A CASE FOR HYDRO MECHANICAL TIMEKEEPING

HYT’s innovative timepieces combine futurism and maverick design for a starring role in horology.

For many ti mepiece connoisseurs, the draw of horology is often the appreciation of heritage technology and craftsmanship. This does not mean that there is no room for innovation, such as improved materials and manufacturing methods. Other forms of innovation have a healthy dose of ‘ why not’ and mad science as is the case with HYT, one of the most distinct manufacturers of today. The company, based in Neuchatel in Switzerland, announced itself to the world in 2012 with something never before seen in watchmaking: its own hydro mechanical calibre, which uses a fluid-filled time display.

There is a certain poetry to this, as water clocks are some of the oldest known methods of timekeeping. It is a much different thing, however, to use liquids in a self-contained wristworn apparatus, and it introduces a host of new considerations. Compared to reassuringly solid metal, liquids are a tricky beast. They can leak, for one; they can also be much more susceptible to changes in temperature and pressure, and they might interact with their containing vessels in unpredictable ways. And it is certainly impossible to fashion a liquid hour hand — or is it?

None of this deter red t he engineers at

HYT. The essence of their time display, as it debuted six years ago, is a capillary tube that