Chapter VI

The Champion

For the love of the game

The Champion is a wonder of Swiss-made watchmaking craftsmanship encased in a geodesic sphere, the iconic shape of the football – created from the rarest combination of materials and artisanal mastery. True to our ambition to keep bringing objects to the world that hint at the familiar only to explode its codes, The Champion is a stunning work of interior art – as refreshingly playful as it is fascinatingly intricate.

BOTH TIMEKEEPER AND KEEPER OF A TIMELESS SPIRIT

Time is displayed with two rotating discs, one for the hours, the other for the minutes. The power reserve of seven days is sufficient to make winding a welcome excuse for playtime. Indeed, the expanse of tempered mineral glass allows a splendid view of the mechanism while affording it perfect protection; it also serves as miniature football pitch – albeit only for penalty kicks.

The goal, players and penalty kick mechanism are 3D-printed in grade 23 titanium, combining joyful simplicity with robustness in a high-tech execution. Note also the leather-clad stadium barrier surrounding the ‘pitch’ to keep the ball within bounds. The Champion offers a constant interplay of history and high-tech, of serious watchmaking and lighthearted wonder.

Caliber ONE – OUR FIRST PROPRIETARY HAUTE HORLOGERIE CLOCKWORK CALIBER

This 205-component mechanical manufacture movement was imagined and designed entirely in-house – 100% Swiss Made from idea to construction to finishing, Caliber ONE was bespoke-developed and engineered specifically for integration into the geodesic sphere created for The Champion concept.

The time, told in jumping hours and trailing minutes, is read from two discs at 6 o’clock. The clockwork, self-adjusting with a play compensation system, is manually set and wound with a square key winder. The power reserve is 155 hours. The layered depth brings out the caliber’s centerpiece, the screw balance wheel framed by elegant hand-beveled and dynamic bridges.

Collection pieces

The Champion

A watchmaking marvel as interior art, totally unexpected and yet long-awaited.

THE CHAMPION MARKS ITS OWN TIME, FOR ALL TIME

The choice of the finest, most exotic materials and daring combinations thereof, bringing micro-mechanics and 3D printing into play with centuries-old techniques and consummate artistry to create the geodesic sphere, and combining it with a vast heritage of watchmaking savoir-faire: The Champion takes the tradition of the elegant desk clock from centuries ago and catapults it into a new dimension.

AN INVISIBLE ENGINEERING MARVEL

The mechanism for opening the sphere, a feat of engineering, was developed specifically with this object in mind. At the soft press of a button, the hinged upper hemisphere silently and smoothly rises, actioned by two gas-filled cylinders concealed in the base, to clear the way for both easy player access and a full view of the wonders within. The system preserves the aesthetic of the whole, regardless of its open or closed state; the way it is designed provides room for the clock mechanism to operate with absolute reliability.

The base upon which The Champion rests, as well, is the product of purpose-driven thought and engineering: 3D-printed, it is sheathed in nubuck leather, with an ethereal, dynamic shape that conveys speed and weightlessness. The ball, safely held in place, seems to be on the rebound. The quality of finish is all the more superb considering the object’s dimensions.

More than a year in the making

Developing The Champion took more than a year of intense teamwork with and between the expert artisans and craftspeople – designers, engineers, watchmakers, cabinetmakers… – in each domain. Here, The Unnamed Society is particularly proud to count as its members and to salute: Emmanuel Bouchet, who together with his team at Maclef, was instrumental in developing and perfecting the Haute Horlogerie clockwork mechanism; Aurélien Bouchet and ABConcept who solved the many challenges that stood in the way of the perfection; and Cedric Vichard, Master Cabinetmaker who worked his magic with the marquetry and skin-clad elements.

Chapter IV

The Jim Bowie Project

Chapter V

Winchester, reimagined