Cyrus Expands Klepcys Collection With New GMT Retrograde
Sometimes the independent watch brands hit the ball out of the park. Such is the case with Cyrus and its Klepcys watches.
It was back in 2018 that young independent watch brand Cyrus Geneva introduced its first Klepcys Tourbillon watch with a vertically positioned tourbillon that wowed the world. Now, the brand teams with the creator of that movement, master watchmaker Jean-Francois Mojon, for another impressive feat: Cyrus Klepcys GMT Retrograde.
Just at first glance, you can tell this watch is special. To begin with, it makes a powerful geometric statement. The outer tonneau-shaped case features a cushion-shaped bezel with an inner circular “dial.” The case is so complex that it, alone, consists of 26 components. Measuring 42mm in diameter, the watch is devoid of a traditional dial and instead features chapter rings and an open-worked movement to showcase not only the time but also a second-time zone indication.
The new titanium-cased watch boasts this specially designed case that is slightly smaller than its Klepcys siblings, along with an all-new in-house-made automatic movement. As mentioned, that movement was designed and developed by Jean-Francois Mojon, one of the most prolific watchmakers of our time. Mojon is the technical director at Cyrus and is also the founder of Chronode S.A. – one of the world’s most ingenious movement manufactures.
Mojon has collaborated on new movements – and essentially new methods of indicating time – with brands such as Hermes (Arceau L’Heure de la Lune), Harry Winston (Opus X), MB&F (LM N. 1 and 2), HYT, and others. His creations often leave collectors wondering why no one else thought of that before. His mind just seems to think on an alternate plane. Not only are his creations highly technical and complex, but also, he is one of the few watchmakers who can actually explain his creations in understandable terms.
With the Cyrus Klepcys GMT Retrograde watch, Mojon brings the beauty of a retrograde indication to the forefront. Essentially, a retrograde indicator is one wherein a hand tracks time (or some other function) on an arc or a linear line. When it reaches the end, it automatically returns to the starting point by jumping back in a split second, to start its tracking again. It is a wonderful feature to watch because it almost seems like an orchestrated dance of a moment in time. In this case, the retrograde function is used for the GMT (or second-time zone) indication, which is front and center on the watch via a vivid blue lacquer 24-hour second-time-zone chapter ring.
With our busy lives, the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) function – that allows for timing of two zones at once – has become almost a necessary watch feature for business travelers so they can see the home time at a glance and still have the local time displayed. The concept of GMT was adopted nearly 140 years ago in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference in Washington D.C. It enabled the establishment of the International Date Line and of the delineation of the world’s 24 time zones. GMT was named for Greenwich, England, which has a “0” meridian and serves as the main reference point from which all other zones are ahead or behind by a single hour. (In 1972, GMT was replaced with UTC Coordinated Universal Time.)
The highly complex 278-part self-winding movement, CYR708, offers local time in hours and minutes, a small seconds indication via a three-armed helix-shaped constantly rotating hand in a subsidiary dial at 6:00, and the second time zone. This is actually a take on the Cyrus logo and is luminous in the dark. The watch is choked with 55 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
A journey around the watch reveals a stunning three-dimensional architecture from top to bottom. The structure of the dial is on several levels and is achieved using layers to add depth and dimension. The Arabic numerals are actually on a transparent anti-reflective sapphire disk and are luminescent to glow in the dark. Each of the five-minute indicators are also luminescent. The layer that features the sunray open-worked pattern is the upper plate of the movement that has been specially finished in a sunray motif.
All of the functions are easily set using the double crowns (one at 3:00 and one at 9:00). The crown at 3:00 winds the movement and adjusts the local time hour and minute hands (on the main dial), which also rotate the central retrograde hand that indicates home time. The crown at 9:00 is a quick-set crown that allows the local time hand to jump by an hour with each press on the crown. This makes for easy setting of local time for the world traveler.
For the first time, Cyrus, which refers to the case as cushion-shaped, ensures water resistance to 10 ATM. Additionally, it is created in titanium for ultra light-weight appeal. There are three models, including one in polished titanium, one in two-tone with titanium and Black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) bezel, and one in all black DLC.
With a tag line of “The Conquest of Innovation,” Cyrus’s new Klepcys delivers. Thankfully, the brand turns to a sapphire crystal case back for viewing of the finely finished movement with anthracite gray bridges and an open-worked rotor. Just 50 pieces of each of the three versions will be made. The watch retails for $19,900 in titanium, $20,100 in two-tone, and $20,500 in full black DLC. All watches are finished with a black caoutchouc strap.
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