Maîtres du Temps Chapter Three Reveal
Swiss luxury watch brand Maîtres du Temps introduces its latest horology creation: “Chapter Three Reveal” featuring Date, Moon Phase, plus Hidden Additional Time Zone and Day/Night Indicators.
The Chapter Three Reveal is a perfect companion for the well-heeled globetrotter might feature the following: time, date, moon phase, and a second time zone and day/night indicator.
This classic, yet multifunctional timepiece featuring a blue guilloche dial embedded with lots of useful functions has been created in association with independent Master Watchmakers Kari Voutilainen and Andreas Strehler.
The Chapter Three Reveal has a couple of intimate secrets in reserve, to be revealed, and perhaps even shared, at the owner’s pleasure. A pusher set into the crown lowers two invisible panels in the dial to reveal two more hitherto hidden indications: a second time zone indicator (also known as a GMT) and a day/night indicator; both displayed on Maîtres du Temps’ signature rollers.
Solid 18K gold hands and large Roman numeral hour indices are exquisitely and legibly juxtaposed against the majestic blue dial, which is finely engraved with a radiating sunray pattern. With the secret panels closed, the central hours and minutes are complemented on the dial by a small seconds sub-dial at 8 o’clock that is esthetically balanced by the date sub-dial at 2 o’clock and a moon phase indicator at 4 o’clock.
Both the small seconds and date sub-dials are subtly distinguished from the main dial by Clous de Paris guilloche and are clearly marked with neat little nameplates. The earth’s shadow passes over a photo-realistic moon to indicate its phase.
While Kari developed the most of the movement, Andreas invented and designed new mechanisms—including the mechanism for operating the dial panels. Opening the invisible panels reveals the day/night indicator at 12 o’clock and the second time zone indicator at 6 o’clock.
The day/night roller rotates in 24 hours and features engraved, polished, printed, and hand-painted icons: the sun to symbolize day and the night sky to represent night. This indication is of particular benefit when using the second time zone, which is why it is revealed at the same time, as it enables the user to keep track of the hour at home and to know at a glance if it is day or night there.
The second time zone is adjusted by means of the ergonomic quick-set pusher at 9 o’clock, which esthetically follows the form of the case. Each push advances the second time zone roller by one hour. These time zone and day/night rollers are permanently synchronized with each other and can adjust both forwards and backwards in time through the crown.
To maximize legibility, the second time zone at the bottom of the dial is displayed on two separate rollers: hours 1–6 on one and 7–12 on the other. When transitioning (forwards or backwards) between 6 and 7 or 12 and 1, the superseded roller slides horizontally out of the way and the new roller moves into place. This innovative mechanism has been awarded a patent. Using two rollers instead of one means only six numbers have to be displayed around the circumference of each roller, enabling them to be twice as large, so twice as easy to read.
The Chapter Three Reveal movement, developed by Kari Voutilainen with refinements and technical solutions by Andreas Strehler, is both Maîtres du Temps’ first completely in-house movement and the first movement Voutilainen has developed for a brand other than his own. Voutilainen also specified and is responsible for the high-level finishing of the movement. To incorporate so many indications and mechanisms in such a slim, elegant case necessitated more than three years of collaborative work.
Developing the movement from scratch enabled the rollers to be integrated to the caliber rather than added as a more space-consuming module. High-efficiency conical gearing—a Strehler specialty—contributes to both the efficacy of the power distribution and reliability of the mechanisms.
The bespoke movement architecture also incorporates the mechanism for opening and closing the reveal panels in the dial. Building this functionality into the movement rather than adding to the complexity of the case maximizes both reliability and use of space.
The panel open/close mechanism is a movement complication in itself. With the dial closed, pushing the button in the crown lowers the panels below the dial, and releasing the button causes them to rotate out of view so that the second time zone and day/night rollers are revealed. Pushing the button again rotates the panels into position and, releasing the button causes them to elevate and sit flush with the dial.
As might be expected from two of the world’s best watchmakers, rich functionality and stylish good looks were not enough: a superlative watch should also be an accurate timekeeper. To that end, the movement is regulated by a Straumann escapement, featuring a lightweight energy-efficient escape lever and balance spring with an isochronism-improving Breguet overcoil.
Technical details
Model: Maîtres du Temps Chapter Three Reveal
Special features
Central hours and minutes, small seconds, date, moon phase, hidden time zone on roller, hidden day/night on roller, manual winding mechanical movement.
Displays
Central hour and minute hands
Small-seconds at 8 o’clock
Date on sub-dial at 2 o’clock
Moon phase at 4 o’clock
Hidden day/night on roller at 12 o’clock
Hidden time zone on roller at 6 o’clock
Functions
Time: hours, minutes, seconds, date, moon phase, hidden time zone and hidden day/night indication
Movement
Caliber SHC03
Manual winding mechanical movement
Dimensions: 35.6 mm x 8.2 mm (inclusive of dial mechanism)
Number of components: 319
Number of jewels: 39
Power reserve: 36 hours
Dual mainspring barrels in series
Balance frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Straumann balance spring with Breguet overcoil and low-mass escape lever
Finishing: Côtes de Genève, perlage, beveling, and polished screw heads
Case
18K gold
Number of components: 49
Dimension: 42mm
Sapphire crystals on top and display back with anti-reflective coating
Shaped pusher: quickset hidden time zone
Crown: 3 positions plus-pusher – Position 0: Winding/Position 1: Setting date and moon phase/Position 2: Setting time
Pusher: Open/close dial panels
Water resistance: 30 meters/ 100 feet/ 3 ATM
Dial and Hands
Number of components: 3
Roman numerals
Sun-ray guilloche, Clous de Paris guilloche
Hands: 18K gold
Rollers
Hidden time zone: dual sliding embossed rollers
Hidden day/night: engraved and hand painted
Strap and buckle
Hand-sewn alligator strap with 18K gold tang buckle
