In 2015, Schwarz Etienne released its inaugural Roswell timepiece, a watch defined by rounded contours coupled with sharply defined edges. The silhouette of this watch was inspired by the shape of a flying saucer and is a graceful reference to its inspiration, the Roswell mystery. While the source of the Roswell’s nomenclature is a mysterious alien phenomenon, there is no mystery to the various mechanisms at work on this fascinating timepiece.
Its date mechanism is presented in a new light and profoundly revisited. Its architecture plays on volumes, contrasting materials and colours. Each of its components comes in perfectly finished steel, standing out from the dark and uniform finish of the movement, including the micro-rotor. Column wheels, jumper, springs, and levers are freely disclosed. A crescent-shaped aperture at 2 o’clock reveals the prevailing date while at 11 o’clock a subtle second’s display resides. A fundamental aspect of the dial’s design is the exposure of the balance. The gleaming balance cock sits adjacent the unique balance wheel, incorporating the Schwarz Etienne logo. The hours and minutes are imparted using elegant Alpha-type hands.
This innovative Manufacture has expertly designed a date mechanism which features enhanced functionality and increased reliability. The self-winding micro-rotor movement ISE 100.11, an evolution of the ISE 100.00, features a balance and hairspring fully developed and manufactured in collaboration with E20 Innovations, a sister company of Schwarz Etienne. The ISE 100.11 is an inverted movement with the regulator and micro-rotor positioned on the dial side of the calibre. The movement possesses a power reserve of 86 hours and is exquisitely finished with impeccable attention to detail.
This exceptional timepiece is housed within an unashamedly masculine stainless-steel case, measuring 45mm in diameter. The knurled crown is shrouded by a special guard, whose lower part of which acts as a pushbutton for the rapid correction of the date. The Roswell Date is offered on a tobacco calfskin strap featuring a bright orange or pistachio green calfskin lining.
