DeWitt Academia Hour Planet – the veritable marriage of the world of mechanics and the world of travel

 

 

Haute Horlogerie Manufacture DeWitt, the Geneva-based watchmaker founded in 2003, is going back to basics, to its DNA: a man, a vision, an uncompromising passion for inventing mechanical machines.

DeWitt Academia Hour Planet is the latest example of this micromanufacture’s capacity to re-invent itself, an ideal means of showcasing the passage of time. A perfect marriage of the world of mechanics and the world of travel. This luxurious timepiece boasts an exceptional centrepiece: a GMT globe bordered by the signature DeWitt chain.

A lover of satellite images of the Earth, Jérôme de Witt has blended his passion for mechanics with the inspiration that has come from his travels. It was after looking out from the window of an aeroplane one day that Count Jérôme de Witt decided to incorporate a textured globe into a watch. The iconic DeWitt chain has been crafted entirely by hand from 192
components. The chain causes the globe to rotate according to the time zone one is in, with a day/night indicator.

This high-end timepiece features a mechanical movement with a 55-hour power reserve. Bordered by DeWitt’s famous imperial columns, the minimalist and highly embossed dial is decorated with a completely visible balance regulator that is suspended and held in place by a highly elevated bridge. The 46 mm luxury case features a black alligator-skin strap with large scales.

Each detail has been carefully thought out, requiring a substantial investment of time.

This new creation perfectly reflects the finishing standards adopted by the DeWitt Manufacture: the surfaces and hands have been manually chamfered, satin-brushed and polished. These touches display a high level of technical skill and a rare sense of depth. A rare piece, one where to quote Leonardo da Vinci, the “details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail”.

This back-to-basics approach by DeWitt was key and with it a simple message: smaller collections, with a threefold reduction in the number of models, and a greater emphasis on major pieces, like this new Academia Hour Planet with its distinctive characteristics like the famous imperial columns.