CHRISTOPHE CLARET, LIMITED EDITION TITANIUM AND WHITE GOLD 'X-TREM-1' CASE...
CIRCA: 2010s
CASE MATERIAL: Titanium and white gold
CASE DIAMETER: 40.8 x 56.8 mm.
DIAL: Black
MOVEMENT: Manual
FUNCTIONS: Tourbillon, retrograde hours and minutes
CLASP: Titanium Christophe Claret double deployant clasp
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
REMARK: Limited edition of 8 pieces
This lot includes a strap made from an endangered species material, which cannot be shipped outside of Switzerland. If shipped internationally, the watch will be supplied without a strap.
Lot Essay
The X-TREM-1 represents one of Christophe Claret’s most audacious technical achievements and the first of a new generation of experimental timepieces. Its name itself expresses the philosophy behind the creation: ‘X’ for eXperimental, ‘T’ for Time, ‘R’ for Research, ‘E’ for Engineering and ‘M’ for Mechanism. Combining an inclined flying tourbillon with an unprecedented magnetic time display, the watch radically challenges traditional conventions of mechanical watchmaking.
At the heart of the X-TREM-1 is a flying tourbillon inclined at 30 degrees and mounted on a three-dimensional curvex titanium mainplate. Most spectacular, however, is its retrograde display of the hours and minutes. Two tiny hollowed steel spheres travel vertically inside sapphire tubes positioned along either side of the case, seemingly floating without any visible mechanical connection. Their movement is instead controlled by magnetic fields, an ingenious system developed in collaboration with the School of Business and Engineering Vaud (HEIG-VD) in Yverdon-les-Bains. The magnetic fields are precisely focused to act solely upon the time-display mechanism without interfering with the regulating organ or other components of the movement.
The hand-wound movement employs two independent barrels in order to separate the energy required for timekeeping from that needed to operate the sophisticated display. One barrel is dedicated to the tourbillon and its timing gear train, while the second powers the hours and minutes. This separation prevents the considerable energy demands of the display from disturbing the rate of the tourbillon, thereby helping to preserve chronometric performance.
The two gear trains are linked through an ingenious escapement system that transfers the necessary timing information at intervals of 25 seconds. Should either barrel reach the end of its power reserve, the mechanism automatically interrupts the other gear train. By allowing the tourbillon and display mechanisms to function independently while remaining synchronised, Christophe Claret created an exceptionally complex architecture that combines mechanical precision with one of the most visually arresting time displays in contemporary watchmaking.
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CIRCA: 2010s
CASE MATERIAL: Titanium and white gold
CASE DIAMETER: 40.8 x 56.8 mm.
DIAL: Black
MOVEMENT: Manual
FUNCTIONS: Tourbillon, retrograde hours and minutes
CLASP: Titanium Christophe Claret double deployant clasp
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
REMARK: Limited edition of 8 pieces
This lot includes a strap made from an endangered species material, which cannot be shipped outside of Switzerland. If shipped internationally, the watch will be supplied without a strap.
Lot Essay
The X-TREM-1 represents one of Christophe Claret’s most audacious technical achievements and the first of a new generation of experimental timepieces. Its name itself expresses the philosophy behind the creation: ‘X’ for eXperimental, ‘T’ for Time, ‘R’ for Research, ‘E’ for Engineering and ‘M’ for Mechanism. Combining an inclined flying tourbillon with an unprecedented magnetic time display, the watch radically challenges traditional conventions of mechanical watchmaking.
At the heart of the X-TREM-1 is a flying tourbillon inclined at 30 degrees and mounted on a three-dimensional curvex titanium mainplate. Most spectacular, however, is its retrograde display of the hours and minutes. Two tiny hollowed steel spheres travel vertically inside sapphire tubes positioned along either side of the case, seemingly floating without any visible mechanical connection. Their movement is instead controlled by magnetic fields, an ingenious system developed in collaboration with the School of Business and Engineering Vaud (HEIG-VD) in Yverdon-les-Bains. The magnetic fields are precisely focused to act solely upon the time-display mechanism without interfering with the regulating organ or other components of the movement.
The hand-wound movement employs two independent barrels in order to separate the energy required for timekeeping from that needed to operate the sophisticated display. One barrel is dedicated to the tourbillon and its timing gear train, while the second powers the hours and minutes. This separation prevents the considerable energy demands of the display from disturbing the rate of the tourbillon, thereby helping to preserve chronometric performance.
The two gear trains are linked through an ingenious escapement system that transfers the necessary timing information at intervals of 25 seconds. Should either barrel reach the end of its power reserve, the mechanism automatically interrupts the other gear train. By allowing the tourbillon and display mechanisms to function independently while remaining synchronised, Christophe Claret created an exceptionally complex architecture that combines mechanical precision with one of the most visually arresting time displays in contemporary watchmaking.
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Time, Location
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