Hautlence’s avant-garde adventure
Heralding a new era of alternative 21st century watchmaking, Hautlence, in just over a decade, has crafted a number of ground-breaking instruments of time that have redefined avant-garde watchmaking
The brand, founded in 2004, honours the cradle of watchmaking with its unique name, which is an anagram of the city of Neuchâtel, where the company’s head office and factory are also based. Truly the embodiment of exceptional, Hautlence probes new and interesting ways of telling time, harnessing dynamic and distinctive design motivated by architectural fundamentals, and expertly developing and crafting Manufacture calibres at the company’s own Atelier. In 2015, Hautlence unveils idiosyncratic novelties for its existing collections, in addition to new-fangled designs, one of which was conceived through its partnership with former footballer and aesthetic connoisseur, Eric Cantona.
HL2.5
Maintaining the key progressive elements of Hautlence’s cutting-edge HL2.0 series, HL2.5 asserts its individuality in striking hues of red and gold. The watch boasts a super lightweight 49g case composed of black DLC-coated grade 5 titanium, featuring horns with red varnish detail on the signature jumping hours. HL2.5 includes the collection’s patented half-trailing hours chain, the patented regulating organ (integrated into the mobile bridge movement), and the patented operation of the movement’s two barrels, which ensures that the HL2.5’s complex systems are powered independently without affecting the precision of the watch.
HL Black Ceramic
Another contemporary model from an original Hautlence collection; the HL Black Ceramic is an updated version of the iconic HL timepiece launched ten years ago. The brand’s distinctive “TV screen” case appears in bold black ceramic, and frames the idiosyncratic honeycomb-pattern dial – ensuring a captivating three-dimensional effect. The pink gold detailing on the timepiece endows it with even more sophistication. The HL Black ceramic is powered by the brand’s emblematic HL movement with its patented connecting rod system, displaying its characteristic jumping hour and retrograde minutes.
HLRS01 Honeycomb
Hautlence’s signature honeycomb design also appears on the sleek black dial of a new model from the ultra-contemporary HLRS range. This textured honeycomb background encircles the two split-level, overlapping offset dials, enhancing the 3D impression created by the iconic Hautlence jumping hours and retrograde minutes and subsidiary seconds displays. This powerful impression of depth and legibility is accentuated by the luminescent numerals and indexes. HLRS01 Honeycomb is additionally characterised by an ergonomic black DLC-coated titanium case, which houses the Hautlence in-house manual winding mechanical movement, featuring the brand’s famous hand-chamfered connecting rods system.
HLRQ 04 & 05
The brand’s distinctive bright hues, icy blue and luminous orange, decorate the horns of the HLRQ04 and HLRQ05 models from the Hautlence Avant-Garde collection. These vibrant new accents correlate with the blue or orange Superluminova of the hours, minutes and indexes on the upper sapphire dial. Elements characteristic of the original HLRQ models are maintained; the circular black DLC-finish grade 2 titanium case band frames the sapphire dial, providing depth and transparency, while allowing for a clear view of the movement powering the jumping hours, retrograde minutes and the date display.
INVICTUS Morphos Limited Edition
Hautlence’s very first chronograph is a product of its partnership with Eric Cantona. The 250-piece limited edition chronograph features a titanium case, with a dial bearing the colour and iridescent reflections of the large, magnificent blue butterfly for which it is named; mother-of-pearl insets illuminated with black decals emulate the markings on its wings. The case back is numbered and engraved with the name “INVICTUS”, along with Eric Cantona’s signature and an engraving of his digital fingerprint.
INVICTUS 01 & 03
Powered by a skeletonised chronograph movement, the brand’s two new elegantly sporty titanium models, INVICTUS 01 & 03, boast multi-level dials and contrasting numerals and hour markers. The bezel topping the black titanium case comes in a choice of glowing 18-carat red gold (INVICTUS 01) or sophisticated black PVD-coated versions (INVICTUS 03). The aluminium case middle and horns of the INVICTUS 03 are offset by the elegant black PVD-coated steel bezel, push-button and screws, as well as a powdered silver-toned print intermediate dial with orange Superluminova.
