The H4 Gotham is the first HYT piece to have a case made entirely from diabolically rigid 3DTP™ carbon. It is also the very first HYT to display the time off-centre on its bezel, rather than on the flange. And finally, it is the first time that HYT has equipped its creation with an all-new technical strap, combining rubber and Nomex™ technical fibre.
"The general idea of the H4 Gotham is to be more sporty and more technical," emphasises the CEO Vincent Perriard. "The H1 movement and the H4 movement are extremely architectural and technical. Our customers, partners and retailers did not want to see more: they wanted to see it all."
To achieve this objective, HYT worked on both segments of the calibre. In the upper part, where the movement prevails, most of the components have been openworked, and the dial eliminated. The entire gear train is visible, as well as part of the barrel. And so that all the parts are directly visible, without adornments, there is a sapphire disc, secured by three anchor points in particular at 4 and 8 o'clock, housing the minute indicator and the power reserve indicator at 3 o'clock.
The lower part of the calibre meanwhile houses the now famed bellows, also known as pistons. Their general vertical architecture remains unchanged however, the cage housing them has been completely redesigned: now, the two barrels are almost entirely visible thanks to a new cut in the 4–8 o'clock segment.
HYT has for the first time engraved the time indexes on the bezel. This frees up a large area of the dial from the indexes, further opening up the whole face for an unobstructed view. The case size of the H4 has been increased to 51 mm to reinforce this feeling of space and maximum openness.
The H4 is a genuine skeleton piece, but its plays of light are more complex than they appear and the Gotham sees a continuous fight between the shadows and the light.
For example, HYT has equipped its H4 with a new sapphire case-back. With a chromium-plated metallised finish, this has a double role: in contact with the skin, the metallised finish reproduces a smoky glass effect. On the movement side, inside the case, the chromium-plated finish gives the illusion of a mirror.
On the time indicator side, red has been chosen to inhabit the capillary of the H4 Gotham. It marks the progress of the hours, with the retrograde display, signature of the brand. This ‘bloody’ tone is also adopted by the seconds wheel at 9 o'clock, as well as the power reserve at 3 o'clock and the strap’s top stitching. On the materials side, HYT has adorned its carbon case with a rubber sheathed screw-down DLC titanium crown. The HYT exclusive skeleton mechanical hand-wound movement has hand-bevelled bridges decorated with Côtes de Genève and provides a power reserve of 65 hours.
