The ultimate accessory for the hardcore fan of rock n’ roll’s most hardcore band, the Skull Axl Rose by HYT is as outrageous as the man himself, and at 51mm, on a cuff of black leather its epic proportions and uncompromising character make this limited edition one of the most over the top wristwatches anywhere.

Brooding and menacing, the distinctive and inimitable pattern of Damascus steel is frozen onto the skull centrepiece in swirls of dark blue, and the polished filaments of the bellows become the jaw. With black liquid pushing through the fine glass vein, it displays the time in the cool and unique way that only HYT can do.

Outstanding in its black DLC titanium case, its novelty value belies the technical complexity of its fascinating hand winding calibre, which instead of driving hands, is used to power the big steel bellows, whose mechanical breathing forces the oily black liquid forward and back again around the glass capillary which outlines the skull, passing the hour markers to tell the time in a cryptic, but very clever way.

From each of the silver numerals in the black titanium bezel, a blued marker extends towards the liquid-filled glass capillary so that even though there is no minutes function, the time can still be read with a reasonable degree of accuracy, although expecting exact precision is missing the point of this highly individual timepiece. As well as the hours, a rotating disc inside the left eye socket displays the seconds, while adjacent to the right, the power reserve is shown.

Throughout, the HYT Skull Axl Rose is finished to the exacting standards of Haute Horlogerie, and of course, this applies to the movement as well. Behind the Guns n’ Roses motif and Axl Rose signature, the sapphire case back reveals the stripped back plates, the balance and escapement, which, along with the barrel and gear train are compacted into the upper half, to accommodate the pair of rhodium-plated bellows. Fully wound, it is good for 65 hours of power reserve.

In its black DLC titanium case, the HYT Skull Axl Rose is a luxurious piece which is cool and eccentric, but it’s probably not for the faint of heart. It is presented on a black leather strap, and it secures with a DLC titanium pin buckle.