Depth through rhodium plating
Rhodium plating consists of depositing a thin layer of rhodium on metal components. This helps prevent oxidation and thus maintain a more stable color over time. Also, the metallic silvery-white shade of this precious metal, from the platinum family, has a very distinctive shine — used for aesthetic purposes. The rhodium finish applied to the bridges of the Folle Journée movement transforms the piece’s appearance. The stronger contrast between the bridges and the display rings emphasizes the watch’s three-dimensionality, giving it more character.
Green, black, and blue
Folle Journée teases the imagination in its new rhodium-plated versions with rings in blue, black, or green. The latter is a particularly unique shade, presented for the first time on this model. A green like a promise of undulating meadows, with a calming freshness at dusk. The rhodium plating on the bridges paradoxically draws attention to the space between these colored rings and the bridges. Like a realization of the piece’s three dimensions. A play begins between the material and the “voids” of the dial, arranged like a sculpture of time.
Art, culture, literature… always!
To understand the unique spirit that Folle Journée gives off, remember the launch of the piece in 2023. Then, Trilobe once again surprised with its ability to challenge the codes of watchmaking and create a new aesthetic. At the root of this extraordinary creativity is culture. Gautier Massonneau, who founded the brand in 2018, is a voracious reader—one of those who know how to make their passion interact with other fields. Books, plays, and artistic movements infuse his approach to watchmaking. Resulting in distinctive creations supported by a rich coherence between content and form.
Thus, Folle Journée, Trilobe’s third watch, expresses the exuberance of the play “The Marriage of Figaro, a Crazy Day” by Beaumarchais. This exuberance bursts forth in three dimensions—“a rather difficult exercise,” explains Gautier Massonneau. “The connection with Beaumarchais is very interesting. He was a watchmaker before becoming a playwright. His comedy invites us to oppose the codes of his time in order to rework them differently. Trilobe does this from a watchmaking perspective.”
But through Folle Journée, Trilobe also creates anachronistic and creative links between Beaumarchais and brutalist architecture, which inspired the X-Centric caliber, the brand’s signature. Developed by Le Cercle des Horlogers, this movement features an original construction with straight vertical and horizontal lines, instead of the more conventional circular layout. “These large vanishing lines create a strong visual effect that recalls brutalist architecture, based on similar principles,” the founder explains. An arrangement that evokes the rigorous and geometric organization of brutalist buildings—of which Le Corbusier was notably a pioneer.
At Trilobe, time is not imposed; it composes. It escapes conventions, structured like a work of art, between literature and architecture. These new variations of Folle Journée are sculpted in light and contrast. An invitation to get lost… or to find oneself, in the rhythm of a day not quite like the others.
*Liu Cixin, “Death’s End,” 2010
