Trilobe Une Folle Journée Rhodium Edition: When Time Breaks Free from Hands
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Trilobe continues its mission of watchmaking liberation with a new interpretation of its most radical model. Presented at Watches & Wonders 2025, Une Folle Journée Rhodium Edition embodies this desire to rewrite how we read time, while further deepening the technical complexity of its execution. A piece that is sculptural, kinetic, and deeply innovative.
The principle remains unchanged: three mobile rings display the hours, minutes, and seconds respectively. Each rotates on its own peripheral axis, readable through a fixed pointer that acts as an index. This so-called “handless” system requires a bespoke movement, far removed from standard designs. The concentric, spiral display offers a fluid, continuous, and almost organic reading of time.
The X-Centric Calibre: Inverted Movement, Suspended Architecture
At the heart of the watch is the X-Centric calibre, developed entirely by Trilobe in collaboration with the engineering office Le Cercle des Horlogers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This extraordinary automatic movement features a major structural distinction: it is entirely assembled on the dial side. The mainplate is therefore visible through the sapphire crystal, with an architectural layout
inverted, suspending the movement's components above a sandblasted, rhodium-plated base.
This construction choice introduces extreme complexity in managing mass, stability, and energy transmission. The oscillating weight, an off-center micro-rotor, is visible on the front, as is the gear train that drives the three rotating rings. The entire movement is hand-decorated: beveling, circular graining, straight-graining, and sandblasting create a striking play of textures under different angles of light.
The X-Centric calibre operates at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph), ensuring reliable chronometric precision. The power reserve reaches 48 hours, provided by a single barrel optimized for constant torque. The movement features 33 jewels, positioned specifically to minimize friction on the rotating rings. A rapid corrector is integrated to make setting the time via the crown easier.
The 40.6 mm case is machined from grade 5 titanium, an alloy chosen not only for its lightness but also for its resistance to torsion and corrosion. It is entirely hand-polished, with intentionally soft, rounded edges to hug the wrist elegantly. The crown, offset at 4 o'clock, is discreet and ergonomic, ensuring it does not interfere with reading the dial. The watch is protected by a domed sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating.
More than a watch, Une Folle Journée Rhodium Edition is a work of conceptual and technical watchmaking. It embodies a radically contemporary approach to timekeeping that rejects the easy path, preferring mechanical contemplation instead. This rhodium edition adds a modern metallic touch to the model's already striking visual depth, while preserving Trilobe's poetic and subversive DNA.
If you enjoyed this article, you can also discover our piece on another new model from Vacheron Constantin, currently the most complicated wristwatch in the world.
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