Unbeaten and unbeatable: Hautlence Invictus & Vortex Gamma

 
Hautlence, a luxury watch manufacture based in Neuchâtel known for bringing a new dynamism to the art of fine watchmaking, is continuously reinventing itself. For SIHH 2018, Hautlence played with daring colourways for the most recent addition to the collection, which also features the HONEYCOMB pattern and is paired with a coloured bezel. The INVICTUS NEON is available in orange, yellow and green.

The vibrant colours of the Invictus’ dial and bezel (priced at 21,500 CHF – including tax/ 18.500 Euros) create a striking contrast with the three deep black hour, minute, and seconds counters, in keeping with the case, with its middle and horns made from grade 2 bead- blasted titanium, providing a matte finish. The crown and push-buttons are also black, but these are polished then coated in PVD to add a contrasting touch of brightness. Four steel nuts complete the case’s construction, underscoring its rebellious side.

With annual production of around 200 pieces, HAUTLENCE has five calibres designed and developed in-house, whilst also relying on external partners for the movements used in certain collections. It offers a collection of 21 models, organised into four different sub- collections: Atelier, Concept d’exception, Signature and, inspired by mechanical toys and launched in 2015: Playground.

The timepieces are created and produced in Switzerland, in Neuchâtel and the Jura mountains, in the very highest tradition of Swiss watchmaking, and are signed with the label “Horlogerie Suisse”. The components are produced externally using a network of thirty-five partners and subcontractors, all based in the Neuchâtel/Jura region.

HAUTLENCE VORTEX GAMMA MAGMA TRON watch 2018

The science-fiction classic TRON gave the name to the Hautlence Vortex Gamma Tron watch.

For the Vortex Gamma Tron, HAUTLENCE has chosen a revolutionary composite material hailing from the automotive and aerospace industry: HLLightColor. Charged with ceramic nanotube particles, HLLightColor can be body tinted rather than coated with colour. It can also be made phosphorescent.

For the Vortex Gamma Tron strap, HAUTLENCE has opted for a high-tech loose-knit fabric, in white with blue top stitching to match the colour codes of this model. As HLLightColor can be used to create custom-made pieces, these colours can be chosen by HAUTLENCE’s customers to suit their own taste.

HAUTLENCE VORTEX GAMMA MAGMA watch 2018

HAUTLENCE is again using HLLightColor, a material which can be body tinted to take on a specific shade of any colour, to provide a vibrant showcase for the HL2.0 manufacture calibre of the new Vortex Gamma Magma.

HLLightColor is charged with ceramic nanotube particles, and its properties are identical to those of a conventional watch industry metal; highly resilient, yet four times lighter than titanium. It can be machined with the same precision and to within the same tolerances, thus enabling extremely complex finishing operations, alternating brushed, polished and sand-blasted surfaces. Alongside its remarkable high-tech properties, this material opens up a world of aesthetic possibility which knows no bounds. Intrinsically tinted rather than coated, HLLightColor enables HAUTLENCE to pick the boldest hues from the colour palette, as the flamboyant Vortex Gamma Magma clearly demonstrates.

The minute dial, made from almost entirely transparent sapphire, offers a large window onto the HL2.0 self-winding calibre which drives the Vortex Gamma. Orange, the unifying feature of this model, is found on each of the 12 articulated links in the hour chain, a key function of the movement. Every 60 minutes, the chain turns in 3-4 seconds, gently and with control to avoid any shocks or loss of energy, whilst leaving enough time to admire the beauty of the movement and its mechanisms in action. The regulating organ is integrated into the mobile bridge-type calibre, with the change in position actuated by the display improving accuracy by statistically offsetting the effects of gravity.