Haute Man: Hands-On with the Konstantin Chaykin Carpe Diem

Konstantin Chaykin has once again tackled an unconventional concept, and managed to integrate an hourglass into a wristwatch. The independent watchmaker, who is self-taught, has unveiled a series of unique pieces throughout the years.  And for his 10th anniversary in the watchmaking industry, Chaykin has unveiled a timepiece that seems like a fitting introspective to celebrate the milestone.

The Carpe Diem is imbued with symbolic, from the hourglass that represents one of the first timekeeping instruments to the skulls that remind man of his mortality. Chaykin reminds us to “seize the day” with this stunning, and quite large, golden timepiece. It’s certainly not a morbid watch to look at.

The silver accents, the floral engraving on the 45mm golden case, and the sapphire-encrusted crown come together in a gorgeous design, in which time flows under the shadow of winged Chronos, who sits on a beautiful blue dial decorated with a scattering of diamond stars. The hour is indicated on an off-centered white subdial by a single hand made of blued steel, while the ancient Greek deity Chronos’ right hand rests on an hourglass, which shows the minutes. The bottom half of the hourglass is marked with six dots that correspond to ten-minute periods.

The illusion of sand flowing is created by several shutters, which are driven by a mechanical module created specifically for this model. The watch also features a day aperture at 3 o’clock, created in an unusual manner: the days are indicated by using the corresponding astrological symbol instead of traditional letter abbreviations.

The Konstantin Chaykin “Carpe Diem” features a manual-wound caliber K01-4 with a power reserve of 46 hours. Its bridges are decorated with «Côtes de Genève», the escapement wheel is gold, and the gleaming barrel wheel and winding wheels are perfectly polished.

This entire splendor is visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback. Only five pieces of this exceptional timepiece are available, for € 51,150.

Photo credit: Chronoscope.ru for Haute Time Russia. For more, please visit the Konstantin Chaykin website.