A la découverte des Dragons
qui indiquent le temps qui passe
Si le nouvel An Chinois est en 2024 placé sous le signe du Dragon (à partir du 10 février),
la marque indépendante suisse GENUS a choisi de dévoiler non pas un seul, mais
toute une famille de Dragons déclinée dans des couleurs, des matériaux aux multiples combinaisons.
Mythique, puissant, extension tour à tour volante ou rampante du serpent originel,
autant créature maléfique soufflant feu et flamme, que source de gentillesse, sagesse ou d’éternité,
le Dragon est devenu un véritable sujet d’inspiration pour GENUS,
qui n’a cessé de l’interpréter depuis 2021.
Genus is driven by a desire to shake up the fundamentals of watchmaking, to amaze and surprise – to broaden the perspective of displaying time while respecting the values of tradition and craftsmanship in compliance with the high finishing standards of Swiss Haute Horlogerie.
Genus has originated a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an innovation never attempted before. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting trajectory of a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.
In 2017, Master Watchmaker Sébastien Billières, and entrepreneur Catherine Henry, took up the challenge and co-founded the Genus brand. For more than twenty years, Sébastien Billières had been collaborating with the greatest watchmaking Maisons, providing a wide range of services, particularly in the field of complication movements. As a certified Master Watchmaker, his long experience as a restorer, watchmaker, and even professor of watchmaking, combined with the entrepreneurial drive and experience of Catherine Henry, guarantees the legitimacy of Genus. Together, they develop refined architectural watches.
Genus unveiled its first model, the GNS1.2 WG, on the stage of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2019, where it was awarded the coveted Prix de l’Exception Mécanique. Since this spectacular world premiere, far from resting on these prestigious laurels, Genus has continued to push the boundaries of the display and redefine the telling of time.
“Powered by Genus”, the 8-Track was entirely conceived, developed, and assembled in Genus’ workshop in Geneva. The Genus GxS-23-Ru caliber drives the only watch in the world that has a racecar moving around a track while telling the time.
The passing of the racer from one indicator disc to the other – the subject of a Genus patent application – recreates laps around a figure 8 racetrack. The discs that advance the micro-racer echo the rims of a sports car while maintaining the technical and functional traits required by the watch complication.
The quiet power of the GxS-23-Ru caliber. Faithful to the foundations of Genus’ watchmaking approach, it takes on a new form, as a micro-sculpted racer that zips around its track – yet another testament to the flexibility and versatility of this singular watchmaking brand.
Between the crystal and the movement, a miniature sculpted racer, only 6mm long, travels along a curvilinear path tracing a figure 8. As the racer progresses around the track, it indicates the tens of minutes. As for the hours, they are displayed on a black ceramic peripheric disk, with large Singer Reimagined design engraved numerals, treated with Super-LumiNova®, which move past the orange hour index at 6 o’clock.
At the center of the watch, no dial but a unique automotive display. In the background, the GxS-23-Ru caliber, whose components are designed and hand-worked by the Master Watchmaker. The finishes of the 390 components show the most meticulous care taken in their execution. It is the architecture of the GxS-23-Ru caliber itself that reveals the nature of the project. The freedom, flexibility, and openness it offers stem from its having been conceived in two parts. The first, which can be described as the foundational movement, groups the essential functions, including a single barrel. It ensures a power reserve of 50 hours, which is considerable given the complexity of the caliber and the masses in motion. The second, grafted on top of the first, contains the display complication module for managing the hour and the tens-of-minutes indications.
Singer Vehicle Design performs restorations based on vintage automotive icons, adhering to parameters that can be completely defined with the owner, with the goal of creating, with each new project, a profoundly improved version of the legendary Porsche 911.
In 2009, Rob Dickinson founded the Singer Vehicle Design studio, bringing to life the most prestigious restomod specialist on the planet.
In 2017, Rob joined forces with Marco Borraccino, Design Director for major companies and watch brands, and a lover of cars, especially Porsches. Together, they created Singer Reimagined, a watchmaker’s take on the Singer concept.
Their ambition is to reinvent and improve iconic watch functions by developing watch “engines” and complications that challenge conventional codes. The first of these watches, the Singer Track 1, redefines the very concept of the chronograph. Its 60s racing-inspired aesthetic codes and central chronograph with peripheral hour and minute indication radically challenged the status quo. When it appeared in 2018, it won the Best Chronograph Prize at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix (GPHG).
Marco Borraccino, Co-founder, CEO, and Artistic Director of the Singer Reimagined watch brand is in constant pursuit of the free expression of his creative ideas and his passion for uncompromising design. As he explores new avenues, he draws on the rich culture and heritage of watchmaking to create watches that are remarkable, beyond our time.
Genus is driven by a desire to shake up the fundamentals of watchmaking, to amaze and surprise – to broaden the perspective of displaying time while respecting the values of tradition and craftsmanship in compliance with the high finishing standards of Swiss Haute Horlogerie.
Genus has originated a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an innovation never attempted before. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting trajectory of a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.
In 2017, Master Watchmaker Sébastien Billières, and entrepreneur Catherine Henry, took up the challenge and co-founded the Genus brand. For more than twenty years, Sébastien Billières had been collaborating with the greatest watchmaking Maisons, providing a wide range of services, particularly in the field of complication movements. As a certified Master Watchmaker, his long experience as a restorer, watchmaker, and even professor of watchmaking, combined with the entrepreneurial drive and experience of Catherine Henry, guarantees the legitimacy of Genus. Together, they develop refined architectural watches.
Genus unveiled its first model, the GNS1.2 WG, on the stage of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2019, where it was awarded the coveted Prix de l’Exception Mécanique. Since this spectacular world premiere, far from resting on these prestigious laurels, Genus has continued to push the boundaries of the display and redefine the telling of time.
The 8-Track Watch by Genus & Singer Reimagined speaks to the child in all of us. And it’s off to the races…!
To enhance the experience, the winning bidder for the 8-Track at Only Watch 2023 Auction will be invited to experience the thrill of speed in a restored Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer Vehicle Design, during the 2024 Client Drive Experience. The winning bidder will have the choice between two options:
Option 1: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024
• 2 invitations to the event and full access to Hospitality Singer Vehicle Design on site.
• Laps around the circuit as a passenger in a Porsche 911 restored and re-imagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver.
• Access to the track day with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle.
Option 2: Monterey Car Week 2024
• Access for 2 persons to The Quail.
• Passenger rides in a Porsche 911 restored and re-imagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver.
• Access to the Track Day at Laguna Seca Raceway with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle.
(Hotels and transfers not included)
Collection : Unique piece for Only Watch 2023
Watch name: 8-TRACK Watch
Specifities:
• Singer signature design fusion with Genus in-house Haute Horlogerie movement & innovative display complication
• Hand-crafted 18K gold car micro-sculpture moving on an infinity 8-shaped track
• Peripheral hours indication
• Crown at 4 o’clock
Material : Steel
Thickness:15.46mm
Diameter: 43mm
Crystals: Sapphire with antireflective coating
Crown: Steel, position at 4 o’clock
Water resistance: Approximately 30 meters (3 ATM)
Caliber: GxS-23-Ru, manual winding, manufactured in the Genus workshops in Geneva
Material: Brass plate and bridges
Components: 390
Rubies: 26
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: Approximately 50 hours
Regulating organ: Swiss anchor escapement, variable inertia balance
Divided into two parts: one for energy storage and transmission, the other for distribution and regulation.
Hours: Peripheral disc
Tens-of-minutes: 1 free-moving element circulating between two rotating foci (patent pending), having a stylized race car silhouette, hand-sculpted of 18K gold
Numerals & indicators: Super-LumiNova™
At 6 o’clock: The hour
At the center: Tens-of-minutes, indicated by the miniature racer
Leather: Smooth dark brown calf strap, perforated racecar driver style
Buckle: Fold-over 2-part clasp, steel
Material : Steel
Thickness:15.46mm
Diameter: 43mm
Crystals: Sapphire with antireflective coating
Crown: Steel, position at 4 o’clock
Water resistance: Approximately 30 meters (3 ATM)
Caliber: GxS-23-Ru, manual winding, manufactured in the Genus workshops in Geneva
Material: Brass plate and bridges
Components: 390
Rubies: 26
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: Approximately 50 hours
Regulating organ: Swiss anchor escapement, variable inertia balance
Divided into two parts: one for energy storage and transmission, the other for distribution and regulation.
Hours: Peripheral disc
Tens-of-minutes: 1 free-moving element circulating between two rotating foci (patent pending), having a stylized race car silhouette, hand-sculpted of 18K gold
Numerals & indicators: Super-LumiNova™
At 6 o’clock: The hour
At the center: Tens-of-minutes, indicated by the miniature racer
Leather: Smooth dark brown calf strap, perforated racecar driver style
Buckle: Fold-over 2-part clasp, steel
8-TRACK Watch for Only Watch 2023
E-mail : 8.trackwatch@gmail.com