Lovers of fine watches will find the work of the best Russian watchmakers at Stand 40 in the Palace Pavilion. The Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture is bringing two new watches: The Carpe Diem and The Decalogue Luah Shana, as well as favorites such as the Lunokhod, the Cinema, the Levitas Collection and more.

The gorgeous Carpe Diem Watch, the Konstantin Chaykin’s latest triumph, was first presented in Europe in Paris at the Belles Montres Salon. The main concept behind the design of this new watch is to embody the abstract nature of Time using classic artistic metaphors. The imagery used to represent Time in the Carpe Diem Watch is based on works by artists such as Bartholomäus Bruyn the Elder, Pieter Claesz and Heorhiy Narbut. The main character in the Carpe Diem Watch is the ancient god Chronos, who had birthed Time, the first element of Creation. Chronos is depicted in a personal and vivid form: lost in thought, with deep wrinkles on his forehead, he sits enthroned on a miniature dial with a single hour hand. In one hand Chronos wields a scythe, while his other hand rests on an hourglass. The starry night sky in the background invokes the cosmic nature of Time.

The hourglass Chronos holds is a very speciсal feature of the Carpe Diem Watch – it serves as the minute indicator. Konstantin Chaykin has invented and patented a new animation system to imitate sand moving through an hourglass. The ‘sand’ indicates how many minutes have passed. The Carpe Diem Watch also has a ‘day of the week’ indicator, where each day is identified by its respective astrological sign.

The Luah Shana Watch, the latest addition to the Decalogue Watch family, brings a totally new design to add new meaning to Jewish time-keeping. In addition, the Luah Shana Watch includes a number of technical changes and is produced based on improved manufacturing processes.

The artists who designed the Decalogue Luah Shana Watch turned to classic Hebrew artwork and design elements for inspiration. There are columns on the dial which represent the famous columns of the First Temple, the Temple of Solomon. These majestic columns are described in the Tanakh by Melachem. King Solomon had two copper columns placed on either side of the main entrance of the Temple. Both were 9 meters tall: the right (south) column was named Jachin (‘He confirms’ in ancient Hebrew) and the left one (north side) was named Boaz (“The strength is in Him”). The columns were cast by master Hiram from Tyre.

Hebrew letters are used to mark the hours on the Decalogue Watch: each letter has a numerical value ranging from 1 to 12 according to gematria from the Kabbalah. In addition, the hands on the Decalogue Watch also move from left to right or ‘anti-clockwise’ as it were. This patented function is called the reverse system of hand movement. Konstantin invented this function for the Decalogue Watch series.

At Baselworld 2014 Konstantin Chaykin’s stand will be a portal into the relationship between Time and сArt. The watches are mechanical wonders that tell stories just like fine pieces in a museum. We invite all Baselworld visitors to Stand 4D in the Palace Pavilion – you will find a ‘tourguide under the Konstantin Chaykin logo, someone who will guide you through the stories around each Watch.  And we guarantee a happy excursion into history, art and architecture.