The GMT-6 was first seen around 2013, and it marked the addition to the catalogue of a useful travel complication that was somewhat novel for the independent brand. This complication is integrated in a way typical of the watchmaker’ style – elegantly, without employing an additional hand or a separate pusher.
While usually created in precious metals, the watchmaker has realised unique examples in stainless-steel (for Only Watch 2015) and in titanium (GMT-6 Kidz Horizon) for charitable auctions. Both unique examples are noteworthy for their use of champlevé enamelling that ambers the rich guilloché textures on the dial. As we noted earlier, while the GMT complication is rare to the watchmaker’s work, rarer still is one adorned with a champlevé enamel dial.
The case
Here is an example with a similar formula. Its 39mm case is forged from white gold. It stands 10.5mm tall. The case features a three-part case construction – the bezel and mid case wear rounded profiles. The bezel around the display caseback is flatter, with a groove around the well-proportioned crown to make it easier to engage it to set the time. The caseback is secured by proprietary screws and is engraved with the brand mark, serial number and previous metal hallmarks. Both bezel and the caseback meet the midcase in prominent lips. All parts are evenly high-polished.
The brand’s signature teardrop lugs are welded to the midcase. They have a flat inner form while the outer edges have a rounded, organic-looking form. The crown is large, knurled and unsigned. Pushing on it advances the secondary time indication in one-hour increments.
Dial craft
The dial is striking, and not just because of the wide array of patterns of engine turning. On the outermost edge runs a circular brushed navy chapter with a printed silver chapter of minute plots. This is followed by a ring of clous de Paris, also in the same shade of navy, with an applied chapter of brushed, solid gold hours – these are Arabic numerals at 12, 3 and 9 and batons for the rest.
The central portion of the dial, framed by a ring of gold, features engine turning in a basket weave pattern. However, the scale of this pattern has been cleverly varied to an abstract effect. The pattern brings to mind the ‘Boing ball’ animation employed in early personal gaming by makers such as Amiga and Atari. The engine turning is sealed in red translucent enamel. The shade offers contrast against the navy, while the two shades are also very complementary.
At 6 o’clock lies the subsidiary register that is home to both the secondary time display and the running seconds. On the outer edge lies a circular brushed printed seconds chapter. Inside lies a rotating disk that is the secondary time indication – the disk, with the 24 hours printed on it, rotates in a counterclockwise fashion. The arrow pointer just south of the canon pinion serves to indicates the hour on this secondary time scale.
Contained further within this register is the day and night indications for this secondary time zone. While not entirely necessary, given that the time is indicated on a 24-hour scale, this day and night indication serves as a canvas for artistic expression.
The two sectors feature relief-style engraving, one featuring the sun, with the other adorned with the moon. This creates a three-dimensional effect evident even in this miniature scale. The daylight sector also features engine turning in a pattern radiating from the sun. It is sealed in yellow champlevé enamel while the nighttime sector is marked by a fine pinstripe engine turning pattern. Save for the moon, this sector is filled with rich blue champlevé enamel.
The gold hands are of the same matte finish as the hours, minutes and seconds chapters. The observatoire apertures on the hours and minutes hands feature blued stainless-steel inserts while the bases of all hands are capped with similarly treated stainless-steel.
The integrated complication
On display is the manually wound movement. While its architecture appears similar to the in-house calibre 28, here it integrates the 70 components of the GMT complication entirely. It is 30mm across and fills the case nicely. The large, free sprung balance measures 13.6mm in diameter and has a hairspring with a Grossman interior curve and Philips exterior curve aimed towards better isochronism. It works in conjunction with Voutilainen’s take on the double-wheeled direct impulse, or natural escapement. The movement hacks for precise time setting and the single barrel offers around 65 hours of reserve.
The calibre and bridges are crafted from German silver coated in rhodium. The bridges are adorned with Geneva striping while the baseplate wears perlage. The wheels of the going train and the screwed-on plaques bearing the brand mark and movement number are crafted from rose gold. Not all the wheels are visible– for instance, the fourth wheel of the going train lies between the baseplate and the dial even though the bridge anchoring is visible on the movement side.
Evidence of hand finishing is everywhere, from the anglage on the bridges to the countersinks for the screws and jewels and the black polished bar bridge anchoring the balance wheel. The ratchet wheel features a concave inner portion that is black polished while the outer edges are solarised. The outer edges of the teeth on the ratchet wheel are bevelled and polished.
The GMT-6 remains a rarity, having been produced in small numbers over the years. In this iteration, embellished by engine turning and champlevé enamelling, it is generous and joyful.
