The big news from Genus for the spring fairs is a brand-new collection that aesthetically rethinks the brand’s award-winning GNS1 horological technology. Aptly named the GNS2, this new timepiece functions in the exact same way as its predecessor and yet features a totally different design and vibe.
A Little Recap
The GNS1 was launched in 2019 and immediately took the watch world by storm when it won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s (GPHG) Mechanical Exception prize. It is rare for a newcomer to receive such a prestigious award, but the GNS1’s unique way of reading the time immediately caught the GPHG jury’s eye. This award-winning watch eliminated the traditional hour and minute hands and replaced them with an arrow at 9 o’clock (for the hours) and a mechanical snake-like creature (for the tens of minutes). Its unique design has led to numerous iterations in a host of colours, materials, and gemstones over the last five years.
A Different Kind of Beast
The new GNS2 is a very different kind of timepiece. Instead of making the Genus (head of the snake) and the Genera (body of the snake) the focus of the timepiece, this moving mechanical creature has been slightly hidden under the dial. Openings around the two subdials in this new model reveal the moving components below with three blue arrows – one on the head genus and two on the following genera – indicating the tens of minutes. Another three arrows can be found on the periphery of the dial, indicating the hours. All six blue arrows have been designed in the form of paper arrows, folded like in the Japanese art of origami.
An Array of Finishings
Even if the animation is slightly tamer than on the GNS1, this new piece has a dial adorned with a myriad of different levels, textures, materials and colours, creating a spectacular play on the light. The dial is divided into two sections, with two black subdials, one on top of the other, in the form of a figure of eight. Each side section has been hammered by hand using a tool with a tip that isa mere 1/10th of a millimeter wide, requiring tens of thousands of strikes to create this mesmerizing effect.
New Features
The case has been crafted from a single block of grade 5 titanium and has been redesigned in this new model to be slimmer than its predecessor with newly hollowed sides accentuating the curves. The case is also fitted with a new “glass box” sapphire crystal that maximizes the dial opening and enhances overall visibility.
For the movement – the Calibre 260Rh-2 – the brand has used the same technology, but the aesthetics have completely changed with each component designed and hand-decorated by the brand’s master watchmaker, Sébastien Billières.
This new piece is being debuted this week in Geneva with this initial “Launch Edition” coming in a limited edition of 18 pieces. For those in Geneva, you can discover this piece yourself by appointment at the Genus Showroom in the Fairmont Grand Hotel.
