As they did at the 2007 Baselworld show, Hysek has once again managed to come up with a piece that was a certified hit at the 2008 annual gathering. In fact, long after the lights went out and the doors to Baselworld ’08 were closed, visitors and the press were still raving about the manufacture’s centerpiece, the mind-boggling Colosso, a minute repeater GMT that again displays the technical competence of Hysek SA when it comes to creating extremely complicated mechanisms.
Though a great deal of time was consumed on the watch case’s finishing and detailing, it is the mechanical complication that is amazing; that and the three dimensional 12mm replica of the Earth that seems suspended from the 12 o’clock position. This is no static representation of the planet, as it rotates on a 24-hour period and can be set to do so either at the local time or Greenwich Mean Time. The minute repeater system, a titanium visual and technical marvel that is an integral part of the Colosso’s one of a kind mechanism can be clearly seen through the sapphire crystal face. Blending seamlessly with the watch’s already extraordinary case are the two miniaturized cathedral timbres. These little wonders generate crystal clear sound which signal the passage of either an hour, a quarter of an hour or minutes as set by the watch’s owner.
The Colosso is one of the most complicated pieces that has seen the light of day and understandably, it will come in a very, very limited edition. The exact number is as yet unknown but seeing one completed piece is enough to catapult Hysek to the forefront of avantgarde watchmaking.
HYSEK COLOSSO
Movement: Hours, quarters, minutes repeater mechanism,
cathedral timbres, 62 jewels
Case: 18k white or rose gold, lateral sapphire glass and backside in sapphire
Functions: Big date at 12 o’clock, 3 dimensions’ earth of 12mm diameters
at 12 o’clock, cities indication of the 24 time zones
Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour
Power Reserve: 8 hours
Glass: Sapphire glass with anti reflection treatment