Watchmakers try to keep up the pace with technology and always look for new, innovative ways to impress us and show time. Some are wacky and drift away from practicality, but the new Hautlence HL Sphere has managed to keep both. It looks too complex to be practical, but gets familiar after a while.
This extraordinary watch uses spinning orbs to tell time, more precisely the hour, which is something the industry hasn’t seen until now. While it seems complex in the beginning, after you take a closer look it’s similar to a jump hour complication in the way it works, actually making the time easy to read.
There are two crossed spindles at a 21 degree angle, driven by four conical gears. On top of them comes the lovely sphere, encompassed by two PVD coated titanium pieces.
On the right side of the Hautlence HL Sphere’s blue marble sphere is the minute indicator, a retrograde display which follows the overall complexity of the watch. The see through display allows you to get a glimpse of the movement, with all its inner mechanisms and complexity.
Speaking of the movement, it’s a HTL 501-1 hand wound movement, produced in house by Hautlence. There’s also a power reserve indicator, smartly hidden in the skeletonization of the watch. The case of the watch is a 39 mm x 46 mm and 12 mm thick, and despite its size and shape, the watch is wearable without any problems.
Produced in a limited edition of just 28 pieces, the Hautlence HL Sphere will be a rare sight, and its appearance will surely impress anyone, without weighing down on the functionality.
