When Singer Reimagined Watches was launched in 2017, the worlds of car design and fine watchmaking met in new and spectacular fashion. Here was a completely new chronograph movement, designed and built by Geneva movement thinktank Agenhor, housed in a watch that recalled the iconic designs of the 1960s and 1970s. Vintage sports watches formed part of the inspiration, of course, but also automotive legends such as the Porsche 911 (which Singer is intimately associated with due to its formidable reputation in restoring vintage Porsches).
Through its various iterations over the last five years, the Singer Reimagined Track1 has yet to exhaust its appeal, proving once and for all that great design endures. The latest version of this watch is the Track1 SKLT CARBON, a lightweight iteration of the Track1 SKLT Gold that was launched just a few months earlier.
While gold perfectly expresses the vibrant warmth of retro design that Singer Reimagined evokes with such skill, the new case in carbon composite brings a sleek high-tech look that firmly anchors the watch in the field of modern watchmaking. Known for its high strength-to-weight ratio and its widespread use in the realm of motorsports, carbon-fibre composite is immediately identifiable through its striated appearance and unique reflective properties.
The dial is openworked in a way that recalls the hexagonal “honeycomb” that forms the air intake grilles on high-performance sports cars, revealing the rotor underneath. Wait a minute — you say — the rotor is underneath the dial? Indeed, this is a distinguishing feature of the AgenGraphe movement, having the automatic winding mechanism of the watch located beneath the dial rather than at the rear of the watch. Doing so ensures that the innovative chronograph mechanism is completely visible (instead of being partially obscured at all times by a conventionally located oscillating mass) while retaining the convenience and functionality of an automatic winding movement.
Reinforcing the automotive theme, the minutes ring is driven a central disc which is openworked to resemble car wheel rims, specifically the five-spoked “Fuchs” wheel of the 1967 Porsche 911S, the first time a lightweight forged alloy wheel was used in a production vehicle. This symbol of material innovation in the automotive world is perfectly paired with the carbon composite case and rubber strap (a first in the Singer Reimagined collection).
The dark case and strap are intended to focus the attention towards the centre of the dial, where the chronograph indications are located. While the hours and minutes are indicated towards the periphery of the dial, on rotating rings that are read off a bright orange marker at 6 o’clock, the chronograph is read via three co-axial and centrally mounted hands — a truly unique system of expressing this familiar horological complication.
In 2018, the Singer Track1 and the AgenGraphe were awarded the Chronograph Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, signalling the high approbation that watch experts and critics had for the timepiece and its movement. Four years later, the Track1 SKLT CARBON fully embodies the phrase — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
