The Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument benefits from the technical and architectural mechanics of the Quatuor principle by adopting Calibre RD101. The most immediately noticeable feature of this movement, vividly highlighted here in the Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument, is its four sprung balances. Working in pairs to provide immediate compensation for the rate variations caused by the changes in position, this efficient foursome enables the movement to operate at the stunning frequency of 16 Hz and thus ensures an exceptional degree of precision.
Like the Excalibur Spider models unleashed at the 2015 edition of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie with their high-tech contemporary materials, the Pocket Time Instrument is made of titanium. It also takes on board the Spider concept and even pushes it a notch further than previously by skeleton-working the ‘bow’ serving to protect the crown at 12 o’clock. In addition, this typical pocket-watch configuration frees up the sides of the generous 60 mm case, thus further magnifying the openworked effect. Compared with the Excalibur Quatuor wristwatches, the chapter ring has been shifted towards the exterior of the dial circumference, thereby freeing up even more space for the movement to reveal its fascinating intricacies. This bold and authentic attitude is entirely in keeping with the later part of its name: time instrument.
Taking the skeleton theme to its ultimate conclusion, the link construction of the chain echoes the alternating solid and void areas, while the finely crafted base is designed to form an inseparable entity with the watch. Last but not least, this new creation embodies a fascinating nod to tradition and the initial vocation of the tourbillon in cancelling out the detrimental effects of gravity on pocket watches generally kept in a vertical position. In this instance, the gravity-defying Quatuor technology – staged by the Spider concept and framed by the iconic Excalibur exterior – finds a natural home in a Pocket Time Instrument.
