GWD 2023: Byrne Watch Presents the Grande Customization

One watch, four faces. With this bespoke-developed movement, Byrne Watch has invented the (r)evolutionary watch: Every day at noon, or midnight, or on request, the four cardinal markers undergo a change as part of a never-ending cycle.

Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, special characters or artwork – anything is possible. That is because each of the indices is in fact a cuboid – at any given moment, we see only one its four faces, absolutely flush with the dial. When the time comes, all four cuboids rotate one turn, instantaneously revealing different cardinal markers.

Today, Byrne Watch is taking the idea of ‘bespoke’ for a timepiece to the next level. Byrne, whose very essence is to offer a watch that meets the wearer's deepest desire for personalization, now offers the possibility of defining the appearance of the 4 faces of each cuboid cardinal marker. The watch face now becomes a genuinely unique expression of its owner.

Give free rein to your imagination...

At a time when “bespoke” has become the new watchword, it seems only natural that an object as personal as a watch should also offer the possibility of true personalization. And yet...

It wasn’t marketeering that inspired John Byrne to dream up this option for their clients, but the vast possibilities of the imagination. It all began five years ago, when attending a performance of Georges Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky's ballet “Apollo.” His eyes lit up with wonder, captivated by the changing appearance of several dancers lined up one behind the other, appearing to be one and the same ballerina but wearing different costumes. This sparked the idea of designing a watch that, in a flash, could also change its face.

Upstream engineering

One watch, four faces. The GyroDial’s intuitively lends itself to integrating any form of personalization on its cubes. In fact it was engineered into the watch from the outset. Everything had been thought out and thought through upstream. That’s the concept’s intelligence, with its singular ability for customization: the cuboid markers are designed to accept any kind of engraving, symbol or even a precious stone. Any element, essentially, can be applied to or integrated into each of the four faces of each cuboid.

For Byrne Watch, it is especially gratifying to offer their clients such a breadth of possibilities. To give them the opportunity to own a unique watch, made only for them and, in a way, by them... because the client is in fact, right from the start, part of the design process.

Byrne Watch founder John Byrne's primary aim is to match his clients’ desires as closely as possible. John Byrne: “The client can dream up their own watch. There really are no limits to the imagination. The Gyrodial complication has been thoroughly thought out all the way upstream, so that today we have absolutely free rein.”

16 customizable faces

In taking ‘bespoke’ to the next level, Byrne offers a unique customization experience. With 4 different faces per cardinal index, the Byrne Gyrodial can potentially present up to 16 different marker faces – a vast canvas for the imagination.

Anything is possible, from motifs inspired by the signs of the zodiac or the symbols of a country’s history, to personal family references Anything can also be kept from view, since the finesse of personalization offer also enables the face to be switched on demand - simply by rotating the crown. The wearer decides when to keep a face hidden, and when to reveal it, depending on where they are or who they’re with. This option is particularly appreciated when a secret number is involved.

Every graphical motif on a Byrne watch is engraved and rhodium-plated, never painted. Each decoration or design is conceived on a nano-graphic scale and then rendered by in-house artist before it is sent to the manufacture engraving. An incredible technical feat, it represents personalization at the ‘ultra’ level.

Life philosophy

To John Byrne, this approach to personalization has always been integral to his attitude towards life. Coming from the world of technical service, he appreciates how breathing new life into old or new parts requires agility and flexibility. He understands the importance of choice to the client. This mindset spontaneously led to the obvious realization that “a watch with four different faces means that surprise, fun and enjoyment will be at the very least quadrupled.” That’s how the adventure began.

John Byrne’s connection to the artistry and craftsmanship that go into high watchmaking, such as enameling and gem-setting, runs deep. He sees himself as both guardian and guarantor of these ancestral techniques. The artistic direction the brand is taking exemplifies this stance, allowing him to express it with greater and greater deliberateness.

Technical specifications

Byrne GyroDial

Case

• Material: Grade 5 titanium
• Diameter: 41.7mm
• Thickness: 14.8mm
• Crystal: Sapphire box crystal, anti-reflective coating on both sides
• Case back: Sapphire box crystal, anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 5 ATM , equivalent to 50 meters

Dial

• Black or galvanic blue
• Straight grain finish, recessed hour markers
• ‘Gyrodial’ cardinal markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock

Movement

• Caliber 5555
• Mechanical self-winding movement
• Diameter: 30.00mm
• Height: 8.00mm
• Number of parts: 261
• Number of jewels: 42
• Frequency: 28'800 vph (4 Hz)
• Power reserve: 60 hours

Finishing

• Plate and bridges in sand-blasted and rhodium-plated plate maillechort (German silver)
• Straight-grained, offset Côtes de Genève
• Chamfered and finished by hand

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes
• Mobile indexes with instantaneous change at midnight every day, or on demand

Strap and buckle

• Rubber or large-scale alligator, choice of colors, bespoke integrated curved inserts
• Buckle in Grade 5 titanium

MSRP for the Classic or Sport series, excluding VAT: CHF 17'000 / EUR 17'000

Next-Level Customization Categories

‘Classic customization’: A single face of the cube (for each of the 4 indexes) customizable with a number (Arabic/modern from 0 to 9).

Price: 16'500 CHF (excluding VAT)

• Face1: Arabic numerals - 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and arrow at 12 o'clock
• Face 2: Roman numerals - III, VI, IX and XII
• Face 3: "Ghost" - blank indexes
• Face 4: Can be personalized with the same number or motif chosen by the customer.
• Price: CHF 17'000 excluding VAT

‘Grand Custom’: A single face of the cube (for each of the 4 indexes) customizable with a symbol defined by the customer and created by our in-house artist/craftsperson.

Price: 20'500 CHF (excluding VAT)

• Face1: Arabic numerals - 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and arrow at 12 o'clock
• Face 2: Roman numerals - III, VI, IX and XII
• Face 3: "Ghost" - blank indexes
• Face 4: Can be personalized with different numbers or motifs chosen by the customer.
• Price: CHF 17'000 excluding VAT

‘Hyper Custom’: One, two, three or four sides of the cube (for each of the 4 indexes) customizable with a symbol or insert defined by the customer and created by our in-house artist – up to 16 fully customizable sides. Approx. CHF 3'000 to 3'500 per face, depending on complexity.

For precious/semi-precious stones, price on request.

‘Sport’: 4 non-customizable sides, one featuring the Arab numeral 1 (appearing on all 4 markers)

For more information, please visit byrnewatch.com