Tirion TriRetrograde 45: Two New Milus Icons

Milus was founded in Bienne in 1919 by Paul William Junod. Ten years later, the stock market crash of 1929 almost brought the brand down, as it did several other Swiss watchmaking brands. But the company survived and went on to be managed by the family of the founder for three generations. Junod himself died in 1951.  Then, in 2003, Milus watches was acquired by a group of foreign investors. New life was breathed into the company, which has since then joined the ranks of leading Swiss watchmaking brands. Milus has been expanding rapidly thanks particularly to its significant presence on Asian markets.

On the way to becoming a legend

Is the five-year old Tirion TriRetrograde on the verge of becoming a legend? All the signs seem to be pointing in that direction. Various versions of this watch have already been produced, featuring either special materials or new complications. In fact, the collection even includes an incredible, 46-millimetre minute repeater, one of the most consummate complications of all. The diameters chosen for the new versions, namely 46, 45 and 42 millimetres, open the door to extensive mechanical developments and are highly adaptable to different shapes.

This timepiece, as its name suggests, emphasises a watchmaking complication that Milus succeeded in developing through a mechanism of its own invention, the triretrograde function. This exclusive mechanism, which only Milus has mastered, breaks down a minute into three 20-second segments. Each of them is represented on an arched segment and situated, in order, at 6 o’clock, 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. Each segment runs its course and then passes the relay to the next every 20 seconds. A minute’s worth of time looks like a playful and fascinating pas de trois, as it were. The Calibre 3838 can be seen in action on an animation on the brand’s homepage.

This timepiece will most certainly by noticed by the aficionados of mechanical horology on the lookout for uncommon objects.

Milus novelties, a round case classic and sportive

These two new Milus Tirion TriRétrograde watches (reference numbers TIRS010 and TIRS016) house the Calibre ETA 2892/Milus 3838 with hour, minute and second functions. The mechanism is self-wound by way of a rotor that can be seen through a sapphire crystal back secured by six screws. The movement has a 40-hour power reserve and, unlike the original 45-millimetre timepiece, it does not display the date.

The dial of the steel version has a touch of neo-vintage classicism. The blue partially open-worked hands with luminescent treatment match the colour of the Arabic numerals, which are clearly visible on the edge of an off-white central plate. The steel case of the all black version has been treated with DLC (diamond-like carbon). In this version, a vivid red was chosen for the hands to contrast with the black buckle and the back of the dial, which is covered in authentic carbon fibre. This material’s textured pattern has been recreated on the leather strap. The blue colour has been sporadically daubed, on the screw heads, for example, giving them aesthetic meaning rather than just functional.

The exclusive Milus TriRétrograde mechanism uses the arcs of its three seconds segments to give the watch a partially skeletonised look. Both versions are water resistant to 30 metres and are, each in its own way, aesthetically outstanding pieces.