HYT H4 Alinghi Limited Edition
This special edition timepiece from HYT H4 collection honours Switzerland based sailing team Alinghi.
The H4 Alinghi is equipped with a light source. Under the rider at 6 o’clock, HYT has concealed two LEDs. Once activated, they flood the entire dial with white light. At night, the red fluid is energised by this light source, becoming perfectly visible. At the same time, the wash of light flows into every nook and cranny of the calibre, literally bringing this skeleton architecture to life, and defying the laws of watchmaking.
The source of energy is purely mechanical. The generator has been nestled between 4 and 5 o’clock. It is invisible, and activated by the push-piece located opposite on the case middle. The process is broadly that of a dynamo: converting mechanical power into light energy. It is the rotation of the push-piece at 4:30 that winds the generator. Pressure on this same push-piece then activates the two LEDs which bathe the Alinghi in a soft white light.
This illumination is possible for a maximum of five seconds, after which the mechanism must be reinitialised. No battery is needed for this process, which is fully mechanical. Three factors made it so tricky to develop: the extreme miniaturisation, the curved shape, and the fact, once again, that no development of this type had ever been achieved before.
The H4 Alinghi, in honour of the eponymous team, will be released using the same base, with a carbon case, red liquid, white light, the team’s logo on the seconds disc and a strap made from sail canvas, with just 25 pieces available.
About Alinghi
Founded by Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi won the America’s Cup in 2003 in Auckland under the Société Nautique de Genève colours, recording a double first in the history of the world’s oldest sporting competition: the first victory on a first attempt, and the first “European” team to bring the silver ewer back to the old continent since 1851.
Alinghi then organised what is universally regarded as the best edition of the America’s Cup in 2007 in Valencia, on behalf of the Société Nautique de Genève, defending its title on the waves in an epic battle with Emirates Team New Zealand.
Yet while Alinghi’s monocoque successes are many, (Multi One Design, Farr 40, 12mJI, Corel 45, ACC), Ernesto Bertarelli has also been building up a presence in the multi-hull world since 1993.
It’s therefore hardly surprising that, with the appearance of a new one-design series of “flying” catamarans, Alinghi is now embarking on this hydrofoil adventure.
The GC32 is a 10 metre one-design catamaran capable of fully foiling in 8 knots of wind. This carbon fibre dragonfly has already established itself in regattas around the world, both on the ocean and on some of Europe’s most beautiful lakes.
Technical details
Model: H4 ALINGHI
Ref: 515-CB-03-RF-RV; 25-piece limited edition
Case
3DTP™ carbon
Diameter: 51 mm
Height: 17.9 mm
Rubber-clad screw-down black DLC titanium crown at 2:30 and a red crown at 4:30
Black DLC titanium and red numeral lacquered dome at 6 o’clock
Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the dial side
Screw-down sapphire case-back
Water resistant to 50 metres
Functions
Retrograde fluidic hours; minutes, seconds
Movement
Skeleton mechanical hand-wound movement, HYT exclusive calibre
28,800 vib/h, 4 Hz, 35 jewels
Bridges hand-bevelled and micro blasted, rhodium-plated bellows
65-hour power reserve
White light mechanical module
Rewinding and push-button system with a crown at 4:30
The dynamo works when the crown is compressed at 4:30. As soon as the button loosens the light stops working until the full decompression of the additional barrel spring
Dial
Unstructured, fluid hour display
Sapphire minute, seconds and power reserve dial
Black minute indexes and luminescent numerals
Black hour dial with white numerals
Luminescent black minute hand
Regulator at 12 o’clock
Small seconds wheel with the Alinghi logo at 9:30
Power reserve indicator at 2:30
Strap
Black rubber base with integrated silver canvas and red stiching. Black DLC titanium folding buckle
