2012/12/13 - Konstantin Chaykin the new Levitas Model with Moon Phase Indicator

 

Mankind has ever dreamed of flying, of levitation. In all times, in all countries, people dream about flying. We all yearn to be lighter, even weightless, unburdened. We all want to be free. The desire to fly has pushed the daring to feats of bravery, and artists to create beautiful and haunting masterpieces, reflecting the moonlight of dreams.

Watchmakers dream of flying, too. Recall the magician and clockmaker Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, who created the 'mystery clock'. Robert-Houdin hid the clock movements and displayed only a single hand moving mysteriously in a crystal ball on top of a bronze case. The hand was flying, alone in an empty world of its own.

Konstantin Chaykin took this dream to the next step. Levitas defies gravity – the hands count Time in an empty watch case. We are left to gasp and conjecture about the mysterious movement – how it works and where it is hidden. Levitas…levitation – the art of floating without any visible means of support.

The mysterious Levitas is revealed through a sapphire glass window, a window into a mysterious world where Time itself levitates. In the depths of this tiny world, in the tiny space surrounding the empty bubble, a mechanical heart pulses at the rate of 18,000 beats per hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technical Specifications

Calibre KMR 02-0 was designed and assembled by hand of the masters at Konstantin Chaykin. The movement is unique and incredibly complex.

Transparent window with flying golden hands occupies most of the unusual dial. This design leaves very little room for the movement itself, which is hidden under the half moon dial. Finishing the miniature details demands the utmost skill and our artists use microscopes to anglage the tiny facets and to apply Cotes de Geneve

The sapphire crystal is functional: it channels energy from the movement to the flying hands. Sapphire is extremely inelastic, which makes it very complicated to work with, as the master needs to apply incredible precision. Moreover, sapphire crystals require sterile conditions during installation in order to create ideal transparency.

And so,  KMR 02-0 as every calibre created by the Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture requires amazing artistry to produce and detailed testing to guarantee perfect movements and beautiful results.