Last January, HYT presented the new Skull, available in DLC titanium with green fluid - the Green Eye - and in 5N rose gold and black DLC titanium, featuring red fluid - the Red Eye. Then, in March, the collection was enriched with by a precious version set with diamonds.
Today, HY unveils its latest model: The Skull Maori. When asked what the driving force behind the creation of the Skull Maori was, HYT Art Director Xavier Casals discussed the desire to further emphasise the skull shape of the piece by using a rare and traditional hand engraving, a beautiful Metier d’Art. Casals added that the use of the Maori tribal tattoo, often associated with a skull, was another integral part to the concept.
The use of a capillary, which carries a fluid to act as the hour marker, is a concept that is already mastered by HYT and its partners. However, any significant changes in form require extensive background work. For the Skull, the skull shape of the tube, which measures less than one millimetre in diameter, was a significant challenge in itself. The issue centred on the capillary’s four angles, two of which are almost 90° at the base. These curves meant that bending the glass was a particularly delicate task.
In line with the raw, primitive imagery of the skull, HYT also decided to do away with the minutes. This bold choice has two consequences. Firstly, it shifts the main focus to the capillary, the only sensory indicator of time as it passes, and secondly it centres all the attention on the piece’s architectural design, with its assertive, confident skull, which occupies almost the entire surface of the dial. Similarly, in stark contrast to its other pieces, HYT chose to almost completely hide the movement on the dial side.
To breathe life into the skull, HYT instead introduced a number of new developments. Firstly, the two vertical bellows function continuously – it is their subtle expansion and contraction which causes the fluid to move.
In addition, the eyes of the Skull have a life of their own. The right eye indicates the power reserve of the watch. Using a series of subtly different translucent coloured inserts, the eye gradually darkens as the piece nears the end of its 65 hours of power. The left eye hides a barely visible seconds dial which rotates continuously. You only have to look the Skull in the eyes to observe its spirit and the life, in the most literal sense, flowing at its heart. In both cases, a subtle honeycomb pattern provides the background and adds depth to the eyes.
