Kari Voutilainen Vingt-8 limited edition

The independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen introduced a watch called the Vingt-8 (or Twenty-8 in English): the first serially produced wristwatch he had ever made containing a movement of his own design.

Voutilainen built this watch from the mainplate up. He even designed its direct impulse escapement.

This year, Voutilainen added a power-reserve display to the watch, naming the new model the Vingt-8R.

The movement, a manual wind, incorporates two additional new features: hacking seconds and a system that limits the power reserve to 49 hours (of a possible 65 hours), so that the watch runs only while the mainspring generates an amplitude at the balance wheel that provides the best chronometric performance.

The new movement required the creation of about 70 new parts. It has 228 components altogether, including German silver plates and bridges and rose gold wheels. It runs at 18,000 vph in 28 jewels.

The silver dial is engine-turned by hand. The applied indexes and numerals are gold, and the hand-made hands are gold and steel.

The case measures 39 mm by 11.4 mm and is available in platinum, rose gold and white gold. It will be produced as a limited edition of 25 total pieces. Price: SF82,000 in gold and SF91,000 in platinum. (U.S. prices were not available at press time.)