THE MAJESTY OF WOOD
Harmoniously combine two passions, wood and watchmaking, is the challenge Samuel Gillioz set himself just under two years ago. And, the result of this unprecedented marriage is a first collection of automatic steel timepieces which center stage 5 species of wood.
In 2019, Samuel Gillioz, a graduate of the Ecole d’Horlogerie de Genève and former designer-creator for the prestigious Vacheron Constantin, decided to breathe life into a dream he had been pondering over for several years: to use precious wood to craft a watch, to marry the work of cabinetmaking and that of watchmaking. The adventure called Kauri, the Maori word pronounced as “kaori” which refers to a species of coniferous evergreens from New Zealand amongst the oldest in the world, began as such with a first series, the Model 01, produced in 50 pieces, with the accent on this noble, warm, living material.
In his Geneva workshop, Samuel Gillioz crafts his wood by hand, using a milling machine from 1993 and a 70-year-old lathe, two tools originally intended for working with metal. The 41 x 43.8 mm faceted octagonal case, waterproof to depths of 30 m and boasting a thick sapphire crystal, is crafted with steel and a choice between 5 species of wood: briar burl wood, Macassar ebony, kingwood, Swiss ebony (walnut) or Kauri wood. The incredibly-transparent dial, creating a striking contrast between the different materials and naturally capturing light, interspersed with customizable “floating” indexes, unveils a totally-openworked mechanical movement. The selfwinding skeletonized Soprod M100, protected by a sort of steel capsule, drives the dauphine-style hour and minute hands and the direct-drive, all three fashioned in blued steel, and delivers a power reserve of 42 hours.
This exquisite and exceptionally-well crafted watch is complemented by a calfskin strap, whose color is to be chosen directly on the Kauri site, attached by a folding clasp.
Price: from CHF4,490 to CHF5,490
By Sharmila Bertin