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Hysek IO Automatic Manufacture, a new 3-hand, in-house movement
IO AUTOMATIC MANUFACTURE
Hysek's ode to simplicity
Simply put, IO Automatic Manufacture is the name of Hysek’s new base caliber – an automatic with three hands. Its apparent simplicity actually took several years to develop; its mechanical ingenuity will allow it to be used as a foundation for the firm’s forthcoming collections.
Hysek has built up its brand notoriety around grandes complications and the art of extreme skeletonization. Today, the firm has moved into a field that is wholly new for it: the simplicity of a three-hand caliber.
This new exercise for Hysek comes in response to demand from collectors keen to extend their collections by including timepieces dedicated to everyday uses. That represented quite a challenge for the manufacture: creating a timepiece with the same level of technology and finish as the collections that have earned the brand its reputation – without any additional flourishes or complications.
A highly creative dial
The result is the new IO Automatic Manufacture. The timepiece displays the hours and minutes and features a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock, along with the firm’s signature hallmarks: large, luminous, spear-shaped hands; hour markers at 1, 5, 7, and 11 o’clock only; and highly stylised Arabic numerals – applied on a dial featuring especially intricate motifs.
These motifs draw inspiration from graphite. Its hexagonal molecule, interlinked by a three-way bond, forms a honeycomb pattern whose use here is unique in the world of watchmaking. The IO Automatic Manufacture’s dial thus provides both relief and depth, catching the light in constantly changing fashion.
Unmistakeable detailing
Experienced collectors will also notice the work done on the lugs. These are made in-house, formed from a solid block. They come in several types of finish (polished, satin, and sand-blasted), providing a degree of creativity rarely seen for this positioning. The same is true of the movement, visible from the rear: each of the components is individually finished, with polishing, rounded angles, pearling, and so on.
Hysek has chosen to add a lug infill on its new IO to match the timepiece’s four different types (gold or titanium, 41mm or 43mm). The straps are fitted with spring bars, allowing them to be changed quickly with no tools required.
As for the movement, the IO Automatic Manufacture is powered by a real in-house caliber: indeed, with the exception of the spring, the anchor, and the barrel spring, the movement is fully manufacture made. Sporting a total of 145 components, the production and finishes have been optimised to allow a starting price for the finished timepiece of CHF 10,000.
The result is Hysek’s so-called “basic” caliber – a foundational movement for the manufacture, on which it can build multiple collections in the years ahead, adding complications as appropriate. It has taken all of Hysek’s expertise to build this caliber; like all in-house movements, it uses none of the commonest watchmaking shortcuts.
For instance, its winding mechanism uses a micro-rotor rather than a complete oscillating weight. The micro-rotor is an art mastered by Hysek and used on most of its creations; ensuring it performs as well as a traditional rotor is a particularly delicate feat of watchmaking.
This feat is very much in evidence here. The micro-rotor is made from a heavy metal, allowing the IO Automatic Manufacture to boast a power reserve when fully wound of up to 62 hours, despite taking up only a very small space within the movement. This allows the latter to be slimmer, whilst also accommodating the large barrel required for this kind of duration. The micro-rotor will also enable Hysek to leave space in the movement for modular or integrated complications to be added.
The IO Automatic Manufacture is a timepiece with a promising future, opening up a new creative era for Hysek.
Hysek IO Automatic Manufacture, a new 3-hand, in-house movement
IO AUTOMATIC MANUFACTURE Hysek's ode to simplicity Simply put, IO Automatic Manufacture is the name of Hysek’s new base caliber – an automatic with three hands. Its apparent simplicity actually took several years to develop; its mechanical ingenuity will ...
Have to say...
I have a slight preference for the titanium one. A very interesting piece indeed Thanks for the additional picture, Mike!
