Haute Horlogerie know-how: Speake-Marin Crazy Skulls with Flying Tourbillon, Minute Repeater Carillon and double dial animation

 

Speake-Marin, the watchmaking company specializing in high-end timepieces founded in 2002 by English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin, offers a new stunning show on the dial of the new Crazy Skulls timepiece, a unique piece (CHF 387,800/ USD 403,878 without tax).

 

Hand-engraved skulls hide a 60 seconds Flying Tourbillon and let a heart shape appear when they are closed as a symbol of couple complementarity. The Flying Tourbillon symbolises also the heartbeat, since a Flying Tourbillon really gives the illusion that the watch is alive.

In addition, the movement of the Speake-Marin Crazy Skulls hides a Minute Repeater Carillon. When the slider on the left hand side is activated, the Minute Repeater Carillon starts to ring and launches the double dial animation: XII index disintegration and the two skulls opening that reveal the watch’s heart: the Flying Tourbillon. To illustrate that true love doesn’t bear separation, the XII figure falls on the sides as a metaphor of cataclysm.

“From a technique approach, that’s interesting to note that here is a double safety module, which enables the time setting while the watch rings thanks to the Carillon, and vice-versa. In addition, a regulator wheel regulates the Carillon speed… not too fast, not too slow…. This wheel is almost silent not to disturb the Carillon sound,” explains Speake-Marin.

The energy comes from a specific barrel dedicated to the Carillon and the double dial animation not to disturb the watch chronometry.

The Tourbillon at 6 o’clock features a hand-finished 60-second cage that can be fully appreciated through the display back when the tourbillon is over.

The lower tourbillon cage is supported by a striking paddle-shaped bridge offering clear visual access to the surrounding gears below. The bridges and main plate are circular-grained with polished screw heads and polished countersinks. The case back is decorated with vertical Geneva stripes, which gives a contemporary overlook.