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Fluid Mechanics Timepieces: Inside the New HYT H1

One of the most talked-about buying replica watch at Baselworld 2012 was the HYT H1, a bizarre-looking watch that indicated time by having two liquids, one green, one clear, flow through a small tube along the perimeter hour scale.

The water clock was the first complex system for measuring time. A thousand years after the invention of the water clock, Confucius said that time flows like a river. The metaphor of flowing water as time passes is deeply rooted in our minds. Lucien Voilamuzi realized this and in 2002 proposed bringing the water clock into the 21st century and wearing it on the wrist. Many ideas are easier said than done, and the water clock proved to be one of them.

Over the next few years, the concept evolved into a system in which a small, flexible reservoir or bellows would be connected to each end of a thin, transparent, circular tube that would fit inside the watch case. The bellows and tube would contain two different liquids – one colored, one clear. Where the liquids met, a line or meniscus would be visible. When one bellows was compressed, the meniscus would move, just like a syringe plunger pushing liquid through a needle. With an hour or minute scale placed next to the circular tube, the moving meniscus could mark the passage of time. That was the basic concept behind the HYT H1. replica Jacob and Co. Bugatti Chiron

With the concept in hand, Voilamuzi needed a working prototype and patent protection. He brought in longtime friend and serial entrepreneur Patrick Berdoz, who invested in the project and played a major role in its success. Over the next year, HYT was founded and a working prototype was created. (The company name can be pronounced as "hit" or as three letters, "HYT." When asked what the acronym stood for, we were told it was "hydro-technology" or "hydro-time." The watch may be ready, but the details of the marketing are still being worked out.)

In 2010, Vincent Perriard joined HYT as CEO. Perriard is no stranger to extreme watchmaking. When he was president of Concord, the brand developed the C1 Quantum Gravity, a giant, avant-garde watch that gained acclaim in the watch world for its unusual technical features. replica urwerk Watches

To move the project from prototype to production-ready timepiece, HYT hired Bruno Moutarlier, former industrial director at Audemars Piguet. Movement development was handled by Chronode, a company that specializes in the design and manufacture of complex mechanical timepieces. Its task was to create a traditional mechanical movement that could handle the unconventional task of pushing liquid through a tube.

Not surprisingly, realizing the project required solving several technical challenges. It also spawned some new terminology. During our interviews, phrases like "hydraulic mechanical clockwork" and "fluid mechanical movement" came up. You most likely won't find these terms in a Berner dictionary. best replica watches

The company had to adapt technology and assembly techniques from the aerospace, chemical and medical industries. For example, the two liquids cannot mix or change consistency, nor can they leak or evaporate. HYT's sister company Preciflex works on fluid manipulation with support from Helbling Technik in the medical device field. The clear and green liquid is actually oil, water and a few other chemicals that HYT won't reveal. While the bright green liquid has fluorescent properties, it doesn't glow in the dark... yet. HYT is working on that. If green liquid isn't your thing, don't worry - other colors are coming in the future.

To prevent leaks and evaporation, the system is manufactured to very small tolerances. The glass tube that holds the liquid is blown by a machine with a tolerance of 1 micron. The material used to make the bellows was inspired by sensors used by NASA. The inner surface of the bellows is coated with gold for added strength and flexibility. The liquid handling system must be assembled in a cleanroom. Seven patents have been registered for the technology and one for the design. luxury replica watches

A proprietary movement powers the display. Thanks to one of the most powerful mainsprings currently available, the movement generates 0.7 Newton meters (Nm) of force and is capable of 1.2 Nm. Chronode solved the problem of how to move the liquid at a uniform rate by replacing the hour hand with a snail cam that operates a piston that in turn compresses a bellows. These bellows can be seen above 6 o'clock on the dial. When the first compresses, the second expands and vice versa, causing the liquid to move in the tube.

All this technology is contained in a case that measures 48.8 mm x 17.9 mm. The H1 displays the hours, minutes and seconds in a regulator-style format. A meniscus between the transparent and green liquid marks the hours. When the meniscus reaches the 6 o'clock position twice a day, it retreats around the tube in a retrograde manner within a few seconds to continue to display the hours. A hand below 12 o'clock displays the minutes. A small rotating wheel at 9:30 indicates the passage of seconds. A power reserve indicator at 2:30 tracks the 65 hours of autonomy. replica Bell and Ross BR 05 Watches