Is punk dead? Not if these luxury brands have anything to say about it
Given the much-echoed spirit of rebellion that runs through the veins of independent watchmaker Hautlence, nosotros're a little surprised something as audacious as the HL2.3 Punk didn't go far sooner.
Nothing virtually it is subtle. Not its dramatic spikes, motility blueprint, not even its name. To make doubly sure anyone who looks at it knows that punk isn't expressionless, it even has a circumvolve-A – a well-known symbol for chaos – printed on the hour indicator. Message received: Hautlence is, by their own admission, one of few enfants terribles in the industry.
But perchance that'due south just what the industry needs right now. Delicate tourbillons, dreamy moon phases, cases then slim they look like they'd shatter nether an intense gaze – esteemed brands take spoiled united states with elegance and sophistication for years. How about some cheekily brazen horology for a change? How about some attitude?
Whether or not Hautlence is just marching to the beat of their ain 5-slice Tama drums or just trying to fill a niche the industry didn't even know it had is anyone'south gauge. But what isn't up for debate is that the HL2.three Punk is loud in the best fashion. Once y'all get over the initial amusement (or bemusement), y'all'll realise that the lookout is still a well-thought out and expertly executed machine.
Eight-iv studs in 14 different sizes adorn the black PVD-coated titanium case, a expect inspired by the Perfecto brand of studded motorcycle jackets. To offer the wearer equally much of a view into the motion as possible, three pieces of sapphire crystal had to be exactingly produced using multi-axis grinding and fit together to create the additional window on the left side of the example.
The attempt is appreciated because there's a lot to adore. The HL2.3 calibre, based on the existing in-house HL2.0, combines jumping hours, retrograde minutes (an Hautlence signature) and a ability reserve indicator. The hours are mounted on a chain, and each numeral jumps one link as the hour changes. This chain is also continued to the escapement, which means the latter rotates threescore degrees every fourth dimension the hour moves, thus compensating for the effects of gravity on the hairspring.
Complications like that are power-hungry though, so the calibre has to run at a more than small-scale 2.5Hz to provide a power reserve of 45 hours. Too, nitpicking about accuracy in a sentinel this in-your-face up seems impertinent.
It's true that independent watchmakers have more leeway to create whatever they want, but it's interesting to meet that even established brands – ones that take built their empires on the art of mass appeal – have been known to show their rebellious streaks once in a while. The Clash de Cartier collection unveiled earlier this year is a festival of studs and foursquare nails. The 14-piece range includes rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings, with some featuring red beads and diamonds. Just it'southward not too surprising when we consider Cartier's history of disruptive design. Amid its many stunning-but-safe pieces are alluring surprises like the Crash lookout and Juste un Clou bracelet.
READ: Disruptive design: The Clash de Cartier collection is every punk princess' dream
And speaking of occasional rebels, how can anyone forget Audemars Piguet's trilogy of increasingly aggressive haute joaillerie secret watches? It all began in 2022 with the release of the Diamond Punk which, now in hindsight, looks laughably subdued. But information technology was quite the spectacle at the fourth dimension with its 56 diamond-encrusted prisms.
It raised the ante a twelvemonth later on with the Diamond Fury, which is set with iv,635 brilliant-cut diamonds. The sentry, which looks more than similar armour than accessory, took designers, engineers and jewellers over one,500 hours to complete.
The Diamond Fury is arguably more sculptural than punk, but Audemars Piguet rectified that with the finale in 2017: The suitably named Diamond Outrage.
The affair is tearing. It took master gem setters almost double the time to assemble all that ice, which amounts to 11,043 bright-cutting diamonds (or sapphires, in the Diamond Outrage Sapphire) totalling 65.47 carats. The 18K white gilded watch features 48 aureate spikes in varying heights, inspired past the icicles that form in the Jura Valley in winter, where the brand is based. Oddly poetic, but outrageous nonetheless.
READ: Olivier Audemars on how Audemars Piguet doesn't vest to him
The punk ethos is supposed to oppose conformity and authoritarianism, which is ironic when y'all encounter how mainstream the associated style has become in way and music. Only it seems to fit when luxury brands endeavor information technology on for size. Information technology'due south a become-big-or-go-home exercise that's cheesy at worst but downright thrilling when done well. And seeing as the luxury industry is constantly pushing the extremes – in quality, storytelling and cost – it may be more punk than it thinks.
READ: The 24-yr-old watch enthusiast whose drove is worth S$1.iv million
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/obsessions/punk-watches-240146
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