Krayon is a very new independent watch brand founded three years ago in Neuchâtel and their first release was the watch called Everywhere. A year later, the Everywhere would bring them the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Innovation Watch Prize. Krayon was launched by Rémi Maillat a watch design engineer and watchmaker. Krayon's approach was born from a dream of having a mechanical movement, adjustable by hand, that would make it possible to read the time of sunrise and sunset in any place in the world. Never before achieved in watchmaking, Krayon’s concept is a universal mechanical calculator of the exact time of sunrise and sunset.
Imagine yourself truly anywhere and being able to tell the exact times for sunrise and sunset. Well, once again, Krayon introduces a first in watchmaking with their new watch Anywhere. Krayon's second watchmaking creation, Anywhere, indicates the length of the day and the time at which the sun rises and sets. Krayon unveils a new interpretation of its hallmark complication, with the degree of hand finishing expected in the world of Haute Horlogerie. Anywhere defines a customized geographical and temporal space. In this way, Krayon adapts itself to the desires and deeply intimate secrets of the wearer. A reconnection with the primeval rhythms of nature.
Things to Know About the Watch
The Krayon Anywhere watch displays the time of sunrise and sunset, at any point on the globe chosen by its wearer. It can be the wearer’s location at that precise moment, the place of birth, the location where loved ones wait, the place where dreams are made, or remembered. Krayon’s Anywhere indicates the hours and minutes with dedicated hands, placed in the center of a dial that seems suspended at the heart of the watch. It is surrounded by an annular zone upon which a small sun circulates in perpetual motion, indicating the time over 24 hours. The annular zone has two sectors with the day in light blue and the night in dark blue. The respective lengths of the sectors constantly change, indicating by their position the sunrise and sunset times that can be read from the fixed indicator ring.
These periods are intimately linked to latitude. The North‐South position determines the length of the day, which is equal to the night at the equator and gradually expands towards the white night near the Arctic Circle. To integrate this geographical factor, Krayon devised a mechanical positioning system based on racks and yokes rather than a fixed, complex, and not very cost‐efficient cam. At the customer's request, a Krayon watchmaker will make a simple adjustment to the movement, as often as desired.
The relative position of the two sapphire discs is determined not only by the reference position but also by the calendar. To do this, Krayon Anywhere indicates the date and month with a hand‐counter at 6 o'clock. It is a simple calendar, for which every month lasts 31 days. It requires only five quick, straightforward annual adjustments, which can be made directly with the crown and in both directions.
Krayon Anywhere is equipped with a 39 mm case in either 18K white gold with a blue guilloché dial or in 18K rose gold with a creamy white guilloché dial. The elegant shape of the 39 mm case is highlighted by a flange along the bezel’s underside and over the display case back. The hollow thus created further emphasizes how thin the case is at a mere just 9 mm.
In both versions, the dial shows the same guilloché motif as on Everywhere, the result of an extensive search for an aesthetic, that is also echoed on the winding crown. What you see is an orb with parallels and meridians, imaginary longitudes and latitudes, an apt symbol for the global reach of Krayon's complications. The vanishing point is centered on the date at 6 o'clock. This symbolic pole is composed of two azure zones. The hour markers are distinctive, pyramid‐shaped appliques with a triangular base, identical in shape to the Y in Krayon’s identity.
The greatest care was given to the day and night discs as well. The two rings are cut from sapphire. One is hand-painted in dark blue, the other in sky blue. On the former, superluminova stars stand out in the firmament. High above, the sun follows its course. Each one of its rays is unique, painstakingly finished in a subtle diamond‐cutting process that is technically quite complex. Beyond the discs, the inclined and color-coordinated fixed indicator ring serves as a 24‐hour scale.
The Movement
As with the Krayon Everywhere, the Krayon Anywhere calibre C030 was also meticulously conceived and constructed by Rémi Maillat, watchmaker, and founder of Krayon. This new manual wound movement composed of 432 parts, dedicated and designed for Anywhere, offers a power reserve of 86 hours.
Of a certain width to accommodate both day and night discs, it is very thin in view of its complexity. At only 5 mm thick, it allows a case thickness of just 9 mm. The regulating mechanism for the day and night discs is located at 6 o'clock. Immediately setting the Anywhere movement apart from all others, it shows the intricacy of racks and yokes, with a distinctive screw system in the center. On either side, two discreet screws facilitate adjustment by the watchmaker.
Sticker Price TBC. For more info on Krayon click here.
