Stéphane von Gunten creates his own brand Haute-Rive and for the occasion presents his first watch HONORIS I at Geneva Watch Days 2023 (from August 29 to September 2), the first slim and elegant timepiece with a 1-hour power reserve, setting a new world record for autonomy with a single barrel and a tourbillon.
Out of a love of watchmaking engineering and driven by a three-generation watchmaking lineage, the La Chaux-de-Fonds inventor Stéphane von Gunten announces the creation of his own brand, HAUTE-RIVE, named after his great-great-grandfather's workshop, where exceptional timepieces were born over a century ago.
Today, Stéphane von Gunten announces the birth of Haute-Rive, an independent Swiss watch brand at the pinnacle of the watchmaking hierarchy. After nearly twenty years spent in prestigious watchmaking companies, Stéphane von Gunten decided to free himself from the time constraints of large groups and enjoy complete freedom of expression with the skills acquired during a career that intimately prepared him for this new chapter. Haute-Rive is a tribute to watchmaking engineering, of course, but it is above all a tribute to family values, to humanity, to sharing, in the spirit and service of Swiss watchmaking excellence, anchored above all in wonder and delight.
HONORIS I, in honor of Irénée Aubry, the architecture of the long term
Fine watchmaking, tradition, and innovation. Three intertwined themes, where innovation is often the poor relation.
With Honoris I, its inaugural collection, Haute-Rive places these three elements on an equal footing. Honoris I is a polished, elegant yellow or white gold wristwatch with a mysterious flying tourbillon and a grand feu enamel dial, all based on a finishing ethic (hand-chamfered and hand-decorated) that exemplifies Haute Horlogerie.
Haute-Rive has indeed opted for a grand feu enamel dial. Available in black or white, it is executed at high temperature on an 18-carat gold plate using the champlevé technique. Before the five consecutive firings, the plate is cut to accommodate the movement's protrusions. For this dial is more than just a surface: It is the canvas for an aesthetic and technical composition. A large wheel, known as the wheel of time, the gear train beneath a central bridge with four pillars, and the tourbillon—these three elements emerge from the dial without anyone really knowing how they interact. The mystery continues with the long crown stem and its fluid pinion, easy to spot next to the column wheel required for function selection. The space dedicated to the barrel and its substantial spring pushes these elements upward. Stéphane von Gunten draws on these elements to transform them into a technical statement within a classically crafted ensemble. This echo of a traditional aesthetic is reinforced by the two leaf-shaped hands, perfectly polished, in white gold or flame-blued steel depending on the version.
The element of tradition is rooted in the cultural and family heritage of founder Stéphane von Gunten. In Honoris I, he perpetuates the work of his ancestor Irénée Aubry, a 8th-century watchmaker and inventor, among other things, of the XNUMX-day pocket watch known as the Hebdomas.
At the heart of Honoris I, in equal measure: innovation. Stéphane von Gunten takes his grandfather's inventions further by creating the first wristwatch with a 1000-hour power reserve, both wearable and elegant – and reasonably slim at just 11,95 mm thick and 42,5 mm in diameter.
Once a month, Honoris I must be wound via its 60-facet bezel, controlled by a column-wheel function selector. The construction of the case, movement, and complications, as well as their interaction, are the result of an extreme pursuit of slimness, performance, and refinement. This rare combination launches the trajectory that Stéphane von Gunten is charting for Haute-Rive.
The Waltz of a Thousand Times
To achieve the goal of a 1000-hour power reserve for the HR01 caliber, Stéphane von Gunten maximized the size of the mainspring while preserving the overall dimensions of the watch. Typically, timepieces that offer 10 days of power reserve are quite enormous, often packaged in futuristic designs. The Honoris I was designed with portability in mind. That's why Stéphane von Gunten opted for a single barrel. Increasing its size means making the plate act as a drum. Custom-designed by a specialist in the field, the mainspring inside is 3 meters long, certainly the longest ever installed in a wristwatch. To deliver the smoothest possible torque, it is equipped with a sliding flange that prevents jolts and power surges. The sliding flange also protects the gear train when the spring is fully wound.
The barrel communicates on one side with the power reserve indicator, located on the caseback. Around a grained central cover, a ring graduated from 0 to 1000. This 360-degree indication offers optimal readability at all times, impossible with a traditional gauge. On the other side, the barrel engages in a differential that connects it to the gear train and the winding mechanism. Winding is carried out by turning the bezel counterclockwise. Why? The force required and the number of barrel turns would have made the use of a crown impossible. In addition, the bezel is pleasant to the touch, easy to turn thanks to the 60 subtly recessed flutes. They provide a perfect grip for the winding operation, which can be spaced 40 days apart, or once a month, with a safety margin of 10 days.
The time of secrets
The function selector created for Honoris I is unique. It is connected to a tear-proof crown, a column wheel, and a sliding pinion located on the longest and most visible of the crown stems. This directly engages the time-setting gear train, the very heart of the HR01 caliber. The three-dimensional, double-mustache-shaped central gear bridge is a key graphic and horological element of the HR01 caliber design and a trademark of Honoris I. Its shape and prominence suggest the time-setting of the watch through a gear system. Its shape and prominence suggest a stepped movement, very much in the spirit of classic watchmaking, which lends itself to the interplay and interaction of superlative finishes.
Above the barrel, the HR01 caliber is surmounted by the time wheel. It transmits energy to the gear train, recalling the importance of the driving force in this watch. The time wheel meshes with a gear train spread over 7 vertical levels. At the end of this kinetic chain, Stéphane von Gunten has installed one of his specialties, a complication that holds no secrets for him: a flying tourbillon. A large rhodium-plated brass cage, in the shape of an openwork cross, houses the finely regulated assembly. It houses a flat steel alloy balance spring, a variable-inertia balance wheel, and a Swiss lever escapement. It is the structure and verticality of the cage that stand out here. They emerge from the dial, creating a third focal point above the expanse of delicately executed enamel.
Technical specifications
Haute-Rive Honoris 01
Mouvement Reference: Caliber HR01 / Winding: Manual, via the rotating bezel / Power reserve: 1 hours (000 days), one barrel, 41-meter long mainspring / Regulator: Mysterious flying tourbillon with one-minute rotation, bent lever escapement, variable inertia balance / Functions: Hours, minutes, function selector, power reserve indicator on the case back / Diameter: 3 mm diameter, or 38.45''' / Thickness: 17 mm / Frequency: 7.75 Hz (2.5 vibrations/hour) / Components: 18 / Jewels: 000 / Mainplate and bridges: Sandblasted with sand from Lake Neuchâtel, hand-beveled with gentian from the Jura Housing Material: 18ct yellow gold or 18ct white gold / Dimensions: 42,5 mm diameter / Height: 11,95 mm / Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective treatment / Back crystal: sapphire / Water resistance: 30 meters – 3 bar – 3 atm Dial Base plate in 18 ct yellow gold or 18 ct white gold / Black or white grand feu enamel, raised fields points Leaf type, curved, polished / In 18 ct white gold or blued steel Bracelet Black or brown nubuck calfskin, hand-sewn, tone-on-tone stitching / 18ct yellow gold or 18ct white gold pin buckle Production exclusive About 10 watches per year Price 148 CHF excluding VAT.
André Tirlet
