The brand Cyrus was established just 10 years ago, but has already cemented its reputation as a creator of eye-catching mechanisms, such as in the example of the Klepcys vertical tourbillon. Thanks to master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon and his considerable expertise in creating enduring works of enduring horological significance, Le Locle-based Cyrus is now reinterpreting one of the most functional watch complications in its signature style.
The new Klepcys GMT Retrograde comes in the brand’s recognisable cushion shaped case with three-dimensional dial architecture. While the hours and minutes are indicated conventionally around the periphery of the openworked dial, a second time-zone scale is displayed in a 275° blue arc. When the second time-zone hand is at midnight (the 24h mark between the 4 and 5 o’clock position), it turns dramatically in an anticlockwise retrograde sweep to restart its journey around the second time-zone arc.
Combining the GMT function with a retrograde display is particularly expressive at this point in history, when travel is restricted and the ease of crossing between countries and time zones (which so many of us took for granted) has been curtailed. For the average 21st-century person living in the developed world, an international existence is presumed, and the indication of a second time zone, although perhaps not strictly germane to our current situation, is still representative of how we may mentally (and emotionally) function in spaces that are chronologically distant from where we physically are.
I’ve often observed that the retrograde indication of time is something both visually delightful and conceptually fascinating — it is rooted in two of the prime motivating forces for us as humans, the spirit of ambition which drives us forwards, and the heart’s longing for a return to the past. It is a reminder that, as much as time carries us into the future, our fundamental reasons behind everything we do lie in our origin stories.
The Cyrus Klepcys GMT Retrograde is available in three different case variations: full polished titanium, polished titanium case with black DLC-coated titanium bezel, and full black DLC-coated titanium. The lightness and strength of titanium make this watch particularly suited for travel, while the dark DLC coating offers a higher level of scratch resistance and under-the-radar discretion. True to its ready-for-anything outlook, the Klepcys GMT Retrograde is also water-resistant up to 10 ATM and comes with a black rubber strap.
