Specially crafted for motorsport legend Jean Todt, Krayon unveils ‘Anywhere,’ a one-of-a-kind masterpiece fashioned from a single block of platinum, a reimagining of van Gogh’s famous painting, ‘The Starry Night.’ With unparalleled mastery over technique, material, and craftsmanship, Krayon lives its commitment to preserving the fine artisanship that is intrinsic to high watchmaking and timepiece decoration. Capturing the essence of the legendary painting, this exceptional creation not only transcends the function of time measurement but also becomes a work of art.
‘The Starry Night’ by Vincent van Gogh stands as a masterpiece of Dutch post-impressionism, evoking a timeless magic that transcends the confines of reality. With swirls of vibrant colours and a depiction of celestial turmoil, van Gogh invites us into a universe where galaxies seem to dance across a troubled, if not tormented firmament.
The magic of this painting lies in its ability to capture the very essence of the night. Darkness is pierced by the glow of twinkling stars. Each brushstroke seems infused with a mystical energy, creating an enthralling atmosphere that draws the viewer into a dreamlike realm.
“The Starry Night” transcends being a mere representation of the night sky; it is an exploration of the human soul’s deep connection with the cosmos. It offers an experience that extends beyond the familiar bounds of our world, touching the very essence of existence itself.
A sublimated dial, blending time-honoured mastery with modern inspiration
Just as Van Gogh, fueled by his passion for astronomy, would meticulously study the night sky to capture its mesmerizing beauty and complexity, Krayon has crafted this watch with a deep commitment to both aesthetics and the celestial dance. Each tiny dab of paint on the dial, each component of the mechanism, has been orchestrated with the precision of a master jeweller. This watch tracks the cycles of time with an elegance that mirrors the celestial ballet of the sun’s rising and setting, showcased through Krayon’s distinctive complication.
This watch goes beyond being a mere instrument for measuring time; it becomes a work of art in its own right. The use of miniature painting to reinterpret this iconic masterpiece is truly remarkable. Handcrafted with meticulous care, each detail and every swirl of color has been reimagined to capture the soul of the original.
To create the dial, first a multitude of tiny recesses are carved into the metal plate. Into these, a Swiss enamelist carefully deposits dabs of each color, in the form of lacquer, by hand – layer by layer, until the desired shades emerge, achieving an incredibly delicate effect. This melding of fine watchmaking with an age-old artistic craftcreates a unique harmony where time appears to be suspended in the eternal beauty of ‘The Starry Night,’ inviting a unique sensory experience.
The fascination of celestial bodies
The connection between Vincent van Gogh’s fascination with the cosmos and the creation of Krayon‘s Anywhere is remarkable. This watch, acting as a miniature almanac on the wrist, echoes the artist’s deep exploration of celestial mysteries in works like ‘The Starry Night.’
And yet, Anywhere doesn’t just incorporate the artistic essence of this iconic painting; it also mirrors the celestial dance of the moon and sun with its innovative functionality.
The Anywhere watch extends beyond its role as a timepiece. It is a tribute to van Gogh’s passion for astronomy, at the same time seamlessly integrating art and science. By capturing the boundless creativity of human spirit and our enduring curiosity about the universe, it stands as a portal to exploring the infinite wonders of the cosmos.
The noblest of precious metals, for an exceptional watch
Rare and precious, platinum holds a particular allure with its silvery whiteness and vibrant luminosity, which aptly complements shades of blue. It is among the heaviest and densest materials in the world, yet it also stands out for its unique physical and chemical properties, such as its exceptional resistance to corrosion.
Paradoxically, it is soft, elastic, and extremely malleable. Machining and polishing it are especially challenging and require a high degree of skill and craftsmanship. Krayon uses only 950 platinum, an alloy that consists of 950 parts per thousand of the prized metal – which is exclusively sourced and meticulously produced in Switzerland. The noblest of precious metals, for a most exceptional timepiece.
A unique complication
What if you could know the exact time of sunrise or sunset at any location of your choosing – anywhere on the planet? The Anywhere watch introduces an unprecedented complication in the realm of haute horlogerie, as a symbol of our intimate connection to the Earth. After all, there is no place more meaningful than where you are, have been, or wish to be—the locations captured by your eyes, cherished in your memories, or held dear in your heart.
This fusion of space and time, of significant moments and special places, cannot be expressed by a standard watch, nor captured by traditional complications.
Building on this innovative conceit, Rémi Maillat, the watchmaking engineer-designer and founder of Krayon, brings novel ideas to life through the complexities of watch artistry with each stroke of his pencil (‘crayon’ is French for pencil).
His creation, the Anywhere watch reveals the duration of daylight and marks the sunrise and sunset times for any location personally selected by the wearer – placing them at the very centre of a universal yet intimate form of horology.
This emotional interplay between time and space, the possibility of merging one’s personal ‘geography’ with the external world, lies at the heart of Krayon’s mission. The brand reimagines the concept of time through a watch that transcends traditional conventions and routines. Each morning and evening, though seemingly similar to the last or the next, is uniquely personal, never repeating in the exact same way. Krayon profoundly understands this.
The heart of the watch
Anywhere is equipped with the manually wound C030 calibre, a movement meticulously designed, developed, and fully assembled in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, by Rémi Maillat, the watchmaker founder of Krayon. It is the progeny of the movement created for the model presented at the 2021 Only Watch charity auction.
Deceptively simple in appearance it is also surprisingly slim relative to its complexity (a mere 5 mm in thickness). This manually wound movement’s technical sophistication (432 components, 72 hours of power reserve) has drawn much attention from, even astonished the watchmaking community with its bespoke geographical and temporal precision.
Anywhere displays hours and minutes with two hands, set against a backdrop that creates an illusion of suspension within the watch’s core. Surrounding this, a broad peripheral ring is divided into daytime sector (sky blue) and nighttime (dark blue). The two segments shift in lengths to mirror the real-time sunrise and sunset times as read against the flange.
As days change, so do their length and color, altering the watch’s face.
This innovative feature not only captures the essence of time but is also sensitive to geographical latitude, affecting the length of day and night. Near the equator, day and night are of equal length, while closer to the Arctic Circle, summer days extend into the ‘White Nights.’ To accommodate this, Krayon developed a versatile system of racks and levers, allowing for simple adjustments by a watchmaker once the wearer’s specific time-location pair is defined.
Furthermore, Anywhere includes a straightforward calendar at the 6 o’clock position, indicating the date and month. Designed to assume each month has 31 days, it requires only five annual adjustments, easily made via the crown in both directions.
Special care has been given to the day and night sapphire discs. One disc is hand-painted in dark blue with small stars in Super-LumiNova™ that shimmer against the backdrop, while the other is painted in sky blue. The sun, represented above these discs, completes its circuit, each ray uniquely accentuated by a sophisticated diamond-coating process.
Beyond the visual appeal of the discs, the watch’s design also features an inclined, colour-coordinated flange that doubles as a 24-hour scale. The meticulous craftsmanship extends to the hand-chamfered perforations and the artfully designed bridges, showcasing bold and fine lines ideal for hand-beveled finishing. This attention to detail in both form and function cements Anywhere‘s place among the most exquisite examples of contemporary watchmaking.
Krayon x Jean Todt Anywhere Technical specifications
Watch name
- Krayon Anywhere
- One-off piece made especially for Jean Todt
Calibre
- Diameter: 35.40 mm
- Height: 5.00mm
- Power reserve: 72 hours
- Frequency: 3 Hz
- Hand-wound, with stop-work mechanism
- 55 rubies
- 432 components
Case
- 950 Platinum
- Diameter: 39mm
- Thickness: 9.5mm
Dial
- Métiers d’Art miniature painting by hand in a multitude of hues
- Hour and minute indications at the center
- Day and night indication
- Sunrise and sunset time indications on the periphery, depending on the location chosen by the wearer
- 24-hour display
- Single date at 6 o’clock
- Indication of months
Strap
- Blue calfskin, grained
- 950 platinum pin buckle
