Swiss independent watchmaking brand Cyrus Genève has created two novelties, both of which represent innovative firsts for the brand.
One of the most exciting things about horology, and certainly one of its strongest drawcard, is the industry’s ability to constantly innovate, no small task for something that’s been around since the sundial. Even better, it’s when smaller, passionate watchmakers repeatedly reset the benchmark and present new and imaginative ideas, that we see why we prize timepieces like we do.
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The new additions include the Cyrus Genève Etheral Twin Orbital Tourbillion, the first Cyrus Genève timepiece with a new round case featuring an avant-garde 3D moving dial, and the Klepcys Reveil, which features an atypical interpretation of the alarm function and a dial with refined grenage decoration, another first for the brand.
Cyrus Genève, which only started in 2010 under the watchful eye of master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon, has spent six years developing the new Etheral collection, which offers a harmonious blend of watchmaking tradition and innovation crafted with an emphasis on futuristic aesthetics, and the Twin Orbital Tourbillon, the first addition, combines an ultramodern style with avant-garde mechanics.
With its extraordinary 3D moving dial, the Etheral Twin Orbital Tourbillon is a hymn to kinematics. As the hours pass, the jumping hours, the minute indication and the two flying tourbillons change position, keeping time perfectly readable always horizontally.
All this is made possible by the new hand-wound manufacture calibre CYR518-E with a double barrel guaranteeing a 72-hour power reserve, comprising no fewer than 510 components, including 63 jewels. This innovative and finely decorated movement also boasts three patent applications.
Its style is reminiscent of some iconic elements of the brand’s timepieces, with elongated lugs surrounding the functional twin crowns. The crown at 3 o’clock, with its slanted grooves, winds the watch and sets the time, while a pressure on the crown at 9 o’clock allows quick time setting (hours indication jumps one hour ahead). The 44 mm case is crafted in polished-brushed 4N rose gold combined with grade 5 titanium inserts.
The watch face plays on the contrasting shades of black, anthracite and rose gold, with an array of exquisite finishes that enhance every detail, from the black PVD finish on the frame bridge, and the tetrahedral motifs, to the tourbillon cages’ gilded bridges, and the bevelled-cut steel screw heads, some with a mirror-polished surface, others with an additional black PVD coating. The new addition comes with an elegant black crocodile leather strap, hand-stitched and fastened to the wrist with a 4N rose gold pin buckle with grade 5 titanium inserts.
Something a little different, the new Klepcys Reveil features an alarm function with an unapologetically contemporary style, a steel 42 mm case, and a dial with refined grenage decoration, a detail used for the first time in the brand’s models. It also has a functional crown at 9 o’clock, a feature which, in previous versions, was only present to maintain a balanced style.
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The Klepcys Reveil is distinguished by an atypical interpretation of the alarm function, which is reminiscent of the minute repeater chime. The bell-shaped hammer set between 7 and 8 o’clock is clearly visible on the display and has a polished, brushed finish and bevelled edges; it strikes to signal the alarm time set on the dial, producing a pleasant sound, for a minimum of 16 seconds.
With hour/minute, 24-hour alarm and day/night indicator functions, the watch is powered by the in-house manufacture hand-winding calibre CYR1280, offering 72-hour power reserve, while its three-dimensional bezel, applied to the central body of the case, has a square base with curved sides and corners that are clearly highlighted by polished facets and a matt satin-finished top that frames the anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
In addition, the long flared lugs embracing the new Cyrus Genève timepiece’s double crown boast a polished profile contrasting with the satin-finished parts, while the twin crowns at 3 and 9 o’clock are both functional and are surrounded by a rubber ring for easy handling. The crown at 3 o’clock winds the movement, and sets the main time and the alarm, while pressing the crown pusher at 9 o’clock activates and deactivates the alarm/timer function by means of the small blue arrow that moves over the inscriptions “Marche” (ON) and “Arrêt” (OFF).
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Together with the case, the dial’s refined grenage decoration gives the new creation refined and elegant appearance dominated by two off-centre circles that intersect at different levels. The larger one, with luminescent Arabic numerals in relief, indicates the hours and minutes with rhodium-plated openworked hands with electric blue tips, and is surrounded by a white lacquered minute scale with glossy black indices. The slender rhodium-plated seconds hand rotates on a mirror-polished ring with Arabic numerals on a 5-minute scale that completes the bezel.
The alarm sub-dial is located at 4 o’clock and allows the user to select the chosen time on a 24-hour scale and 5-minute intervals. Between 7 and 8 o’clock, the display is dominated by a large opening that affords a glimpse of a section of the movement, drawing the eye to the alarm hammer.
The dial finishes are complemented by the two-tone aperture between 10 and 11 o’clock for the day/night indication, with a bright blue sky adorned with the sun indicating daytime, and a starry sky reminds us that it is night. The Klepcys Reveil comes with a glossy black alligator strap, with a steel folding clasp.
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