HYT FLOW »Black Fluid«
HYT Shines A Light On A Different Philosophy Of Time With The New FLOW Collection
After the uplifting announcement of the HYT SOONOW Instant Rainbow during the throes of confinement, HYT boosts our spirits once again with timepieces filled with light…literally!
By Sophie Furley
Contributor
HYT’s philosophy of time is like no other, always seeking to represent time as a continuous flow of life and experiences rather than a ticking countdown of irretrievable seconds. HYT time is very much in the present, reminding us that the only moment that really matters is right now.
As HYT CEO Gregory Dourde told Watchonista in a recent interview (read HERE), "We are not trying to make the most precise watches one-tenths of a thousandth of a second. I believe that what we propose is a new perception, a new perspective on time. We are time tellers rather than timekeepers."
HYT’s unique perspective on time is displayed by the brand’s original liquid display that is a little like an old-school thermometer. The hours are indicated using two liquids – one colored, one transparent – that move around the dial inside a tiny glass capillary to the rhythm of time. The hours are indicated at the meeting point between these two liquids, while the minutes are indicated in a sub-dial at 12 o’clock.
FLOW Time
Just when you think that HYT’s Creative Director, François Nunez, couldn’t possibly surpass the last timepiece – in this case, the SOONOW Instant Rainbow – he “drops” another wildly creative design and fills us with awe. Please welcome the new FLOW Eternity and FLOW Infinity with a host of new design and technical features.
Rays Of Light Inside The Movement
Before we get into all the new design elements, let’s start with the “star” innovation debuting inside the FLOW. This brand-new proprietary complication creates light on demand using a specially developed micro-generator that stores and dispels energy to activate 13 meticulously positioned LEDs in the Eternity version and 8 LEDs in the Infinity version. This burst of light is activated via a pusher and spreads the light through the sculpted dial in different playful ways on each model.
“What time and light have in common is the ideas that they are both fluidic. We are talking about both the flow of time and that of electrical energy. By naming this collection FLOW, it is precisely this parallel that we wanted to emphasize,” shared Nunez.
“Objects only exist in respect of the light. The light reveals, emphasizes, and exposes them to the beholder, as well as intensifies, deepens, and magnifies them. Integrating light into the design process therefore proved to be as intuitive as it was easy,” he said.
FLOW Eternity
The FLOW Eternity version comes with a blue liquid display and a rhodium opaline open-worked dial that was produced using an electro-erosion technique to precisely cut concave and convex waves out of the metal. To enhance the reflection of the LED lights below it, a dome of 73 baguette diamonds (approx. 1.7 carats) has been positioned on the dial at 6 o’clock and works much like a disco ball reflecting and refracting the light in all directions.
FLOW Infinity
The FLOW Infinity model showcases the brand’s black fluidic module, which sits above a green Super-LumiNova rail for extra luminosity and legibility at night. The dial is darker in color thanks to an anthracite opaline treatment and features a new and intriguing tapered vortex that invites the eye into the heart of the timepiece. When the electric light is activated, the bellows can be perceived deep below the vortex.
All The Details
Both timepieces are limited to 25 pieces and are powered by the brand’s exclusive manual-winding caliber (65-hour power reserve with an indicator on the dial) and exclusive patented micro-fluidic module. They come in 51mm stainless steel cases that are water-resistant to 30 meters. The Eternity version is priced at CHF 149,000, while the Infinity model costs CHF 79,000.
HYT continues to shine a light on the way we perceive the fluidity of time, and always with a dynamic, technical and now enlightening twist. Horological creativity is particularly refreshing in these challenging times, and we look forward to more timepieces from this innovative brand in the future...even if we should perhaps be staying in the present!
(Photography by Pierre Vogel)
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HYT FLOW »Blue Fluid«
