If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): skeletal watches

HD3 Complications, Icelink, and Hautlence are three companies that make very high-end complicated timepieces that, although very pricey and admirably designed, are super difficult to tell what time it is. If you can get past that simple fact (lol) , take a look at the design, the workmanship, technology and plain audaciousness of these horological masterpieces.

Although all the companies offer various models, I'm blown away by the HD3's Idalgo XTII and the Biaxial, Icelink's 6Timezone Snow watches and Hautlence's models in particular. Frankly, I find it almost impossible to tell what time it is on any of these watches, but that doesn't stop me from staring at their faces.

HD3 complications is a company comprised of three different designers; artists Jorg Hysek, Valérie Ursenbacher and Fabrice Gonet working together to create luxury horological art. The Idalgo XTII and the Biaxial are two of their six lines of watches. The Idalgo XTII has side by side faces available in various 18k gold or titanium bezels and colored accents and can be purchased with or without diamonds on the bezel.

The HD3 Idalgo XTII:

Like I said, HD3 makes other models as well, here's their Biaxial Watch, another one from which I cannot deduce what time it is:

The HD3 Biaxial Watch:

HD3 COMPLICATION
Domaine Ganymède
Case postale 95
1184 Luins, Switzerland
T: +41 (0)21 642 03 03
F: +41 (0)21 642 03 04
E: sales@hd3complication.com
URL: www.hd3complication.com

Icelink's new "snow" collection is new to their line. Slightly different from their 6Timezone model, the Snow version has one of the six faces filled with little loose diamonds. The model is available as a small case or a large case style. Available in white, rose or yellow gold with white, black or white mother-of pearl faces, the watches are hard to ignore. See for yourself.

The 6Timezone Snow Collection:

They also come without diamonds on the bezel as well (you know, if you want to be a little subtle):

About Icelink:
In 2007 Switzerland's watchmakers welcomed into their ranks a new brand inspired by its founder Andy Sogoyan, a mover-and-shaker without complex and veritable icon of Los Angeles craziness. He is the incarnation of the era of no complex, undeniably the inventor of the gemwatch. IceLink continues to overturn conventional watchmaking.

From its Geneva headquarters, the Icelink gemwatch brand is poised to conquer new markets in Asia and the Far East due to the original design and ingenious concept of the new 6Timezone Snow collection. Thanks to its flagship 6Timezone collection, the brand already occupies key territory such as Europe, Russia, the Middle East and the United States.

Icelink
610 S. Broadway, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014, USA
T: +1 213 622 7707
F: +1 213 622 2624
E: info@icelinkwatch.com
URL: www.icelinktv.com

Hautlence gets its name from an anagram for Neuchatel, the city in Switzerland. Launched in 2004 by Renaud de Retz, Guillaume Tatu, Jean Plazenet, Jean Christophe Chopin and Alain de Forges , they have three collections, the HL, the HLS and most recently having added the HLQ series in 2008. All three models are made with various high quality metals like 18k yellow, white or rose gold or titanium and, unlike the other two companies are not available with diamonds.

Once again, these models have amazing design and movement. All are limited to production of only 88. Each have hand wound mechanical movement and feature exposed elements. Easy to read? No way. But then again, that's why they are included in this post. And a special thanks to Scott Rench for introducing me to Hautlence.

Their first model, The HL, which comes in 8 combinations of colors and materials: