What is the common denominator of all sports that are timed with a standing start? The answer is sound. Athletes leap from the starting blocks when the starting gun is fired; boxers begin and end a fight when the bell rings; and horses burst out of the stalls at the sound of the starting pistol. Nonetheless, no chronograph had so far reflected this sporting reality. The Kantharos model from the Manufacture Christophe Claret changes all that.
This timepiece is a mono-pusher chronograph with striking mechanism sounding on cathedral gongs. This type of in-house made movement was already featured in the DualTow model presented in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the manufacture. It is now enriched with a cathedral gong, a complication already introduced in the Soprano model. Christophe Claret now combines these two worlds and further enhances them with a constant-force device, thus giving birth to a type of timepiece unprecedented in the watch industry, “created from scratch and fully integrated with no additional module”, as Christophe Claret points out. “This approach is driven by a concern for technical as well as aesthetic coherence if one wishes to keep the watch to a reasonable size”.
Technical movement, intuitive design
In keeping with the noblest Fine Watchmaking traditions, the Kantharos chronograph is equipped with a column-wheel coupling clutch that avoids the chronograph hand jerking when activated and thus enhances the precision of the elapsed time measurement.
This quest for precision is also in evidence when it comes to conventional time measurement. The Kantharos has indeed been treated to a constant force escapement that is visible through the dial at 6 o’clock. This mechanism serves to achieve a significant reduction in the watch’s variations in rate by arming the balance-spring more frequently and thus improving the constancy of the escape-wheel torque.
The chronograph indications are read off using discs. The hours counter is at 9 o’clock, opposite its twin minutes counter at 3 o’clock. While the display is extremely readable, the process behind it is proportionately complex. Each disc actually comprises two: one in a sapphire bearing the numerals; and another black and white one below it carrying a red indicator marking off the elapsed time.
Stunning pictorial composition
The first is the materials used. In addition to white gold and titanium, the watchmaker has co-developed a new material to produce laminated steel, code-named M-15X. The result is more homogeneous than traditional materials and also features a finer grain.
The latter enables Claret to optimise the second aesthetic variable of the Kantharos: namely its finish. By alternating between matt, shiny, polished and satin-brushed surfaces, it succeeds in establishing a powerful yet harmonious aesthetic signature.
Finally, the Manufacture tackled a third variable that enables the Kantharos to display a unique face: the architectural depth of its dial. The latter is built on several clearly visible levels, with the hands and bezel in the foreground, higher than the two counters that in sit atop the escapement and thus the movement. A discerning eye will note a subtle “V-shaped” like pictorial composition with the master-watchmaker’s signature at the top of the dial, just above the two counters of which the curves naturally draws the gaze to the escapement at 6 o’clock.
A turning point for the Manufacture
Well accustomed to top-flight horological complications and corresponding price tags, Christophe Claret is introducing the first model at under 100,000 CHF with the new Kantharos. “Our job is all about creating innovative watches, but creating an innovative watch at a more affordable was a real challenge for us!”, says Christophe Claret.
Some lucky individuals among those who have longed to treat themselves to a Claret may thus at last be able to reach their watchmaking holy grail. Christophe Claret believes that the Manufacture will be able to produce 1,000 of this model over a period of several years – an opportunity that many collectors will doubtless be keeping a close eye on.
