An exceptional example of contemporary watchmaking, the Nuit Fantastique Grained Black watch by Trilobe is crafted to display the time without the use of traditional watch hands and it does so beautifully. Defined by an avant-garde personality infused with timeless elegance, the watch combines design finesse with complex engineering and is beautifully executed throughout.

So often innovation is fired by the imagination of one individual and such is the case with Trilobe. Founded by Gautier Massonneau, whose quest for a new perspective on the indication of time has engendered an independent watchmaking company defined by creativity, Trilobe launched its first piece in 2018. The company has a small but evolving portfolio, characterised by technical mastery and a flair for originality. The Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Grained Black watch is an aesthetically satisfying timepiece which has the added appeal of a complex mechanical self-winding movement.

Presented in a stainless steel housing, the case carries flawless decorative techniques of satin-brushed and mirror-polished finishes which contrast superbly adding enhancement to its rounded profile. With neatly curving lugs and a subtle domed bezel the watch has all the requirements of a classical yet contemporary wrist watch.

The dial of the watch is rendered in sultry black with a delicate grained dial surface. Instantly compelling, and guaranteed to soothe the senses, the passage of time is enabled entirely without the use of traditional watch hands. Instead, a trio of individual displays for the hours, minutes and seconds form an exquisite alliance ensuring intuitive time reading for the wearer.

The hours, each rendered in charming diminutive arabic numerals, are located on a ring at the dial edge. In a stroke of ingenious yet disruptive design, the ring has been engineered to turn counterclockwise and it aligns with the splendid little Trilobe emblem at the 12 o’clock position. Leaving an abundance of exquisite grainy dial surface to enjoy, two recessed interlocking rings on the left of the dial, embrace to form the symbol for infinity or perchance, the fortuitous number 8. With the minutes in the upper section, and the seconds in the lower, a petite triangular pointer serves as a reference for both. Echoing the thought provoking motion of the hour ring, the rotation of the minutes and the seconds also run counterclockwise with each numeral crafted in eloquent script. Both indications are displayed in increments of five, and while the minutes slip by gracefully, the seconds add subtle dynamism to this otherwise tranquil façade, as they rotate upon a disc decorated at its centre with a Clous de Paris motif.

Revealed through the rear sapphire crystal, the company’s technically masterful self-winding Calibre X-centric proprietary mechanism is revealed. Exhibiting a highly contemporary architecture, the movement has the refinement of meticulous micro-blasted finishing on its bridges and plates, and its linear arrangement with the micro-rotor and balance wheel poised at the upper and lower promotes excellent symmetry. Beating at 28’800 vib/h, it is equipped with a power reserve of 48 hours.

A sophisticated timepiece for the discerning collector, the Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Grained Black watch is an alluring proposition. The model comes presented on a black strap of alligator leather secured to the wrist with a steel pin buckle.