TAOS has carved its own distinctive path within the rarefied world of haute horlogerie, emerging from Geneva as an artisan-driven maison where creativity is unleashed and the limits of craftsmanship are continuously challenged. Since its inception in the spring of 2024, this independent brand, under the direction of watchmaker Olivier Gaud and in partnership with the illustrious Atelier Olivier Vaucher, has eschewed convention and embraced singularity. Each piece is conceived as a one-off — a work of art shaped by vision, emotion, and the expert hands of forty seasoned artisans. The new Tuxedo and Gala pieces, unveiled at Geneva Watch Days 2025, carry this ethos forth, uniting the world of haute couture with Métiers d’Art watchmaking in a sublime demonstration of artistry and poetic ingenuity.
Technique and Artistry
TAOS has elevated the dial into a miniature canvas, a stage for artisanal mastery of rare intensity. The Tuxedo’s dial, inspired by the sartorial elegance of eveningwear, unfolds as a woven tapestry in blue and black that invites close inspection. Silver leaf, skilfully cut into filaments of extreme delicacy, is laid in successive layers throughout the dial’s surface, resulting in a vibrant texture that seems to flutter and shift with the light.
This intricate composition is imbued with luminous depth through up to five firings of translucent Grand Feu enamel, each one demanding absolute precision and patience. The graphic motif is thoroughly contemporary, paying homage to the linear interplay of threads on a loom, and the result is a play of colour and reflection that evokes silk under candlelight, sensation alive and transmutable.
In contrast, Gala is a tour de force in dial-making, drawing inspiration from the opulent splendour of grand ball gowns. Here, an audacious blend of five artisanal crafts are summoned: engraving, Grand Feu enamel, gem-setting, engraved mother-of-pearl, and feather art. The dial, hewn from 5N rose gold, is adorned with white mother-of-pearl gadroons, engraved, painted, and gently domed, that recall a satin bodice.
Engraved gold cords twist and intertwine, while flashes of diamonds flicker across its surface. All this is enrobed in enamels ranging from the softest purple through deep garnet. Subtly, yet with dramatic effect, natural feathers are sculpted and inlaid into gold recesses. This feat of feather work, never before attempted at this scale by the atelier’s artisans, lends Gala an unmistakably intense visual presence. The dial itself, despite the lavish layering of materials and techniques, is kept at a slender 1.3mm thickness, a remarkable accomplishment achieved through the hands of a master craftsman.
Calibre VOP318 – Finishes and Mechanics
At the core of both Tuxedo and Gala lies the exclusive VOP318 caliber, conceived expressly by Télôs of La Chaux-de-Fonds to embody TAOS’s uncompromising philosophy. This automatic movement employs twin barrels mounted in parallel, providing a generous seventy-two hours of power reserve. The technical metrics are precise: a diameter of 30.40mm, height of 4.20mm, a frequency of 4Hz, and twenty-six jewels. Yet what truly sets this caliber apart is the depth of its hand-finished embellishment.
The bridges are conceived as sculptural canvases, primed for the most elaborate hand-engraving overseen by Atelier Olivier Vaucher. Hours, indeed, are devoted to engraving every movement, which features motifs inspired by braiding and quilting – echoing the spirit of the dials themselves. Even the automatic mass is rendered invisible, concealed inside the case to maintain the purity of the movement’s architecture. The result is a mechanical landscape rich in detail and sophistication, where each curve and surface gleams with artistic intent and technical mastery.
Elegant and precious
The case is an exercise in tactful elegance, shaped to frame without overshadowing the artistry within. The Tuxedo arrives in 18K white gold, while Gala is set in 5N rose gold, with diamond-set lugs further underscoring the latter’s flamboyance. Both pieces measure 38mm in diameter and 10mm in thickness, striking a refined balance between presence and comfort.
The careful tapering of the lugs, crisp angles, and sloping bezel are orchestrated to highlight the dial, while the domed back softly embraces the wrist. The exclusive TAOS gold pin buckle is a finishing touch, securing hand-sewn alligator-style straps in either blue or burgundy, their saddle stitching a quiet nod to bespoke tradition.
An Ode to Creative Freedom
TAOS, in conceiving the Tuxedo and Gala, has once again elevated the métier of watchmaking to the realm of poetic craft, where the dial is not simply functional but a vibrant expression of inspiration. In the hands of Olivier Gaud and the maestros of Atelier Olivier Vaucher, time itself is woven into fabric, adorned with fire and feather, engraved with deepest patience. The dedication is staggering: each watch demands 1,001 hours to complete, with only a handful of such unique pieces emerging each year. The confluence of artistry and mechanical rigour within these creations is a vibrant celebration of human skill, creativity, and refined beauty. TAOS has succeeded not just in making watches but in birthing objects that radiate emotional resonance and artistic soul, destined for those who see in horology the highest form of adornment.
