zelin0802 / August 10, 2024

Interpreting the fluidity of time.

Since 2012, HYT replica has focused on incorporating fluids into the mechanical and aesthetic language of their watches. Their latest creation, the H1.0, uses black fluid in conjunction with Super-Luminova C7 to tell time, powered by an extremely complex movement that uses a thermal compensator, borosilicate capillaries – the traditional gear train, lever escapement and balance wheel take on the heavy responsibility of actually telling time.

When haute horlogerie manufacturers make it clear that the machines they create are meant to tell time, but in a new, visually striking way, they are allowed a certain freedom. Design does not have to be purely functional, or even meaningful; telling time can be expressed in any way the designer sees fit. The “why” of a watch is simply “because”.

Rather than borrowing technical innovations such as a tourbillon mechanism or a deadbeat seconds complication, the H1.0 goes back to the ideological origins of timekeeping, when clocks were powered by water, while producing something that looks like something from the distant future – theoretically a watch. Philosophically, it’s a difficult machine to comprehend, and it starts to make sense. And why not? “Mechanical art” is a buzzword in the watch writing community used to describe watches that were never really designed to be “art”, but rather they were made to tell time. The H1.0 isn’t meant to simply tell time like any other watch. It’s meant to force the observer to ask why? And how? There’s a widely cited “rule” in science fiction circles, coined by Arthur C. Clarke, who states that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This concept easily applies to the H1.0. In that sense, it’s closer to a work of art than most watches I’ve worn. review replica watches

So how exactly does it work? Forget the technical wizardry, let’s get to the heart of it. A good place to start is to imagine that the mainspring, balance wheel, and escapement hadn’t been invented yet. Yes, HYT does use some horological innovation, but assume for the moment that the technology didn’t exist. If we follow the ancient water clock to its logical conclusion through hundreds of years of design refinement, we might end up with something small enough to wear on your wrist that uses some sort of liquid and a calibrated scale to tell the time. Rather than using gravity as a power source like nearly all ancient clocks found in early civilizations, it would have to be designed to actually bypass the effects of gravity, probably by pressurizing the liquid and controlling and standardizing the rate at which it is allowed to depressurize. The H1.0 and all HYT watches work similarly, except they lean more toward a techno-steampunk design, combining more traditional timekeeping methods with a hydraulic system. HYT also doesn’t pressurize the water clock technically, instead “pumping” a series of liquids around a tube with hour markers at a controlled rate while keeping track of the elapsed minutes via a traditional mechanical movement.

Winding this watch is done like any other mechanical watch, but the process is a novel experience that is sure to amuse the wearer. Pull out the crown, turn it, and watch as the black liquid pours into the hour ring, seemingly replacing the clear liquid, the two never mixing. The delicate movement of the liquid inside the translucent tube contrasts against the teal background, creating a sci-fi vibe that fits this watch perfectly.

The point where the black and clear liquid meet indicates the hour, and the hour advances at a similar rate to any other watch when set. Like I said, it’s indistinguishable from magic. There’s a lot of space to cover inside the 48.8mm case for the liquid display, and the 20.8mm domed sapphire crystal frames the liquid nicely. The dark grey PVD-coated steel case is encased in the crystal, giving this replica men watches an impressive 50m water resistance. Again, this is almost pointless and a total indulgence on HYT’s part, but this watch is meant to achieve technological wonders, so why not?

Despite its massive size, it sits comfortably on the wrist. The case profile and feel on the wrist are very similar to a Suunto or Garmin, but imagine a Suunto filled with lead instead of fancy electronics. It’s top-heavy and sits high on the wrist, but the crystal is really reassuring; after all, it has the responsibility of protecting a very complex and expensive mechanism. The hour markers are on the side of the steel case, making it difficult to read the time, but if you’re used to wearing watches that have no hour indices at all, it’s a breeze. For the rest of us, you have to bend your arm in a way to expose the part of the case where the liquid meniscus matches the hour markers, and then return to the standard watch-viewing position to read the minute register. However, performing this whole ritual of telling time isn’t necessarily harmful. The entire timekeeping instrument is a spectacle, and reading the time like a normal watch doesn’t seem right anyway.