Occasionally you see a watch that does something completely different. This is the area of “nouvelle horlogerie,” and Dōdekal One D110 by MCT, Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps, is the perfect example. The watch has a large digital hours display right at the centre, with the looks of the classic luminous digit that was a feature of electronic clocks and watches in the 1970s, but in Dōdekal One it is entirely mechanical. The display is powered by a set of cams, driven by the new movement Calibre D1, designed and built in-house, with 62 rubies. The transition that occurs every hour takes place over a 2.5 seconds period. The minutes are shown by a short red hand (gold in the titanium/gold version) that seems to be mounted on a transparent sapphire disc. The movement is self-winding and has a power reserve of 50 hours. The balance runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour, 2.5 Hertz.

This is an advance presentation and I hope to see the watch at Baselworld next week. The photos provided by MCT include some of the components, with a mysterious circular cam with a series of wandering tracks that presumably drive the central hour display.

Case and strap

The watch has a cushion-shaped case with 43 mm sides, and unusual sculptural lugs. Water resistance is the standard 3 atm/30 metres. It has an alligator leather strap with folding clasp.

Price, reference and availability

Dōdekal One D110 by MCT is available in two versions, titanium (reference SQ 43 D110 TI 01), and titanium and gold (reference SQ 43 D110 AB PG 01), each a limited edition of 25 pieces. The titanium version costs 55,000 Swiss francs excluding tax, the titanium and pink gold version costs 61,000 Swiss francs excluding tax. The watches will be available after their presentation on Baselworld which starts on 23 March 2017. More information about MCT’s watches on their website. In the photo below, the version in titanium and gold with black DLC case.