The Swiss luxury watch brand’s innovative timepieces combine futurism and maverick design for a starring role in horology
HYT is synonymous with large and bold, skeletonised – with a makeup this unique, it should of course be on full display – watches with an undisputedly modern engineering aesthetic. The round (except in the case of the rectangular H3) capillary tube and twin bellows are HYT’s unique identifiers.
The new H0 collection (from S$57,280 in steel) is a bit of a departure from the company’s established look. Compared with its predecessors, its lines and styling are a little sleeker and toned-down, for a cleaner aesthetic that embraces modern minimalism. The dial, for once, is only partially skeletonised — crucially, though, the bellows are still visible, as is the way they rise and fall throughout the day. It is still considerably sized at 48.8mm in diameter and 18.7mm thick, but wears a bit smaller due to its lug-less design.
The capillary tube runs along the circumference, and, like all HYT watches, consists of a dyed liquid on the left (which can be said to represent the recent past) and a colourless one on the right (likewise the immediate future). Unusual mechanics aside, the H0 tells the time quickly, easily and accurately — not much different from any other watch.
Something unique does happen at six o’clock however, which is why there are two ‘6’ indicators. This is when the hydro system has to go from one extreme to the other, shifting the meniscus back through the capillary tube to ‘hand off’ one ‘6’ to the other. It is, effectively, a retrograde system.
As the minute hand ticks over to 60, the bellows come to life: the one on the right compresses, while the one on the left matches it with expansion. The result is that the coloured liquid will appear to shrink back into its reservoir bellow, taking the meniscus with it.
The process is not instant; by design, to protect the integrity of the meniscus, it will take several seconds, during which the watch will be alive with a sinuous, engineered smoothness. It is an extremely satisfying process to view, one worth waiting for twice a day.
Purchase a digital copy of our July issue to learn about the history of HYT and the latest H0 watches.
