Characterised by meticulous detailing and retro styling cues, the Ophion OPH 786 Vélos Silver Guilloché watch represents the design prowess of this exciting independent company. Featuring a multi-layered dial and executed with impressive attention to detail throughout, the watch also has the added attraction of a custom made Swiss mechanical movement boasting a resolutely vintage pocketwatch character.

Established in Madrid in 2005, Ophion have already demonstrated a unique approach to watchmaking. By blending age-old skills with contemporary manufacturing processes, they have engendered a unique portfolio of timepieces, each defined by a finishing aesthetic that one would expect to find in high-end watchmaking. An effortlessly elegant timepiece, the Ophion OPH 786 Vélos Silver Guilloché model is powered by a custom made Swiss mechanical movement boasting a resolutely vintage pocketwatch character.

The watch is housed in a stainless steel case sized at 39mm across and 10.4mm high. On the wrist it is perfectly proportioned, and it evokes the form of a rounded pebble like structure, with curves and contours which have been enhanced by a high-polish finish. Curvaceous lugs hug it to the wrist, each piece individually welded into position.  Manufactured by independent legend Kari Voutilainen’s Cattin company, the case is beautifully constructed and as a final flourish, is set with a flattened and fluted crown.

Revealed beneath a gently domed sapphire crystal which features anti-reflective coating on both sides, is a wholly harmonious dial arrangement. Across the entirely of its galvanised silver surface it has been embellished with a cross-weave guilloché motif, rendered by CNC. With deeply textured nuances, the décor is no less detailed than a hand-crafted example, and its mesmerising pattern gives instant refinement to this superb façade. Complementing the pristine dial tone, thermal blued Breguet style arabic numerals, each individually applied add further interest, while an applied minute track and inner dial ring, add a sense of depth to the display. From the centre, the trio of steel, thermal blued hands are exquisite. Featuring a petite hammer tip, the slender seconds hand is elongated and is paired with an equally refined minutes hand. Joining them, the sleek, open-worked form of the hour hand is not simply delightful, it also gives the collection its name - Vélos, the Classical Greek name for arrow.

Viewable through a sapphire caseback, the manual winding movement which has been manufactured by MHVJ and Soprod in Switzerland has a unique architecture. Disassembled in the Ophion atelier, the base calibre, has been transformed,  replacing the original main plate with custom made bridges. Reminiscent of the finishing found on fine old pocket watch movements, the bridges have surfaces which are finished with a hammered effect, providing contrast to the machine polished chamfering around their edges. The pared back bridge design reveals the balance wheel which oscillates at a brisk 28,800 vib/h (4hz), and the two barrels, which deliver an impressive five day (120 hour) power reserve.

A superb timepiece which captures the essentia of the contemporary dress watch aesthetic, the Ophion OPH 786 Vélos Silver Guilloché watch comes presented on a brown leather strap featuring a steel pin buckle.