once wound, this precise caliber offers a generous power reserve of 65 hours.
To complete this creation made entirely by hand, the 28 Ti comes with a comfortable crocodile strap.
Price: 86,000 CHF
By Dan Diaconu