Krayon - Everywhere

A finalist at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve 2017 in the Calendar category, the Everywhere timepiece created by Krayon - a design engineering studio specialised in watch mechanisms based in Neuchâtel - introduces an ingenious complication that calculates sunrise and sunset times.

The engineers of Krayon conceived the Everywhere as a universal mechanical calculator that could give the exact sunrise and sunset times at any point on the globe.

The dial reveals the number of daylight hours on a lighter coloured circle, yellow or pink depending on the version. A darker circle symbolises night. The point at which the two circles meet corresponds to sunrise and sunset. As the seasons change, or at different locations, the number of daylight hours lengthens or shortens.

Everywhere reaches this only apparently simple result by combining the five parameters that influence sunrise and sunset calculations. First longitude and latitude, which geographically define a point on Earth, then the UTC time zone, and lastly the date and month.

The hands and indicators in daily use – date and time – are in blue to visually stand out for maximum legibility. Contrasting with them, the hands corresponding to the settings have a softer colour which can be white gold or pink gold, depending on the version.

Hours are read from the contour of the dial thanks to a blue arrow on a 24-hour scale, which also shows how many hours have passed since the last sunrise. Minutes are shown by a large central hand. A subsidiary dial in the upper part of the main dial displays longitude between +180° and -180°, shown by the longest of the two hands.

The shorter hand points to the UTC time zone and advances in half increments to take into account every time zone in use around the world. When required, the DST (Daylight Saving Time) indication adjusts for summer time. Two hands occupy the centre of the main dial: the one on the left covers latitude between +60° and -60° while the hand on the right shows the chosen parameter: date, latitude, longitude or UTC. A subdial in the lower portion of the dial presents date and month.

This innovative complication can be adjusted by simply using the crown. The item in question - date, latitude, longitude, UTC – is selected using the pusher on the left side of the case, then set from the crown. The default setting is the date as this corresponds to the most frequently used function. Furthermore, adjustments can be made by turning the crown forwards or backwards, thereby protecting the mechanism against damage caused by mishandling.

Three patents have been filed to protect these inventions.

The Everywhere is powered by the USS calibre, short for Universal Sunrise Sunset. Despite its complexity, this 595-part movement is surprisingly compact with a height of just 6.5 mm.

Automatically wound by a gold micro-rotor, the USS calibre delivers a 72-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 3 Hz. It also incorporates an equation of time, a secret function that is not shown on the dial, in order to calculate the different parameters.

The finishing and decoration of the Everywhere are entirely by hand and in line with Swiss traditional haute horlogerie standards.

Two versions are proposed, both with a 42 mm x 11.70 mm case size, in pink gold or in white gold, and can be fully personalised on request.

The price of the Krayon Everywhere is around Swiss Francs 600,000. This is only indicative considering that each piece will be made-to-order. krayon.ch