Thanks Jesús
Jesús dijo:
I have never published the sketches of this watch. From the photos, the hour ring goes into the watch case. In the final version, the hour ring will float over the dial and the minutere ring will be on the crystal. This provides a layering of three levels with the intent to bring the eye into the center of the watch. The tourbillon cage will be seen on both sides of the hour ring and is so large it will extend slightly into the case.
The initial idea was to explode the dial and pull the ring up. I didn't realize by being so close to the ring that the appliques would float under at low angles. Richard realized this and warned me, but I needed to see to understand how it looked. We will need to pull the appliques out to the center of the dial a few millimeters.
I like a design balance between space, depth and motion. The tourbillon assembly that Richard has designed for the Unitas 6498, for me, has a strong presence. It is cut with sharp angles and represents a very straight design. It has a very masculine feel. The cut-out on the edges of the tourbillon cage, to go under the hour wheel, lend the initial depth to the dial. The problem I had with his original concept was it provided a peek into the mechanism, but lacked the ability to bring out the depth and cut of the tourbillon. This removed a dimension to the watch that I like. The motion of the tourbillon would draw the eye but I also wanted the depth to center the focus. It was deliberate not to decorate this watch. I admire the work that goes into decoration and finish, but in this case, the watch needs to stay clean and open. Part of this is not to include the seconds sub-dial and keep the vertical and circular satines in place.
I understood that the tourbillon cage was so large that it swept under the hour wheel. There are two basic approaches to solving this problem, you hide it or make it a feature. I was trying to sink the dial, similiar to way the VH Classic dial adds depth, to bring the tourbillon forward. Richard had the idea to split the dial face and bring the hour ring to the top. The hour wheel would go on top of the lower dial and become a feature. By cutting it to match the style of the tourbillon cage, he was able to blend both together.
This is not an extremely expensive watch. Richard charges the same price to design a watch for a manufacturer as he does a private party. The basic watch is 1500 Euros. Upgrades, like a power reserve are generally around 500 Euros. The addition of a tourbillon is 8500 Euros more. The one that I sketched will cost more because of the extra work on the presentation, but not that much more. The whole process will take about two years, so in about 6 months the watch should be finished. Since I have a limit on how much I can spend on watches, I was able to convince my wife that if I did not buy a watch for two years, I could work with Richard on this tourbillon. The next step is to see if this design will work without a tourbillon and have the sub-second dial at 6 o'clock float between the hour ring and the base dial.
DaveB