HYT H1 Hydro-Mechanical: Go With The Flow
Unless you lived in ancient Egypt, China, or Greece, chances are you’ve never seen anything like the otherworldly HYT H1. Welcome to the future, courtesy of the past. HYT’s hydro-mechanical H1 combines Swiss mechanical high horology with the first fluid-based time interface since the ancient clepsydra “water clock.”
Twin metallic bellows form the technical and aesthetic centerpiece of the revolutionary HYT Caliber 101. Each bellows acts as a reservoir for a high-viscosity fluid: one fluorescent green, one clear. The calibrated circumferential tube linking the reservoirs acts as the hour track, and the visible meniscus between the two fluids acts as the mobile hour index or “hour hand.”
Moreover, the HYT H1 is a regulator and a retrograde in the traditional Swiss sense. A conventional 60-minute hand sits at 12 o’clock and tracks the movement of the meniscal hour index. The constant seconds indication is provided via a moving turbine wheel at nine o’clock, and the 65-hour power reserve is displayed by a conventional sweeping index at 2:30.
The retrograde function of the HYT H1 “jumps” into action when the fluorescent fluid fills the entire 12-hour span of the display and reaches the six o’clock mark. At that point, the green fluids rapidly retreats 360 degrees to its point of origin on the other flank of the six index; the entire calibrated hour track will be clear and the green fluid will begin to trace the progress of the next 12 hours of the day.
The 49mm titanium HYT H1 may be inspired by classical antiquity, but its size and wrist presence are distinctly 21st-century. A layered aesthetic ensures that each structural element of the case’s construction is expressed in full; this is a watch that celebrates the look and character of raw machinery. HYT adds a rubber strap with conforming end pieces to ensure seamless integration with the flanks of the case; its reads as a continuous flow of modern materials.
HYT’s superbly comfortable rubber strap teams with short lugs, a flat caseback, and the inherent lightness of titanium to yield outstanding ergonomics. The H1’s 49mm case is deceptively practical; HYT achieves a fit that’s suitable for wrists as small as 5.5” in circumference.
Moreover, the HYT H1 is a real-world watch designed to be enjoyed with a sense of confidence and comfort. Its ergonomic excellence has been established, but the practicality of the H1 derives from its screw-down crown, 100-meter (330-foot) water resistance, and shock-protected movement. While the HYT H1 resembles a concept watch or Baselworld prototype, it’s designed to endure the real-world rigor of life on the wrist: this is a serious sports watch in every sense.
While its portrayal of time is revolutionary, the manual-wind HYT Caliber 101 incorporates the finest traditions of mechanical Swiss watchmaking. Designed in collaboration with Jean-Francois Mojhon of boutique movement specialist Chronode, the Cal. 101 features the expected cotes de Geneve stripes, mirror-quality anglage, and tight base plate perlage of a fine Geneva dress watch. Likewise, the brushed gears of the going train and 28,800 VpH escapement assembly exhibit scrupulous attention to finishing detail.
But the hydraulic system is the highlight, and HYT keeps it visible at the center of its skeletonized dial and movement. The mechanism, which required a full ten years to advance from concept to market, represents one of the few true breakthroughs the last two decades of high horology development.
While others have rearranged the same regulator hands (Patek, JLC, Chronoswiss, many others), retrogrades (Gerald Genta, Daniel Roth, Vacheron), wandering hours (Urwerk, AP), and jump-hours (Vianney Halter, AP, Lange, De Bethune), only HYT has truly broken the shackles of the past with the H1, a blue-sky dream realized in metal, fluid, and crystal.
See this revolutionary HYT H1 hydro-mechanical high horology marvel in high-resolution images on www.watchuwant.com.