Grail Watch: Alterum Worldtimer Horizon

Modernism is not for everyone. In art, its forms are geometric, abstract and bold, at times distorted. In writing, its stream of consciousness, loud and strident. In music, too, it is discordant and dissonant. In architecture, its structures are rational, experimental, sometimes austere, holding fast to that most quintessential of modernist axioms, that form should follow function.

But the single thread that runs through them all is irresistibly compelling — and that is the idea of a radical break from convention and tradition.

Justin Walters’ Alterum Worldtimer can be understood in this light. Says Walters, who is American and grew up on the influences of American modernism, “To me, Modernism is a clear way to define the brand. It challenges norms and embraces cleanliness and simplicity over ornamental design. Modernism plays a major role in what the brand stands for and continually inspires my approach to design.”

“The Alterum story starts with a lesson in simplicity — designing less, cutting away the chaos, to simplify,” Walters explains.

The result is a fresh, original-looking watch — the Alterum Worldtimer — which won the inaugural Dubai Watch Week × Grail Watch competition in 2024. Its calling card lies in a pared-back dial that does away with conventional hands.

On the Alterum Worldtimer, there are no hands. Instead, time is presented as efficiently as possible via four concentric rings. The first at the center is marked with a single hash mark for the minutes, while the circle on the next ring tracks the hour.

To create a depth of field, the indexes are cleverly marked on the underside of the flat sapphire crystal instead of on the dial. On this latest edition, you see the effect magnified as the indexes cast shadows on the pure white dial, depending on the angle and surrounding light.

The third disk displays the 24-hour scale, half of which are marked out in white numerals for day and black ones for night. They are fringed by the last disk displaying names of 24 cities around the world.

Following the matte black dial of the original Alterum Worldtimer, which sold out instantly, and the gold-black-gray combination of the New York and L.A. editions, the final iteration of the Alterum Worldtimer completes the quartet with a pure white dial that closes the circle.

The white dial brings the design language back to its purest form,” says Walters. “The use of white emphasizes legibility, openness and precision, allowing the world-time display to be clear and present, inviting the wearer to see the world with clarity.”

“Singapore” is highlighted in red on the city disk, an intentional detail created to honor the partnership and collaboration between Revolution and Alterum.

Walters explains, “This detail pays tribute to Revolution, whose headquarters are in Singapore. Quite frankly, without Wei and the team at Revolution, neither I nor this watch would be as widely recognized. Their support helped place my brand on the map and gave me the opportunity to share my design with the world.”

Two crowns sit at 2 and 4 o’clock, slightly recessed into the case and bearing a white line and the Alterum logo respectively. The former lets you set the bidirectional city disk while the latter winds the watch and sets the time.

Its stainless steel case with integrated bracelet carry a similar minimalist aesthetic, shorn of decoration save for the stepped bezel with polished bevels and the engraved lines on the lugs and links. Both case and bracelet are vapor-blasted for a softer, more contemporary finish, juxtaposed against its sleek angular lines.

To ensure the highest level of quality and mechanical competence, Walters tapped Roventa-Henex, Switzerland’s most renowned “white label” watch factory that manufactures timepieces for some of the biggest and most famous brands in the world.

At 38.5mm, it wears well for both genders and as the links are connected by screws, they can be easily adjusted to fit different wrist sizes. It is powered by the automatic Sellita SW330-2 GMT, a reliable workhorse with 56 hours of power reserve and one that can be easily serviced.

Revolution founder Wei Koh says, “Justin Walters set out to create a hybrid American-Swiss watch brand that expresses the beautiful, brutal simplicity of American watchmaking that just might be the most original new voice in microbrand design the industry has seen in a long time.”

And that is exactly what we have with our final edition of the Alterum Worldtimer Horizon, beautiful and original in its simplicity.

Technical specifications

Alterum Worldtimer Horizon

Limited edition of 100 pieces

Case

• Material: Vapor-blasted brushed 316L stainless steel
• Diameter: 38.5mm
• Thickness: 10.5mm
• Water-resistant to 50 meters (5 ATM)

Dial and hands

• Grained matte white with speckled finish
• 4 concentric disks representing hours, minutes and world time, with 24 time zones printed on outermost disk

Movement

• Sellita SW330-2 GMT automatic
• Power reserve of 56 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes
• World time

Strap and buckle

• Integrated 316L vapor-blasted stainless steel with 7 grooves on each link and butterfly clasp

MSRP: CHF 2'850 (excl. taxes)

For more information, please visit grailwatch.com