The $95K Skull Vida Puts an Artfully Spooky Face on HYT’s Hydro-Mechanical Watch

The $95K Skull Vida Puts an Artfully Spooky Face on HYT’s Hydro-Mechanical Watch

Published: June 9, 2017 | By: American Luxury Staff

Swiss watchmaker Hydro Mechanical Horologists, otherwise known as HYT, is the first and still one of the only watchmakers to utilize liquids to tell time. HYT watches always look daring, as iconoclastic as their mechanical designs. The new HYT Skull collection offers a pragmatic philosophy via an unusual cosmetic appeal, though: carpe diem, memento mori.

The premier timepiece of the new collection is the Skull Vida, which features a large skull dial that measures 51mm wide and 18mm thick. HYT crafted the skull case out of black DLC titanium, finishing the material off with a brushed and micro-blasted finish.

Adding to the magic of the skull is its source material of the dial, which is actually carved Siberian wooly mammoth tusk ivory. This special ivory has undergone a special stabilization process that took several months to complete; the master craftsman that shaped the material had to be extremely careful as they worked.

Going with a dial made from an extinct mammal for a skull watch isn’t a mistake. In fact, it is a poignant reminder to the owner that death is inescapable, and, further, a suggestion that the realization itself may be liberating. Skull Vida, after all.

The caseback is sapphire crystal, giving insight into the nifty inner workings of the power source. Powering this liquid timekeeping is HYT’s in-house movement, which offers a 65-hour power reserve.

Considering the rarity of the watch’s materials and its masterful, unique design, the HYT Skull Vida doesn’t come cheap. But, then, you only live once, unless you’re James Bond.

HYT asks $95,000 for the Skull Vida.

3132 June 9, 2017 Men, Watches June 9, 2017