Since launching Paris-based start-up Trilobe in 2018, founder and creative director Gautier Massonneau has been writing himself into modern-day watchmaking history with his compelling “hands-free” vision of telling the time.
Throughout Trilobe’s impressive collections, traditional watch hands are dispensed with; in their stead are three eccentric rotating rings – a peripheral hour ring, an inner minutes ring and innermost seconds disc, coupled with a fixed indicator, usually in the form of a trefoil – un trilobe in French.
Developing this innovative, time-only display has required – and revealed – the considerable creative talent of Massonneau, a former banker and son of an architect and interior designer. It has equally entailed the development of a proprietary micro-rotor movement which has seen Trilobe partner with Le Cercle des Horlogers near Neuchâtel.
It hasn’t all been about design and mechanics though. Gautier has woven literary themes into his watchmaking, christening each collection after a celebrated piece of writing that references a time of day.
Trilobe’ stunning debut creation, Les Matinaux (The Morning), honours a collection of poems by René Char. Its minimalist, Grand Prix de Genève-winning follow-up, Nuit Fantastique (Fantastic Night), alludes to Stefan Zweig’s volume of short stories. And the title of Gautier’s three-dimensional third act, La Folle Journée (The Crazy Day) refers to the Pierre Beaumarchais play The Marriage of Figaro.
Flowing Poetry
At Watchers & Wonders 2024, Trilobe has kept the bookish vibe going and the poetry flowing by introducing its first ever complication. As part of a new timepiece named after Paul Verlaine’s poem L’Heure Exquise (The Exquisite Hour) – which describes how silver moonlight beautifully glows at nightfall – the complication in question is the most lyrical of them all: A moonphase indicator.
Aesthetically, L’Heure Exquise draws heavily on Trilobe’s first collection "Les Matinaux", and even incorporates the latter in its full name “Les Matinaux L’Heure Exquise”.
As such, we see a five-part dial comprising three eccentric rotating rings including the peripheral hour ring and inner minutes ring. But now the innermost ring is a stunning dual display consisting of a star-spangled sapphire disc notionally indicating seconds and, below it, the moonphase display.
Like most moonphases, the one integrated into Les Matinaux L’Heure Exquise features two identical moons, here laser-textured in brass, coupled with a blued disc that rotates one full cycle every 29.5 days, imitating the moon's orbit around the earth.
The disc turns thanks to a 59-tooth gear that has been added to the brand’s proprietary X-Centric calibre featuring 48-hour power reserve and dark bridges treated with black gold that can be seen thorough the transparent display back.
Returning to the face of the watch, and there is a veritable mesmeric quality to the dial details, such as the slanting numerals that help to accentuate the motion of the rings indicating the time. These rings and the plates in between them have been sandblasted to create a fine matte texture, while the moonphase display and seconds are framed by a smart polished and satin-finished flange.
Captivating Colourways
Beyond the lyricism of the dial, Trilobe has ensured that the Les Matinaux L’Heure Exquise ticks all the boxes in terms of overall looks and wearability. Indeed, there is a neat choice of dial colours, case sizes and case materials, plus dial customisation options.
The dashing “Blue” dial comes with either a 38.5mm or 40.5mm case in lightweight titanium, or a 40.5mm case in 18k rose gold. If desired, each of these can be transformed into a personalised “Secret” edition featuring a Super-LumiNova representation of the starry sky as actually seen over a given location on a certain date at a specific time – a great way to honour a memorable event or precious moment.
Then there is a gorgeous, sand-toned “Dune” dial which is also available with 38.5mm or 40.5mm titanium case, or 40.5mm rose gold case.
In total, Les Matinaux L’Heure Exquise will be limited to a hundred pieces. For more information, please visit Trilobe’s website.
