HYT’s T1 Millésime Editions are a concept that could age like fine wine
Jamie Weiss- HYT unveils seasonal limited edition takes on the new T1 Series.
- The three new dial colours – green, purple and chocolate brown – are evocative of the shift from autumn to winter, as well as winemaking.
- “Millésime” is a term taken from the world of winemaking, which refers to a particularly good vintage.
Swiss wine isn’t quite as internationally famous as Swiss watches – but the Swiss do indeed make some delicious drops. One of Switzerland’s most prominent wine regions is Neuchâtel, famous for its 1,000-year-old vines which bathe in the warm sunshine along the banks of Lake Neuchâtel. It’s these vineyards that have inspired Neuchâtel-based watchmaker HYT’s latest creations: three autumnal takes on the new T1 Series that will only be available for a single season.
They’re called the T1 Millésime Editions, with “Millésime” being a term taken from the world of winemaking, which refers to a year in which a particular wine was produced and generally denotes a very good vintage. HYT, of course, is known for its “fluidic timekeeping” – so playing with the language of oenology is highly appropriate. Could we call them the sommeliers of haute horlogerie?
There are three T1 Millésime Editions: a green dial model and a purple dial model in titanium, as well as a chocolate brown dial model with a 5N rose gold case and black-coated titanium elements. All three come with two different rubber straps: a colour-matched strap and a black strap, all of which feature titanium pin buckles. At 45.3mm in diameter and 17.2mm thick, these aren’t exactly subtle watches – but their subdued colour schemes and restrained dials mark them out as the most demure watches in HYT’s oeuvre yet.
The T1 itself represents HYT’s most affordable and conventionally legible watch, although it’s by no means a conventional timepiece. If you’re not familiar with HYT’s fluidic timekeeping technology, this is how it works: two liquids of contrasting colours within a thin borosilicate capillary tube (like a giant winemaker’s sampler) run around the perimeter of the watch’s dial, forming a meniscus that can be used as an hour marker. These liquids push and pull around the dial, resetting at 6 o’clock, to denote the hours, while a large solitary hand denotes the minutes. There’s no seconds hand, but there is a power reserve indicator on the dial.
Powering these T1 Millésime Editions is the HYT calibre 501-CM, the brand’s smallest movement that HYT. It boasts a 72-hour hand-wound power reserve, runs at 4Hz, and features two prominent bellows which pump the fluid around the watch’s dial. There’s an extended metaphor to be made here around the bellows pumping like a winemaker stepping on grapes…
HYT T1 Millésime Editions pricing & availability
The HYT T1 Millésime Editions will be available exclusively from Europe’s autumn until mid-spring (i.e. from September 2024 to April 2025), without a cap in terms of quantity. Price: CHF 50,000 (titanium), CHF 66,000 (5N gold and titanium)
| Brand | HYT |
| Model | T1 Millésime Editions |
| Reference | H03343-A (green) H03344-A (purple) H03345-A (chocolate) |
| Case Dimensions | 45.3mm (D) x 17.2mm (T) x 46.3mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Titanium (H03343-A, H03344-A) Titanium and 5N rose gold (H03345-A) |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Vertical-brushed green/purple/chocolate brass, liquid in borosilicate capillary tube |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Bracelet | Interchangeable rubber strap, case-matching pin buckle |
| Movement | 501-CM, Eric Coudray design, manual-winding |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Fluidic retrograde hours, minutes, power reserve |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | CHF 50,000 (H03343-A, H03344-A) CHF 66,000 (H03345-A) |