Haute-Rive could also be a younger model based in 2022, but it surely comes with severe horological backing. Its founder, Stéphane von Gunten, is a micromechanical engineer with many years of expertise in educational analysis and high-end watchmaking. When the time got here to launch his model, he named it Haute-Rive, a nod to the unique workshop of his great-great-grandfather, Iréné Aubry. The model’s debut mannequin, named Honoris, is a tribute to this household legacy and a daring technical assertion! For the brand new Honoris I Lagoverde, nonetheless, this technicality meets artisanal craftsmanship, because of a luscious inexperienced handmade dial.
Stephane’s background contains roles in semiconductor R&D, college labs, and key technical improvement positions at Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin. Whereas at Ulysse Nardin, von Gunten labored carefully with SIGATEC, Ulysse’s silicon know-how associate, on a number of the model’s most superior tasks, a lot of which had been built-in into the enduring Freak collection.
The inspiration for Honoris stems from the 1889-patented Hebdomas pocket watch, which boasted an 8-day energy reserve. Nonetheless, Honoris pushes the idea dramatically additional: a mechanical wristwatch with a steady energy reserve of 41 days (1,000 hours). This places it amongst a uncommon class of ultra-long-reserve timepieces.
For context: A. Lange & Söhne’s “Lange 31” (2007) runs for 31 days and requires a separate ratcheting key to wind. The Hublot MP05 LaFerrari (2013) prolonged this to 50 days by 11 mainspring barrels and required an influence device to wind. The Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat (2019) pushed that quantity to 65 days, however that reserve solely applies when the secondary escapement runs at 1.2 Hz whereas the watch is stationary. On the wrist, it features as a typical 4-day watch.
In distinction, Honoris maintains its 41-day reserve (roughly 30 days of what we name a perfect chronometric perform and the remaining 11 days thought-about as emergency backup) utilizing a single escapement and with none want for instruments, switches, or secondary modes. The completely developed in-house motion makes use of superior engineering to ship this efficiency in a wearable, manually wound watch.
The brand new Lagoverde version of the Haute-Rive Honoris brings delicate aesthetic updates whereas preserving the extremely technical structure that makes this watch so outstanding. Housed in a 42.5mm case crafted from white gold, the watch stands simply 11.95mm tall, an achievement contemplating the ability saved inside. Its clear, polished surfaces and flat mid-case lend a refined, fashionable look, complemented by a small fluted crown at 3 o’clock and a discreet pusher at 2 o’clock. That pusher is the place the engineering brilliance begins.
Urgent it engages a column-wheel selector, pocking by a round aperture on the dial close to the pusher. This mechanism prompts the time-setting mode with out the necessity to pull out the crown, and the Honoris winding system, as a substitute of winding through the crown, makes use of the rotating bezel. Its vertical edge is subtly serrated for grip, whereas the highest floor is polished, giving it a smoother, extra refined look in comparison with the edgier look of the unique model. Regardless of the 3-meter-long mainspring housed inside, winding is fast and clean, and because of a built-in slipping bridle, the watch is protected against overwinding, no matter how enthusiastic the person is.
The Lagoverde dial retains its distinctive structure, dominated by a skeletonised, 15-spoke toothed wheel that sits above the uncovered gearing and is a useful a part of the transmission system, transferring energy from the mainspring to the centrally mounted, leaf-shaped hour and minute palms. These palms, polished and gently rounded, glide over the intricate mechanics and the wave-like floor beneath.
At 3 o’clock, a pipe-like cutout reveals the crown’s stem, providing a glimpse into the time-setting mechanism. In the meantime, at 6 o’clock, a one-minute flying tourbillon aperture mirrors the big transmission “time wheel” above, making a superbly balanced dial design. A branded plaque sits reverse the crown cutout, finishing the symmetry.
A key new characteristic of this version is its dial ornament, impressed by Lake Neuchâtel. The hand-engraved white gold base, crafted by grasp engraver Pierre-Alain Lozeron, captures the attitude of standing on the water’s edge—bigger, extra pronounced waves on the backside progressively fade as they attain the highest, creating depth and motion. Your entire floor is then coated in translucent inexperienced Grand Feu enamel, lending the dial its wealthy, shimmering impact. In case your reminiscence of the lake appears completely different, you should definitely verify the model’s web site for the picture behind this inventive inspiration.
Flip the watch over, and the caseback reveals an orbital energy reserve indicator—and among the many varied energy reserve shows we’ve revisited just lately, this one stands out. Precision-crafted with informative and ornamental plaques, it provides an intuitive readout, with purple markings signalling when it’s time to wind the watch. Given the Honoris’ outstanding 30-day chronometric energy reserve, you’ll solely want to try this as soon as a month.
The Haute-Rive Honoris I Lagoverde is paired with a hand-stitched, green-toned perch fishskin strap—a delicate nod to its lake-inspired dial and pure aesthetic. An unbelievable timepiece which redefines what’s doable in sensible, mechanical autonomy, paired with an attractive dial, it’s a collector’s delight. With solely eight items being produced, the Lagoverde version is a real collector’s piece—an ultra-rare fusion of engineering brilliance and artisanal craftsmanship. The value is CHF 188,000, excluding VAT.
For extra info, please go to Haute-Rive-Watches.ch.
