Great Golf Magazine Sep/Oct 2017 September October 2017 | Page 76

Watches.qxp_St Enodoc 30.09.2016 13.13 Side 3

GREAT WATCHES

YT, the Swiss watch company, founded in
2012, embarked on an avant-garde crusade.
It encountered numerous technical obstacles
along the way but, with perseverance,
ultimately delivered a new interpretation of
luxury watchmaking.
Thousands of primary school children have been taught
that the long hand on the clock shows minutes while the
shorter hand indicates hours. However, HYT Watches
eschewed this comparatively prosaic means of displaying time.
Encircling the dial of most HYT timepieces is a fine glass
capillary containing two liquids. One liquid is aqueous and
suffused with colour, while a second liquid, clear and nonmiscible in character, sits adjacent. The crescent-shaped
device, which forms between the two liquids, corresponds
with markings presented next to the capillary, denoting the
prevailing hour.
This groundbreaking means of displaying time is remarkable
considering the liquids are moved using a combination of
bellows pumps and mechanical watchmaking know-how.
Indeed, there is a distinct absence of batteries, making the
technical prowess of each HYT timepiece even more impressive.

H

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GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE

THE FIRST DESIGN. The initial model released by HYT was
the H1 and it remains a staple of the brand to this day. Its
hand-wound movement transmits energy to a pump located
in the southeasterly area of the dial. This pump transfers a
coloured liquid from a dedicated reservoir beneath and
propels it around the circumference of the dial.
Simultaneously, a second bellows pump, positioned adjacent
the first, receives the clear liquid and resettles the fluid within
a second reservoir.
When the coloured liquid reaches 0600 hours and 1800
hours, it moves counter-clockwise, enters its exclusive
reservoir and recommences its journey from the 6 o'clock
position. In order to prevent any bubbles forming or the
coloured liquid splitting, an ingenious brake system inhibits
the anti-clockwise motion of the coloured liquid.
As soon as the HYT H1 was unveiled, it wowed the
world's watch press and astounded observers with it s
technical brilliance. Moreover, the virtuosity of this
timepiece led to the Swiss watch company receiving the
highly prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève
Innovation Prize in 2012.
The concept of two liquids collaborating together to