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Confrérie Horlogère

“Clef du Temps” Tourbillon

LA CLEF DU TEMPS is an exceptional wristwatch that allows to modulate the speed of time: it means that “according to La Clef du Temps” ½ an hour can last 1 hours, 2 hours can last ½ hours or one hours can simply remain one hour. In fact there is a special device that can be actioned that modify the pace-of-time , making the hour and minute hands goes faster or slower.

The prototype of “La Clef du Temps” was the second MOST EXPENSIVE timepiece sold during ONLY WATCH: an auction that took place in Monaco on the 24th of September to raise funds in favor of children affected by Duchenne Muscular dystrophy. The price 280’000 euro.     

In its “Mentors” Collection, Confrérie Horlogère presents the “Clef du Temps” Tourbillon: an exceptional timepiece that that allows the wearer  to “modulate the speed of time”. Confrérie Horlogère upmarket watch brand’s “Les Masters” collection is the venue for the presentation of outstanding movements born of pioneering mechanical and engineering research. A prime example is “La Clef du Temps” tourbillon watch featuring a hand-wound mechanical movement providing three days of power reserve.

Truly unusual in design, issued in a very limited series of 24, each of which corresponds to a timezone, “La Clef du Temps” is the brainchild of Mathias Buttet, founder of Confrérie Horlogère.This extraordinary mechanical timepiece conveys the idea that “true luxury and wealth lie in the possibility to manage one’s time”...

“La Clef du Temps” houses a sophisticated mechanism that allows the wearer to “modulate the speed of the time”. How, exactly? Simply actioning a three-position crown opposite 9 o’clock alters the running speed of the hours and the minutes – the latter displayed at 2 o’clock.

Crown position 1 : the pace of time slows by half (so that the value of one normal hour is displayed as a half-hour on the dial of “La Clef du Temps”).

Crown position 2 : the pace of time remains the same (i.e. one hour remains one hour).

Crown position 3 : the pace of time is doubled (so a standard half-hour becomes a full hour on the dial of “La Clef du Temps”).

This way, pleasant moments can be made to last twice as long, while unpleasant ones can be shortened by half while always retaining the option to “return” to real time. The watch’s extremely sophisticated mechanism allows its time indications to remain in positions 1 or 3 as long as its wearer wishes since a simple return of the crown to position 2 resets the hour and the minute hand to the real time of day.

What for Mathias Buttet does his unusual watch stand for? A sort of revenge …. A family weekend with the kids will make anyone realize how quickly happy moments evaporate while moments of crisis or gloom seem never-ending. Mathias Buttet’s “La Clef du Temps” thus provides twenty-four people with a rare opportunity to regain control over their time by... controlling the speed at which is flows.

Its lifetime warranty and totally Swiss-made provenance constitute signature features of this and all Confrérie Horlogère productions.

DANISH DESIGNE

OBAKU

Obaku Watches signs up seven new countries at the September Watch and Clock fair in Hong Kong

In a world where we are always chasing the next mountain top, Obaku, a Danish designed watch brand with a Japanese philosophy, wants to remind us to stop and smell the flowers – forget about time and let the moment rule. It could seem, however, that the brand Obaku smells the flowers from its own mountain top. In just two years Obaku has penetrated 21 countries and at the industry fair in Hong Kong in September another seven countries have signed up to promote forgetting about time.

“We are thrilled that Obaku is already represented in so many countries” says brand manager Allan Jensen. “We are especially excited to be starting up in large markets such as U.S.A, Australia and India following the recent Watch and Clock fair in Hong Kong”. It has been quite the feat to introduce a new brand worldwide in times of economical crisis and in a market where thousands of brands are already competing for space on the shelves at watch retailers. “I think it is a combination of great design, a timely message and good price points that has brought us to where we are”, Allan Jensen says.

Contemporary design with a message
‘Obaku’ is originally the name of a branch of the Japanese Zen philosophy, which promotes simplicity in life. This philosophy goes well with the background of the two Danish designers behind the watches, who are both trained in the minimalist Scandinavian design tradition. “Some people believe that a simple and clean design is easy to make,” one of the designers, Lau Liengaard Ruge, says. “It is in fact the opposite; the simpler the design, the greater the demand for perfectionism. With a simple design even the tiniest design flaw will be exposed. Every detail has to be perfect”. The other Obaku designer, Christian Mikkelsen, adds “It is interesting how the clean Scandinavian design tradition fits so well with the Zen philosophy of omitting all superfluous details”.

The minimalist watches are made of materials such as solid steel and titanium and all Obaku watches will be using environmentally friendly batteries. Every year more than one billion watches are emitting mercury and lead into the environment. Obaku has taken the first step towards a more green solution with their mercury and lead free batteries. “We are promoting clean living”, brand manager Allan Jensen says from his office in Denmark, “Clean in spirit, clean in design and of course environmentally clean”. The Obaku logo is inspired by the calligraphic ‘circle of life’ symbol. The logo depicts the passing of time, and is intended to remind us that every day is important. The paradoxical message of the Obaku watches is to forget about time. “We want to promote living in the moment,” Allan Jensen explains, “It is important to enjoy every moment; however, we also have to live in the real world, where the train departs at 2.15. Our point is that we should remember to enjoy where we are right now.” With retail prices ranging from USD 98 to 200 most people are even able to afford to live in the moment with Obaku.

Addressing a megatrend
According to the acclaimed Danish trend lab; PEJ group, we have all been bombarded with a surplus of products and information during the past 10 years. The more and the bigger the better it has been. More gold and sparkle, more colours, more layer upon layer. We run faster and faster and we want it all. According to the PEJ group, we have had enough now. The new trend is that we want to clean out, find calm in ourselves and our surroundings and have more time for absorption and pensiveness. When it comes to watches, the Obaku collection fits perfectly into this new mega trend. With its roots in the Zen philosophy and the clean, minimalist design, Obaku is now ready to make the population of seven more countries forget about time.

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