Anton Suhanov | The watch manufacture

Anton Suhanov, Russian independent watchmaker and creator, presents Racer Jumping Hour GMT, his first wristwatch

For a unique design, should be created a unique movement, Anton Suhanov is convinced of this. He decided to build a caliber with the indications based on the function of the retrograde indication of minutes. He invented the complex design. At the beginning of a new hour, the minute hand jumps from the 60-minute to the zero position, and this rapid movement, almost imperceptible to the eye, performs two actions: it switches the retrograde hour hand forward one hour, and then the hand remains motionless for an hour. And at the same moment the 24-hour digital second timezone indicator of Racer Jumping Hour GMT, installed in the window at 12 o'clock position, goes one hour ahead.

In the center of the dial, there is an unusual second’s indicator on a dynamic 20-second arc-shaped scale — this is one of the consequences of the master’s principle of leisurely perception of time, therefore, the second’s indication is set on the dial center, but does not dominate. At the bottom of the dial, there is a date window, a must for a watch that claims to be of everyday use.

“This method of indication expresses the essence and character of the perception of how time passes”

Anton Suhanov explains his choice of the types of indicators used by him in the Racer Jumping Hour GMT watch. “You will look at some watches once an hour or a couple of times a day, at others you want to look constantly, as if afraid to miss something important, some unique moment. The combination of dynamics and leisurely perception of time is my recipe! On my watch, time feels differently, at some point you seem to be in a race and appreciate every second, and at another moment, literally in a couple of seconds, you ride confidently, slowly counting miles, everything is under control, and the world passes in the windows of your car...”

Movement

For a unique design, should be created a unique movement, Anton Suhanov is convinced of this.

He decided to build a caliber with the indications based on the function of the retrograde indication of minutes. He invented the complex design. At the beginning of a new hour, the minute hand jumps from the 60-minute to the zero position, and this rapid movement, almost imperceptible to the eye, performs two actions: it switches the retrograde hour hand forward one hour, and then the hand remains motionless for an hour. And at the same moment the 24-hour digital second timezone indicator of Racer Jumping Hour GMT, installed in the window at 12 o'clock position, goes one hour ahead.

Finishing

In producing the parts of the module, the master was guided by the traditions of fine watchmaking, although the indication module remains hidden under an opaque dial — this choice is also recognized as one of the fundamentally important traditions of watchmaking. The master treats every detail of the module with the utmost care, and, sparing no time on this work, he uses traditional techniques, including manual polishing of chamfers, engraving, polishing of recesses for screws, pins, and stones.

Spherical polishing of the shafts of the wheels and pins, perlage, fine straight, and circular grinding, sand-blasting, rhodium plating. The dial is finished using the anodizing, ruthenium coating, and guilloche.

Inspiration

The idea, as is often happens, came by chance. One day, driving his car to the workshop, Anton was thinking ... of course, about a watch, and that time about a watch created on an automotive style. Now he recalls that the dominant point of view that this kind of watch is almost necessarily a chronograph made him speculate about it:

“I thought it would be interesting to imagine a watch free from this stereotype. The chronograph appears when we think about a car as a racing car: to move faster, to be in time, to overtake ... Looking from another side, a car is a story about a man behind the wheel, about a world that opens as anew in front, ahead of the windshield, a story about the pleasure you get from driving when there is no need to rush. This is a story about a leisurely perception, when the car gives pleasure by itself, and not from numbers that the speedometer needle reaches.”

As a result of these reflections, Anton Suhanov at one moment got an idea for the design of a new watch Racer Jumping Hour GMT: a glance at the dashboard of the car, where on the left is a tachometer, on the right is a speedometer, between them there are some additional indicators and numbers ... Everything is going as it should, everything is functioning properly, and all systems instantly react at the right time, responding to pressing the gas pedal: the car must remain a car.

And a watch must remain a watch — this is an unspoken agreement between the watchmaker and his clients, and therefore the master set himself the task of transforming such an attitude into a timekeeper, not only fascinating, entertaining, giving emotions, but also providing the information about the exact time.

Case / dial

The dial of the Racer Jumping Hour GMT is unique, but so is the case Its design is based on the principle of the regular Reuleaux polygon, this shape can be briefly described as a square with rounded sides. Anton Suhanov chose this form, believing that it best suits his idea of a dynamic, but the leisurely perception of time. This shape hints at the aerodynamics, streamlined lines found in high-speed cars.

Double screws for fixing the bezel, visually duplicated by paired screws for the pads of the axes of the retrograde hands and plates with inscriptions and a scale of seconds, give the design an almost obligatory technical character for car-inspiration watches, even more, reinforced by the double knurling on the crown and the whimsical shape of the conical holder of the button for switching second timezone indicator.

Specifications

20 Limited edition

Functions: Triple retrograde indication invented by Anton Suhanov with retrograde subdials for hours (at 8 o’clock), minutes (at 4 o’clock) and seconds on 20-seconds scale at the centre jumping hour hand

24 hours GMT jumping digital indication (at 12 o’clock) with synchronous switch of minutes, hours and GMT at the end of hour date window at 6 o’clock
Dimensions: 39 х 39 mm, thickness 12.5 mm
Case: Stainless steel

Sapphire crystal

Transparent sapphire caseback

30 m water-resistant
Movement: CaliberSu100.20, self-winding

Diameter31.5 mm, 6.9 mm thick (with indication module)

The base caliberEta 2824-2, modified by Anton Suhanov, decorative full-disc oscillating weight (rotor)

Frequency28’800 semi-oscillations per hour

Power reserve38-hour

Indication module inventeddeveloped and made by Anton Suhanov, 172 parts

43 jewels

Base caliber25

Indication module18 Jewels
Dial: In 27 parts; the base, appliques and the bows of retrograde subdials — brass with ruthenium coating

Guilloche titanium retrograde subdials with blue anodization
Strap: High quality black leather strap with red contrast stitching stainless steel buckle made by Anton Suhanov and designed as a sportcar spoiler

Waiting list

For press

High-resolution photos of Racer, videos and press releases are in the media center.

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