Honoris 1 18ct Yellow Gold

A watch of imposing aesthetics and profound technical innovation, the Honoris 1 by Swiss independent master watchmaker Stéphane von Gunten and his new watch company Haute-Rive is an exceptional and highly sophisticated timepiece, which pushes the accepted parameters of autonomy into completely new territory.

Boasting an astonishing 1,000 hours of power reserve the Honoris 1 is a watch like no other, and the mechanical demands of this extraordinary attribute mean that almost every element of this remarkable watch is designed and engineered around accommodating this unique technical feat, while still retaining the elegance and splendour of a piece of classically inspired haute horlogerie.

From the prominent and immaculately hand finished dial-side architecture, which gives the display a fascinating three dimensional aspect, to the lustrous sheen of its white grand feu enamel dial, and on to the construction and finishing of the manual winding movement, the Haute-Rive Honoris 1 is both a spectacular and impressive piece of contemporary independent watchmaking.

Measuring 42.5mm across and 11.95mm tall, the 18ct yellow gold case is polished throughout and has a flat waist section, with a crown at the three o’clock position and a chrono-style pusher at the two. This pusher operates a column wheel selector, visible on the dial, which activates the time setting functionality via the crown, which does not need to be pulled out, as the main spring is wound directly by rotating the bezel.

Beneath the sapphire crystal, the upper half of the dial is dominated by a large, skeletonised fifteen spoke wheel, which is toothed around its outer edge. This signature ‘time wheel’ slowly transfers the power stored in the mainspring under the dial to the exposed gears, which in turn drive the blued hour and minute hands. The polished screwed stem of the crown is also exposed in a cutaway channel, connecting the crown to the setting mechanism. while the flying tourbillon at the six o’clock position seems to float as it rotates serenely in a sixty second cycle.

On the underside, another feature unique to Honoris 1 is the full-width reserve de marche display, which employs a white enamel ring, with black numerals moving around past a static red triangle, to indicate the state of power reserve remaining.

Inside the case, the proprietary HR01 movement runs at a frequency of 3Hz (21,600 vib/h), and considering how much of the already confined space the coiled three metre long main spring which spans the width of the case consumes, at only 7.75mm tall, condensing all of the horological innovation and problem solving required to achieve this 1,000 hour reserve, the movement compounds the technical mastery of the Honoris 1.

Certainly a watch for the connoisseur collector with a keen eye for a piece of historical significance, uncompromising haute horlogerie hand finishing and profound horological engineering, the Haute-Rive Honoris 1 is an exceptional timepiece of our age, and unsurprisingly, an instant Guinness World Record holder.

Presented on a sustainable calfskin leather strap, with 18ct yellow gold pin buckle, the Honoris 1 is to be manufactured in a limited production of around ten pieces per year.