Haldimann H9 - Reduction

What makes a watch a watch?

What if it conveys no information? What if it measures time, but never shows it? Is it still a watch? And if it is not a watch, then what is it? For some years now, Beat Haldimann has been drawn to this frontier of timekeeping. Its appeal has translated into a wave of sustained inspiration. The result has been various creations that explore this frontier region with great philosophical ambition, playfully yet seriously questioning our relationship to the clock and to time. Beat Haldimann does all this with his own unique artistry and aesthetics. In 2008, Haldimann unveiled the H8 to an astonished public. “Where are the hands?” was the question on everyone’s lips—journalists and connoisseurs alike. Some asked indignantly, others in a more awed tone. The monotonous, minute-by-minute flow of time—linear time—has commandeered our existence. Nonchalantly, the H8 danced us out of this tedious line and allowed us to return to our own personal time. And the choice not to include hands turned out to be the right one, because this left the stage completely clear for the sumptuous tourbillon in the centre to take the spotlight. The H8 is therefore quite rightly described as a sculpture for the wrist.

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