Time Unusual

Hautlence has never learnt to play by the rules, and that is just how one of its owners, Bertrand Meylan, likes it, writes Brian Cheong

- Brian Cheong

THE SCREEN of the smart watch goes dark to conserve energy when it is not in use, but a mechanical watch with a ‘sleep’ mode? That is the crux of Hautlence’s new HL Newton, a watch powered by an innovative automatic movement that displays the correct time only when you want it to. When you’re not checking the watch, it becomes ‘inactive.’

The dial of HL Newton is fitted with a mobile central flange in DLC blue and inscribed with the minute numerals. It makes one full rotation every 60 minutes.

A cutout on the flange leaves an opening to show the hour, its numerals just below the flange. The flange also circles around a skeletonised wheel that drives a blued minute hand.

When the watch is not in use, the flange goes out of sync with the hour hand. Only when it is in the vertical position (similar to the position of the wrist when you look at the watch) will the flange ‘jump’ to the correct hour and thus, display the current time.