FeatureA Spectacle Of Time On A TV: Top Hautlence Watches That Redefine Style With a Retro Twist

Swiss watchmaker Hautlence have embraced an experimental mindset with their outlandish timepieces since 2004. Rather than sticking to the status quo, this independent brand based out of the Swiss town of Schaffhausen believe in not adhering to the rules of traditional haute horlogerie. Their iterations are not interested in playing it safe, with cases shaped as either television or radio sets. Beat this—with the Hautlence Playground Labyrinth watch, you won’t see time at all, instead, you will have time to enjoy a classic board puzzle game on your wrist. A Hautlence watch is indeed a wild child, always ready to shake things up. In this wonderfully weird world of Hautlence watches exist the Sphere Series 1, Linear Series 2, and HLXX watches. While one presents a linear retrograde jumping hour, the other shows jumping hours in three dimensions, all prioritising designs and mechanical kinetics over mere timekeeping.

Hautlence Watches: Bold, Unconventional Timetelling

Right from the brand’s inaugural HL collection in 2005, Hautlence watches have made an impression in horological circles with their avant-garde approach to watchmaking. This groundbreaking debut featured a watch unlike any other—one with a jumping disk that revealed the hours and a retrograde minute hand, all housed within a TV-shaped case with an actual 16:9 aspect ratio referring to the standard proportions of most television screens. This HL watch quickly created headlines and set Hautlence watches apart from the rest. By 2008, Hautlence created other collections, such as the HLs and HLq, that collectively established the design DNA for the brand. The watchmaker’s focus was to ditch the typical ways of displaying hours and minutes on a dial. While much of the industry played it safe, this upstart brand created timepieces that were both works of art as well as functional instruments.

Fast forward to 2022. Hautlence entered a bold new era, building upon their legacy and signature style. The watchmaker presented a sportier, more dynamic approach. Leading the charge was the Linear Series 1—a trailblazing timepiece that was powered by Hautlence’s ninth in-house calibre. This watch sports a new case design with an integrated rubber strap.

A New Era: The Hautlence Linear Series 2

At the 2023 edition of Watches & Wonders Geneva—a year after Linear Series 1—Hautlence unveiled the Linear Series 2, limited to 28 pieces. The watch features a redesigned satin-finished and polished steel case with a black PVD coating, a stunning contrast with the coloured elements of the movement. The left side of the Linear Series 2 dial shows a graduated scale, linking all the hours, with the right hour indicated via a small white pointer on the vertical scale. The hour hand on the Linear Series 2 jumps back to one o’clock on the completion of 12 o’clock, while a flying tourbillon at six o’clock moves behind a blue skeletonised bridge.

The Linear Series 2 modernises the brand’s iconic TV-shaped case with relief forms, while a notched PVD bezel features a black rubber band that complements the black rubber strap. Featuring a multilayered construction, the sapphire dial shows minute numerals atop the base dial with a vertical satin finish. The open-worked dial reveals the minute cam that drives the rotating hour sector on the Linear Series 2. Powered by a self-winding movement beating at 21,600vph, the Linear Series 2 receives a 72-hour power reserve.

The Hautlence Linear Series 2 in a nutshell

• Case: Satin-finished, polished steel with black PVD coating; 43mm; extra-hard bevelled sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment; up to 100m water resistance
• Functions and display: Base dial in skeletonised rhodium-plated brass with vertical satin finish; engraved minute track; intermediate dial in sapphire with printed minute track in white; retrograde jumping hour; and one-minute flying tourbillon
• Movement: D50 self-winding; 21,600vph; 72-hour power reserve
• Strap: Black rubber

The World On Your Wrist: The Hautlence Sphere Series 1

Released the same year as the Linear Series 2, the Sphere Series 1 brings time to a third dimension with a twirling hour sphere and much fluidity in the shapes and lines of the case. Limited to 28 pieces, the Sphere Series 1 flaunts a hypnotic blue sphere, displayed on the left side of the satin-finished, polished steel case, resembling a sculpture protected by a domed, beveled sapphire crystal. This orb, marked with 12 engraved numerals, spins on three axes to show time. Powering this quirky arrangement spinning every hour are four conical gears, cleverly placed between two polished titanium shells treated in a blue PVD finish.

There is another wheel and cam execution that triggers the jumping hour. Luminous Globolight numerals, white by day and blue by night, are set on a secondary sapphire dial. The signature TV-shaped case was reworked again to feature a more modern aesthetic, equipped with a notched, logo-engraved steel crown, accented with a matching blue rubber ribbon. Offered on a blue rubber strap, the Sphere Series 1 runs on the in-house manual-winding A80 calibre, which beats at 21,600vph and generates a 72-hour power reserve.

The Hautlence Sphere Series 1 in a nutshell

• Case: Satin-finished and polished steel case middle and horns; 43mm; extra-hard sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment; up to 100m water resistance
• Functions and display: Skeletonised and rhodium-plated brass base dial with frosted finishing; intermediate dial in sapphire with applied minute numerals in Globolight; hour sphere in polished Grade 5 titanium with blue PVD treatment
• Movement: A80 manual-winding; 21,600vph; 72-hour power reserve
• Strap: Blue rubber

An Ode To The Signature HL Series: The Hautlence HLXX

After the success of the Linear Series 2 and Sphere Series 1 of Hautlence watches, the brand rolled out the HLXX. It was created as a commemorative limited edition in 2024; as the year marks the brand’s 20th anniversary. Hautlence have reimagined their original HL movement from 2004 through this special 20-piece anniversary edition. This set of watches also showcases the brand’s exclusive TV-shaped case with rounded sides and sharp facets. For the 20th anniversary HL watch, the brand revisited the original silhouette and proportions, crafting the case in lightweight yet durable Grade 5 titanium.

The 20th-anniversary HL case does away with traditional lugs to ensure a seamless integration of the strap. A quick-release system on the caseback allows the wearer to swap out the black rubber Cordura-effect strap in a snap, while the titanium deployant buckle has a nifty adjustment mechanism that requires no tools to operate. The Hautlence HLXX also reimagines the display of hours and minutes, putting them into zones across the open-worked dial with a vertically brushed, silvery rhodium surface. On the left, a series of stacked discs with a tinted sapphire crystal aperture reveals the jumping hour numerals in Super-LumiNova.

The HLXX draws inspiration from the recent Hautlence watches, featuring a curved retrograde minute track with Globolight numerals. Powering the HLXX is the Hautlence A20 calibre—a manual-winding movement with a TV-shaped profile that mirrors the case design. This movement features a single barrel offering a minimum 40-hour power reserve.

The Hautlence HLXX in a nutshell

• Case: Satin-finished and polished Grade 5 titanium case middle; 37mm; up to 100m water resistance
• Functions and display: Skeletonised and rhodium-plated brass base dial with vertical satin finishing; intermediate dial in tinted sapphire with applied minute numerals in Globolight; jumping hours and retrograde minutes
• Movement: A20 manual-winding; 21,600vph; 40-hour power reserve
• Strap: Black rubber

The Many Quirks And In-house Movements Of Hautlence Watches

Playfulness is inherent to Hautlence’s identity. In addition to crafting bold and sophisticated timepieces, the brand also showcases their quirky side with watches like the Retrovision ’47 or the Labyrinth Playground. Almost a miniaturised version of the radio converted into a wristwatch, the Retrovision ’47 is a retro-futuristic timepiece that imagines what watches would have looked like had the brand existed in the 1940s.

The Hautlence Labyrinth is a delightful distraction on the wrist, as you get to wear a playful puzzle instead of a time display on the wrist. Its titanium case houses a gold-carved maze. The objective is to tilt the case to roll a platinum ball through the maze and back to the starting hole. Pressing the crown activates a mechanical lift to begin the game.

Hautlence call the watch “an entirely essential yet fundamentally useless object”, reflecting their vision behind the watch—inspire wearers’ imaginations and help them disconnect from the world around them. In a March 28, 2016 interview with People’s Daily Online about the Labyrinth Playground, co-founder Sandro Reginelli was quoted saying, “What we are presenting here is a new vision of time and this new vision of time obviously doesn’t show traditionally the time. We want people to disconnect and go to this dimension of time where you decide what you want to do.”

Despite their modest annual production of around 200 pieces, Hautlence flex an impressive horological muscle, boasting nine in-house calibres. Of course, the brand also uses the expertise of external partners for the movements powering select collections, which demonstrates their savvy, multi-pronged approach to watchmaking.

The twirling blue orb on the Hautlence Sphere Series 1 is marked with 12 engraved numerals and spins on three axes to show time

₹71,30,000

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The Hautlence HLXX reimagines the display of hours and minutes, putting them into zones across the open-worked dial with a vertically brushed, silvery rhodium surface

₹43,10,000

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Offered on a blue rubber strap, the Hautlence Sphere Series 1 runs on the in-house manual-winding A80 calibre that generates a 72-hour power reserve

₹71,30,000

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The Hautlence Linear Series 2 wows with its linear retrograde hour display and jumping minute hand, bringing a futuristic flair to timekeeping. The Sphere Series 1 grabs attention with its three-dimensional spherical tourbillon, a remarkable feat of engineering. And, the HLXX takes the iconic TV-shaped case to new heights with a bold, modern design, and intricate mechanical displays, proving that Hautlence watches have the knack for pushing boundaries and delivering an adventure on the wrist that combines art, innovation, and endless fun.

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