The new Hysek timepiece reveals the complexity of the chronograph in all its glory.
At 3 o’clock, the chronograph marks out 45 minutes, drawing attention just as much to the time being measured as to the workings behind it. Hysek has positioned a skeletonized flying tourbillon at 10 o’clock. The choice of this finish is anything but the fruit of chance: echoing the manufacture’s approach to the chronograph, it’s specifically designed to provide dizzying views down into the intricate escapement; an opportunity to delight in the mechanical innards of the tourbillon even as you watch it mark out the seconds. This design ethos is similarly present in Hysek’s hand-crafted finishing. The openwork tracery on the tourbillon appears literally to be suspended from a titanium frame, taking the theme of transparency to its apogee.
Hysek has sought to make the 360-part calibre as slim as possible. To achieve this, the manufacture has removed the oscillating weight, making room for the micro-rotor. The ‘double yet continuous’ design of the latter has become a hallmark of the brand. Double, because it has two weights – one beneath the dial and one at the back. The first is made from 22-carat rose gold, the one on the back from platinum. They are continuous, too, because both are located at 6 o’clock and connected by a single shaft. This Hysek invention saves a great deal of space whilst offering winding capabilities as powerful as those of a traditional oscillating weight. As a result, the IO Chronograph Tourbillon has an automatic calibre that is only 13 mm thick – and a 48-hour power reserve.
To clad the piece, Hysek has drawn on the design codes that have forged its identity. At the top of the dial, only the 11 and 1 are shown, just as they are to be found on most of the timepieces ever produced by the manufacture. While the “3-6-8” tri-compax layout is as one would expect, the arrangement of the openings has been completely revisited. The tourbillon is located at 10 o’clock – an unusual position, but one that gives the IO an elegant poise.
Lastly, the manufacture has once again used its Rose des Vents compass rose finish – one of the most delicate to fashion, and completed wholly by hand. For the colours, Hysek has gone for a sober look, with a 45 mm case made completely from rose gold, mounted on a black or chocolate-coloured alligator strap with a fold-over catch.
