An encounter between Fine Watchmaking and fluid mechanics.

An encounter between Fine Watchmaking and fluid mechanics. One might say a utopia. Shattering all certainties, steamrollering conformity, the idea that led to the H1 was simple and consisted of two flexible reservoirs fixed to each end of a capillary. In one was an aqueous liquid filled with fluorescein, and in the other, a transparent viscous liquid. To keep them separate : the repulsive force of the molecules in each liquid, with a meniscus to mark the boundary between the two.

As the hours go by, the fluorescent liquid advances. The meniscus, in the shape of a half moon, marks the breaking point with the other fluid in the tube, indicating the time. At 18:00, the fluorescent liquid comes back to its original position, going backwards. The secret that gets the reservoirs going ? Two bellows made of a highly resistant, flexible
electro-deposited alloy, each driven by a piston. And this is where watchmaking comes in to activate the system.

The two reservoirs at 06:00. While the first compresses, the second expands, and the other way round, resulting in the movement of  the liquid in the capillary.

A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT TO ACTIVATE THE HYDRO SYSTEM

Orchestrated by Brino Moutarlier, alongside Jean-François Mojon and his Chronode SA team, a mechanical movement is situated in the upper part of the watch, and propels a cam, which pushes the piston and activates the bellows.

The main challenge lay in finding an interface between the mechanical movement and the hydro system in a closed, waterproof circuit – a task further complicated by the limited space available to house them both. They had to be assembled separately to keep them independent, and then made to operate simultaneously. This is a highly delicate modular integration, which involves other constraints, such as the installation of the dial in two parts, through the sides.

Case:
– Titanium in black DLC with brushed, shot-peened and satin-finished surfaces brushed pink gold (5N) bezel and lugs
– Diameter: 48.8 mm
– Thickness: 17.9 mm
– Rubber-clad screw-lock crown
– Crown guard
– Screw-locked added lugs
– Metal dome at 06:00
– Cambered sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating on the inside
– Screw-down sapphire back

Dial:
– Unstructured, fluid jours
– Back dial, pink gold (5N) indexes and numerals, Pink gold (5N) minute hand
– Luminescent hand and hour-markers
– Regulator at 12:00
– Small seconds wheel at 09:30
– Power reserve indicator at 02:30

Bellows
The secret force driving the reservoirs is two bellows made of a highly resistant, flexible electro-deposited alloy, each driven by a piston. And this is where watchmaking comes in to activate the system.

Also known as: HYT 148-DG-22-GF-RU, 148DG22GFRU