Once at dawn of the 20th century the art-nouveau won the whole Europe leaving its traces not only in artistic heritage but also in technical designs of that time. Today, when science and technology are developing violently, the combination of advanced technology and creative ideas of the past may make a sensational effect. As, for example, the Papillon made by an independent designer Andreas Strehler.
Papillon is in general a modified version of Opus 7. As well as in Opus, the positional centre of the model is a big black bridge made in shape of a butterfly contrasting in colour with silvery of the movement and disk indicators. The latter, by the way, show the time not by the owner’s request but constantly with the help of two hardly noticeable markers at the outer sides of the butterfly’s wings.
Deliberate deadness of functionality accentuates aesthetic perfection of the watch supported by original technical equipment.
The main peculiarity of Papillon’s design is an original wheel gearing which consists, as against to a standard three-wheel variant, of two wheels with 192 and 175 teeth. Owing to such solution the power reserve of the movement and its durability became better. Moreover, the movement itself became attractively symmetrical. You can see it through the transparent back case. But the most wonderful thing is that these wheel perform also the function of hours and minutes indicators and can “disconnect” from the winding barrel during the setting of precise time.
The appearance of the watch is elegantly modest: everything is matching the “translucent” image consisting of hints and undertints. As a real artist Strehler didn’t miss any detail. For example, all the dial surfaces are not decorated, the platinum and balance bridge are covered with a hardly noticeable concentric pattern, but the crown is unexpectedly made in the ergonomic shape of a cup and almost attracts your fingers…
This marvellous watch is produced in a limited series of 25 pieces.
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