HYT watches endeavour to break the norm. Their rebellious designs don’t only make a statement on the wrist but they also offer an alternative way to measure the time. HYT watches don’t work in the same way as a traditional analogue or digital watch. They aren’t powered in the same way as a mechanical or quartz powered timepiece. HYT watches use highly advanced technology to deliver precision accuracy in a completely unique way. The company was founded in 2012 by Lucien Vouillamoz in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Chairman Patrick Berdoz envisaged a unique way to tell the time using liquid and thus the story of HYT watches begins.
3,400 years ago, Pharaohs in Clepsydras took water from one container and transported it to another to record lost time. HYT watches extend on that philosophy with innovative wristwatch designs that incorporate a patented fluidic module. The coloured liquids used in a watch developed by HYT represent the recent past. The transparent liquid representing the foreseeable future, and with that, their meeting point is the now.
There is a central hand to each HYT watch that represents the minutes, and a smaller dial to show the seconds. The hours, however, are presented around the edge of the dial in a tube filled with liquid that travels around the dial’s circumference. The mechanical movement is located in the top part of a HYT watch. It powers the cam and this pushes the pistons to activate the bellows. These bellows are visible from the dial and made from an electro deposited alloy. Once these bellows are activated the liquid is then pumped around the outside rim of the dial from the bellow positioned at 6 o’clock. The liquid reaches the other bellow once it has made a full circuit before returning to its original position known as the “Rewind”.
The dial is not the only unusual aspect of a HYT watch. The construction of each case also sets the manufacture of these timepieces apart from anything else in the industry. The sapphire crystal glass front is topped by a dome at 6 o’clock. Power reserve indicators are also displayed on the dials of HYT watches, residing at 3 o’clock in many designs.
The H1.0 and H2.0 collections have proven to be remarkably popular lines made by this Swiss watchmaker. The H2 devices are characterized by their V shaped bellows and are also equipped with a temperature indicator and a crown position indicator. Despite these differences, it performs in a very similar way to the H1 watch.
Sister brand Preciflex has made the timekeeping concept possible for HYT by developing the indicating liquid that is seen on these eye catching dial designs. Both companies were chaired by Berdoz. What makes HYT watches so special is that they aren’t the typical luxury watch. Each unusual design is instantly obvious at first glance, inspiring intrigue and curiosity. The brand continues to build on new design concepts since the team firmly believe that these hydro and mechanical devices can bring so much more to modern day timekeeping.
