Five years after unveiling the X-TREM-1, Christophe Claret joins forces with StingHD. And what the two came up with is a daring mechanical “memento mori”, issued in an 8-piece limited edition. Technical audacity meets the appeal of the sinister skull.
In a normal world a watch with an inclined flying tourbillon with a retrograde hours and minutes display system based on magnetic fields would easily catch all the attention. But throw in a skull and all eyes wander off. That’s what happens with the Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 – StingHD. The watch is unimaginably complicated and yet, the skull on the tourbillon cage catches the eye and never lets it go.
It was also kind of the idea behind the watch. The Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 – StingHD is executed in a black PVD-treated titanium case and a stingray leather or personalized strap. This piece of haute horlogerie is positioned as a deliberate lifestyle choice. In an additional spirited touch, breathing on the sapphire crystal reveals a skull motif.
Movers, shakers and rockers
The original X-TREM-1 was unveiled in 2012 and since interpreted through a variety of limited editions, this bestseller associates the creative horological strike power of Christophe Claret with the trendy signature of the American brand StingHD. A trendsetter specializing in the production of accessories and high-end jewelry in leather and other materials, StingHD has been epitomizing luxury and finely tailored workmanship out of New York for more than 50 years. The Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 – StingHD is a sophisticated, excessive and extreme watch intended for bad boys, for movers and shakers, for rockers with a penchant for mechanical excellence and contemporary trends. Behind the bold exterior something quite extraordinary works in the shadows. The Christophe Claret team created a system where two small steel spheres – hollowed to make them lighter and encased within two sapphire tubes placed to the right and left of the case – are controlled by precision magnetic fields generated by two miniature magnets moved by cables. The cables are incredibly flexible, made from hundreds of Dyneema nanofibers all contained within an ultra-high-strength polyethylene gel, capable of withstanding tensile forces of up to a kilo. The entire thread is thinner than a human hair (4 hundredths of a mm in diameter).
Ruby-eyed skull
Also worth a closer look is the large inclined tourbillon, at 6 o’clock and adorned with a black chrome-plated aluminium skull designed by StingHD. To create this hypnotically fascinating sight by incorporating the ruby-eyed skull within the tourbillon required the creation of a new tourbillon cage – a technical development accentuated by the colossal case of the X-TREM-1 – StingHD. Like a high-powered machine perched on the wrist, the imposing titanium rectangle exudes a particularly potent appeal thanks to a remarkable black PVD treatment. The pure sapphire tubes previously framing the case of the X-TREM-1 and housing the steel hours and minutes spheres have been replaced by black PVD-treated stainless steel ring-bound tubes – thereby creating a resolutely technical look echoed by red lacquered numerals.
