DEWITT
Back view
BY GARY GEORGE
Aptly named, DeWitt’ s Academia series of watches presents the mathematical and engineering nature of mechanical watches first and foremost. Putting aside DeWitt’ s own talents for making exquisite dials for this latest series, the Academia Skeleton does away with that canvas and platform in favor of another area of expertise – the movement.
Having made its own in-house movements for quite some time, DeWitt has developed certain components that mark a movement as its own. One of these identifiers is the set of planetary gears integrated into the mainspring barrel. While winding the watch this series of gears attract the eye as they rotate one within another. In this case a small red triangle denotes the remaining run time on a chapter arc ring above the barrel. Side by side with a sister spring barrel running in series, the movement achieves an impressive autonomy of more than 100 hours. Adding a bit of action by way of technical expertise, the Academia Skeleton also displays the sec- onds in a rather playful way. Skeptics may poo-poo what might seem at first blush a simple retrograde seconds display, but DeWitt has a bit more panache than that. Yes, the seconds hand is a retrograde that snaps back every 30 seconds, but it also extends and retract simultaneously when it snaps back to follow one of the two arcs marking the passing seconds.
Of course this is an absolutely frivolous and thoroughly useless complication as it adds no additional information or accuracy, but real watch lovers that appreciate the mechanics, the heart and soul of a fine timepiece. Collectors will appreciate what DeWitt has accomplished with the Academia Skeleton’ s thrusting and retracting retrograde second hand simply for the fact that it has been achieved. One long look under a loupe makes it clear that the micro-mechanics in this mechanism are no mean feat. As described at DeWitt, the track of the seconds hand is‘ not unlike the eccentric swipe of the windshield wipers of a luxury car’- in miniature of course.
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WRISTWATCH | 2017