HAUTLENCE has a particular affinity for the functional yet decorative minimalist symmetry of the honeycomb pattern, which it was the first to introduce to the watch industry with its HLQ02 model launched in 2007. In doing so, it reaffirmed the timeless strength of this unique motif derived from nature and which has proved a constant source of fascination and inspiration. Its hexagonal shape was found by the Ancient Greeks to promote efficiency in the use of space and building materials, and the Romans incorporated it into the architecture of prestigious constructions such as the Pantheon. This ever-contemporary motif has been given a stunning variety of new engineering, scientific and architectural applications in the 20th and 21st centuries. From spacecraft and airplanes to LED or loudspeaker technologies and from automobile structures to snowboards and furniture, the honeycomb has become an integral part of modern life.

In 2015, HLRS01 Honeycomb, the latest addition to the HLRS collection created in HAUTLENCE's Atelier d’horlogerie contemporaine, once again offers an intriguing and seemingly weightless approach to time display. Its textured honeycomb background surrounds and embraces the two split-level, overlapping offset dials, accentuating the 3D impression created by the iconic HAUTLENCE jumping hours and retrograde minutes and subsidiary seconds displays. This strong sense of depth as well as readability are enhanced by the luminscent numerals and indexes, while the sleekly curved and resolutely ergonomic black DLC-coated titanium case delivers a blend of strength and lightness. The HLRS01 Honeycomb is powered by the characteristic HAUTLENCE in-house manual winding mechanical movement, featuring the brand’s famous hand-chamfered connecting rods system.

A brand-new chapter in HAUTLENCE history

Founded in 2004, HAUTLENCE is committed to bringing a new dynamic to the art of watchmaking, thus gaining the recognition of watch collectors and connoisseurs the world over. It has a portfolio of four calibres designed and developed in-house, while relying on external partners for the movements of certain collections. It launched the HL calibre in 2005, followed in 2009 by the HLQ calibre, with the brand’s third calibre, the HLC, hot on its heels in 2010. The following year saw the introduction of the high-flying HL2.0 calibre in a variety of different versions. Since 2012, HAUTLENCE has enjoyed the support of MELB Holding, which has made its experience and network accessible to the brand with the aim of developing effective synergies between HAUTLENCE and the group as a whole.

Like its name, an anagram of the brand’s hometown of Neuchâtel, HAUTLENCE is renowned for turning things upside down. In this vein, the brand has challenged the boundaries of traditional watchmaking designs by drawing on its architectural inspired roots and uniting them with innovative mechanical solutions borrowed from other industrial universes. Acutely aware of the two essential dimensions of time and space, HAUTLENCE is driven to design timepieces distinguished by consistently original curves and depth effects.