Dominique Renaud’s radical new concept, an Omega Globemaster with a calendar function, an affordable Swiss dress watch and more.
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Dominique Renaud Returns to Watchmaking
After spending some 15 years in retirement, watchmaker Dominique Renaud has come back to the watchmaking world with a radical new concept. Dubbed the DR01 Twelve First, it eschews a traditional case layout in favor of a movement fitted inside a sapphire crystal cylinder that can be rotated to six different fixed positions. The movement itself also features a new kind of escapement. Instead of a traditional hairspring it uses flexible blades that do not oscillate but rather vibrate at a low amplitude and a high frequency. The low amplitude means that the watch will have a very high power reserve (though no official numbers have been revealed) and the high frequency will allow for increased accuracy (think along the lines of a Zenith El Primero or Grand Seiko Hi-Beat). Only 12 watches will be built, sold and designed to the specifications of those who can afford one.
