TIME AND A PEN

Giving new meaning to the term “hybrid concept,” the Anura Rafael Write Time is a captivating mash-up of a fountain pen and a mechanical wristwatch—an analog counterpoint to the digital smart devices we rely on to communicate and tell time.

Anura Rafael, a 15-year veteran of the Swiss watchmaking industry, debuted the concept in May to introduce his namesake brand. Made from solid 18-karat pink gold wrapped in supple alligator leather, the fountain pen is topped with a mechanical timepiece housed in a detachable sapphire module. Once freed from the proprietary quickunlocking mechanism that holds it in place, the watch can be slipped into a pink-gold holder on a hand-stitched alligatorleather band to wear on the wrist. The movement bears a transversal configuration that displays the time using three rollers with hand-engraved, handpainted numerals that are visible through the sapphire case. Wound and set via an oversize crown, the watch has a 1-minute tourbillon and relies on dual barrels to provide a 48-hour power reserve.

Rafael is accepting commissions for the Write Time concept (about $250,000), which also comes with a leather travel case that holds all of the pen’s pieces, an inkpot, and other sundries.

—JOHN LYON

CONCEPT: WRITE TIME DESIGNER: ANURA RAFAEL ODDS OF PRODUCTION: ITS STORY IS READY TO BE WRITTEN