A third manufacturer makes its Perpetuelle introduction this week, this one somewhat higher in the food chain. A niche brand for deep-pocketed and adventurous collectors, Geneva-based Cyrus Watches has introduced the newest Klepcys “Mars” watch, including the “Face on Mars” on the dial as well as a miniature construction of the entire planet. It appears that using a handpainted “Red Planet” on the bit wasn’t enough, though, since the spheroid on the Cyrus Klepcys really rotates at its real-world sideral rate of 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds (period it takes the planet to rotate once on its axis). Of course the invention of this out of world piece is not so easily done — in this situation you will see that the handiwork of not only the creative Cyrus group, but also that of Jean-François Mojon — most recently well-known as the collaborator on the Harry Winston Opus X and differently esteemed watchmaker who conducts Chronode SA. There’s a lot to see here follow along as I take a better look at the limited edition Cyrus Klepcys Mars watch.Actually there are two variations of the Klepcys Mars watch — 33 bits in all black or ceramic DLC titanium.On the ideal hand of the dial that you see the curved Mars screen (on the ‘first’ Klepcys it’s a moon), and on the left you will find a very incredible reproduction of the “Face on Mars” — you may recognize the satellite imagery; it’s intrigued astronomers and conspiracy theorists alike for decades now.he retrograde hour on the side of the dial points things to the position where the minutes and seconds disks are read. The hour hand moves and changes colour as time passes from day to night. On the right hand of the dial we find the retrograde date and the spherical Mars display — (about the original Klepcys models it is a moon). The ‘tens’ digit of the date moves in an arc to align with the appropriate digit to the right — through spinning, the block shows either a ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘ ‘2’ or ‘3’.
I think that it is easiest to understand the way the watch functions via this video that was produced by Cyrus:Case is 48mm, crowns included.Mars : Three-dimensional sphere, 7.6mm in diameter. The rotation of Mars is at precisely the exact same rate as in the universe — 24 hours 37 minutes and 22 seconds. Hand-painted. Domed sapphire crystal.ack of the case : 18mm diameter medallion in 18K red gold onto the rear of this timepiece. Side-by-side. Inspired by the stater coin of Cyrus, this medallion depicts Cyrus on a winged horse setting off to conquer the world Mars.While I certainly admire and appreciate the intricate mechanics as well as this “Mars” component, for me this watch actually boils down to being one of those “we built it because we could” and “I own it because I can afford it” type of watches. How about you? The brand is small and independent — founded and led by cousins Julien and Laurent Lecamp. Their very first watch was the “Kuros”, a gigantic and finely styled two button chronograph, priced about 10,000 Swiss Francs; the appearance of the collection didn’t appeal to me. Their next collection, the Klepcys is quite a more aspirations attempt for the brand. All of Kuros and Klepcys bits are limited edition, but unlike the Kuros at around 10,000 Swiss Francs and upward, the Klepcys is priced at 100,000 — 150,000 Swiss Francs due to the intricate mechanics and complications described above.The Cyrus Klepcys Chronograph remarkably features two crowns, one on both sides of the case, and includes a highly individual dial and event design. Angus Davies gets ‘hands-on’ with this interesting timepiece from Switzerland.I have always had a penchant for chronographs.It is the practice of interacting with the movement that appeals to me personally. Furthermore, the reset button always reminds me of creating an apology for a minor misdemeanour, everything can be made great in an instant.
Be it space or spaceship, the watches below are some of the coolest modern watches which honor or make actual use of elements far from the Earth. Imaginative watchmakers use meteorite dials or design their cases and movements to look like spaceships. We love this stuff and as traditional as watchmaking is, these timepieces are directly inspired by science and science fiction. Oh, and we aren’t including watches that track the motion of planets or the sky. Those are typically more related to calendar watches, and should be part of a distinct list.
Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz Limited Edition
As a limited edition of 1,975 pieces, Omega produced the limited edition Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz version of the Moonwatch in 2010. Celebrating the US + USSR space mission in the mid 1970s, this beautiful version of the Omega Speedmaster Professional has a meteorite face and subdials. Meteorite, of course, comes from space and is further extremely beautiful on watches. We previously covered this watch here. omegawatches.com
Louis Moinet Astralis
Continuing in their theme of using rare natural materials, the Louis Moinet Astralis limited edition watch combines a tourbillon, chronograph, and 24 hour disc that has stones from four places in the solar system. Here lie rocks from the Moon, from Mars, from Mercury, and from an asteroid that formed near the Sun. Nothing else like it exists, and these watches were very limited in their production. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. louismoinet.com
That little alarm dial has separations to help you see AM and PM times, and can be set using small five-minute increments. This means you can’t set an alarm to the exact minute, but at least you understand exactly what time the alarm clock goes off. Again, mechanical watch makers understand that if people have a critical issue to consider, they will set an alarm on their phone or computer. Mechanical watches with alarm complications need to be fun, simple to use, and amazing to listen to when they move off. This is a sort of humorous point because the majority of the period in life once we put an alert, it is for something we don’t really want to get educated about – like needing to wake up from candy, candy sleep.The mechanical motion structure is pleasant to look at, combining conventional lines with a modern twist. The gong and hammer system for the alert is observable through the dial which is a useful detail. Notice the shape of the gong that, instead of being thin and around, is a thicker and squared curved rod. This likely produces a richer, more deep sound which should carry somewhat more.What is actually intriguing is that both the Cyrus Klepcys Alarm and the Hublot Big Bang Alarm are high-end modern appearing sport-style watches. No traditional-looking or dressy watches for this particular complication. The looks of the Cyrus Klepcys are, of course, contemporary and will not be for everybody, but it’s equally distinctive and trendy. Some people will no doubt also be set off by the fact that the full dial for telling the time is a bit more off-centered to the left.
Romain Jerome Spacecraft
No stranger to space-themed timepieces, Romain Jerome released the Spacecraft in 2013 as miniature spaceship in wrist watch form. Designed as a driver’s style watch, it has a retrograde jumping hours display which is displayed on the side of the watch and a disc to indicate the minutes on the top of the case. Produced in titanium and PVD black steel, Romain Jerome only produced 99 pieces. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. romainjerome.ch
MB&F HM4
The limited production MB&F Horological Machine No. 4 was nicknamed the Thunderbolt and combined the brand’s love for aircraft and spacecraft. The titanium case was designed to look like two engine hulls, while the movement inside bared a striking resembled to ships from both the Star Wars and Star Trek universe. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. mbandf.com
Chronographs are also very helpful, allowing the wearer to period a multitude of tasks such as the boiling an egg or a competitive lap time on the racetrack.I was recently presented with the opportunity to appraise a new chronograph from Cyrus, a brand which I confess I understood little about beforehand. A period of ‘hands on’ association ensued.A round dial stays inside a tonneau shaped case, while the bezel brings both kinds together in eye-catching union. The entire dial is a sea of black, red and white detail. The colourway coalesces wonderfully with everything dwelling in harmony.The hour and minute display can be found on a small dial at 3 o’clock. The hour and minute hands are partially open-worked and possess luminous tips. The hands functioned with a blend of applied Arabic numerals and batons which, once again, feature luminescent treatment. The employed indexes sit on a snailed hour monitor. In the heart of the display is a diamond-like theme, including texture to proceedings.At 9 o’clock, there is an altimeter fashion date screen. The grade of the numerals ensures excellent legibility. Adjacent the date screen is a small running seconds display which shows smatterings of black and red by means of a crescent shaped aperture.Two chronograph registers sit in series on a north-south axis. A 30-minute chronograph enroll resides under noon. It includes a rotating disk and a static needle to indicate that the elapsed time. The chronograph enroll is suitably tagged ‘Minutes Counter’ onto a silver coloured ring. A 12-hour chronograph enroll is placed over 6 o’clock, sharing the exact same design as its own god and featuring text stating ‘Hours Counter’.Cyrus has given a exceptional dial layout but with remarkable legibility. Moreover, there’s a ubiquitous awareness of quality, perfectly illustrated with the various screws affixing the silver-work framing the chronograph registers and also the hour track. Really, everything seems solidly constructed.
Blu Galaxy
It should be obvious why this Blu watch is called the “Galaxy.” The timepiece’s dial consists of three concentric discs used for the hour, minute, and seconds hands. The indicators are diamonds placed on the discs. Produced from Aventurine, the deep blue discs have small tightly packed sparkles that give the Blu Galaxy’s dial the look of our starry sky at night. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. blu.ch
Which is ceramic, DLC black coated titanium, as well as 18k red gold. A timepiece similar to this is in many ways a pure collector’s item for people considering whimsical complications that express a sense of mechanical art versus technical prowess. Newer brand, fresh watch. Cyrus Watch Free Online Replica debuted late last year but I never have a opportunity to actually check out them because their timepieces reminded me of wrist-mounted doomsday devices. Their flagship watch is Klepcys (still attempting to properly pronounce that you) and it is a formidable piece of unique horology. The master behind the mechanism is Jean-Francois Mojon. One of the better watch manufacturers who is known for (among other items), the Harry Winston Opus X.In addition to the normal Klepcys watch, Cyrus will be donating a particular one to the Only Watch 2011 auction. Pictures of both are observed here, whereas the piece unique version for the activity is in gold with a red “11.” The luxury piece is another effort on “doing it differently.” While I admire the mechanics and concept for some reason that the design leaves me a inert. I feel like I need more time with the watch to appreciate it completely. It will however move me more than the new other opinion known as the Kuros. We’ll see what happens when the Cyrus releases their third opinion sometime soon.Functionally talking the Klepcys has an automatic movement that has a few neat retrograde hands on. The time and date usage sorta of hybrid hands. A retrograde hand is used to display 1 digit, whereas a flipping indicator (similar to Urwerk’s stuff) is used to show yet another one for the date. There’s a traditional seconds disc, and then a moments disc that “follows” the hour hand (but additionally moves). If you are completely confused then just examine the video.
DeWitt WX-1
A steampunk spaceship for the wrist, the famously wild WX-1 by DeWitt has a pull-out case which allows one to further examine the complex movement and many barrels that offer a 21 day power reserve. The watch also has a side-mounted tourbillon and manages to tell the time on a compass style display. Only 33 WX-1 watches were ever produced. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. dewitt.ch
Cyrus Klepcys Mars
As a special limited edition version of the already interesting Klepcys, Cyrus Watches Replica also released the Klepcys Mars as a nod to the red planet. The normal Klepcys has an orb on the dial which serves as a moonphase indicator. The Mars version does the same, but for the day and night cycle of Mars (which is a bit longer than that of Earth). We covered this watch more here. cyrus-watches.ch
Romain Jerome Moon Dust DNA
In 2009 Romain Jerome topped its Moon Dust DNA collection with a strange piece called “The Truth About Roswell” Tourbillon. The dial contained an open view of the tourbillon, as well as a cratered moon surface with tiny alien skeletons and watch gears buried in the surface while moon rover tracks created a signature “X” on the dial. It may not make a ton of sense, but it was a fantastically weird watch. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. romainjerome.ch
De Bethune DB28
That I think it is simplest to comprehend how the watch works via this video which was produced by Cyrus:Case is 48mm, crowns included.Mars : Three-dimensional world, 7.6mm in diameter. The turning of Mars is in precisely the same rate as in the world — 24 hours 37 minutes and 22 minutes. Hand-painted. Domed sapphire crystal.ack of this instance : 18mm diameter medallion in 18K red gold on the back of this timepiece. Engraved by hand. Inspired from the stater coin of Cyrus, this medallion depicts Cyrus on a winged horse setting off to conquer the world Mars.While I certainly admire and love the complex mechanisms as well as the “Mars” component, for me this watch really boils down to being one of those “we built it because we can” and “I own it because I could afford it” type of watches. Feel free to comment below.Founded at the summer of 2010, Geneva-based Cyrus Watches made its public debut the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE) 2011. Their very first watch was that the “Kuros”, a gigantic and finely styled two button chronograph, priced around 10,000 Swiss Francs; the appearance of the collection didn’t really appeal to me. Their next collection, the Klepcys is quite a more ambitions effort for your brand. All of Kuros and Klepcys bits are limited edition, but unlike the Kuros at around 10,000 Swiss Francs and up, the Klepcys is priced at 100,000 — 150,000 Swiss Francs as a result of intricate mechanics and complications described above.The Cyrus Klepcys Chronograph remarkably contains two crowns, one on each side of the case, and includes a highly individual dial and case design. Angus Davies gets ‘hands on’ with this intriguing timepiece from Switzerland.I have always had a penchant for chronographs.It is the practice of interacting with the movement which appeals to me. Pressing the start / stop push-pieces always makes me grin and I derive pleasure in the heavenly encounter the pushers confer. What’s more, the reset button constantly reminds me of creating an apology for a minor misdemeanour, everything can be made great in an instant.
There have been many versions of the now iconic DB28 from De Bethune – each science fiction inspired and with a clear Star Trek Starfleet Command logo style shape on the movement, and here on the dial as well. This beautiful version is the DB28T Black in black colored titanium with a tourbillon and amazing futuristic design that retains the passion of traditional watch making. debethune.ch
A third manufacturer makes its Perpetuelle debut this week, this one a bit higher on the food chain. It seems that using a handpainted “Red Planet” on the bit wasn’t enough, however, since the spheroid about the Cyrus Watches Wikipedia Replica Klepcys actually rotates at its real-world sideral speed of 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds (time it takes the planet to rotate once on its axis). Of course the creation of this out of world bit isn’t so easily done — in this case you will see that the handiwork of not only the creative Cyrus team, but also that of Jean-François Mojon — most recently well-known as the collaborator on the Harry Winston Opus X and otherwise esteemed watchmaker who conducts Chronode SA. There’s a great deal to see here — follow along as I take a better look in the limited edition Cyrus Klepcys Mars watch.Actually there are two variants of the Klepcys Mars watch — 33 bits in each of black or ceramic DLC titanium.On the ideal hand of the dial you find the spherical Mars screen (on the ‘first’ Klepcys it is a moon), and on the left you will find a very amazing breeding of the “Face on Mars” — you may recognize the satellite imagery; it’s intrigued astronomers and conspiracy theorists alike for decades now.he retrograde hour on the left side of the dial points points into the place where the minutes and seconds disks are read. The hour hand moves and changes color as time passes from day to night. On the ideal hand of the dial we now find the retrograde date along with the spherical Mars screen — (about the first Klepcys versions it is a moon). The ‘tens’ digit of the date goes in an arc to align with the appropriate digit to its right — again via rotation, the cube shows either a ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘ ‘two’ or ‘3’.
Seiko Spacewalk
The Spacewalk by Seiko has an interesting history that involved being co-developed with video game designer Richard Garriot (who eventually produced a space-themed MMO), as well as being taken into space with him. Seiko designed it as their most capable space-worthy timepiece ever, and it includes their sophisticated high-end Spring Drive movement and is rather large at 53mm wide. A few limited edition versions were released at a price of around $28,000 and it is among the few timepieces around that we would truly feel comfortable taking into outer space with us. Read more on aBlogtoWatch here. seikospringdrive.com
Bonus Runner-Up: Azimuth SP-1 Spaceship
With a dial meant to appear like the stars and a view of Earth, the Azimuth SP-1 Spaceship has a unique combined hour and minute display that looks like a rocketship. The large structure serves as a minute hand around the periphery of the main dial, while a turning disk for the hours sits at the opposite end. azimuthwatch.com
For more watches worn by astronauts, watches with materials from Outer Space, watches that look like spaceships and watches that are just plain space-y, check out our collection and keep up with them, as we add them here: Space-Themed Watches