HYT Starts Delivery to Retailers and Tour the World

Developing something new isn’t always easy, or should we say, is never easy. The guys from HYT Watches know all about that, but they did pull off something extremely special with their hydro-mechanical watches. Their first model, the H1, already won the Innovation Watch Prize at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2012 (check last year’s winners here). Now the first H1 models are arriving at retailers around the world and that is also a good reason for the people from HYT to visit all their retailers and show the H2 that was introduced earlier this year.

When the H1 was introduced, everyone, friend or foe, was impressed by the ‘unimaginable’ that HYT had done. After some first working prototypes one major flaw came to light: due to differences in temperature the fluid in the tube expands or reduces. Since the fluids in the tube are there to indicate time, it’s logical that this influences the time indication properties. Nothing wrong with the movement (!!) that is build to indicate the time correctly, it is just the indication that varies due to variations in temperature. That “childhood disease” has been fixed, so now it’s time for delivery of the H1. And that was about time, because the demand for these hydro-mechanical timepieces is very high!

Vincent and Ion have already visited their retailer Ginotti (in Antwerp, Belgium), Classic Creations Jewellers (in Toronto, Canada) and visited Pijnenburg in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the other day. Of course we dropped by to say hi and hear how things are going for HYT. They have quite an impressive traveling schedule, so if you’re in the area and have a chance to visit them for the several shows, launch parties or just to have a quick chat with them, the list of retailers/cities/countries might help:

• Tapei, Independent Watch & Art Salon (Oct. 22 – 25)
• Stockholm, Nymans Ur 1851 Boutique, WatchOut event (Oct. 23 – 24)
• Tokyo, Lauch (Dec. 2)
• Munich, Munichtime – Die Welt der feinen Uhren (Nov. 1 – 3)
• London, SalonQP (Nov. 7 – 9)
• Mexico, Press & Collectors events (Nov. 12 – 14)
• Paris, Belles Montres – Salon International de l’horlogerie de Prestige (Nov. 29 – Dec. 1)

The HYT team has grown significantly and now does all hydro-related things in-house. That was a huge change and the team now comprises more than twenty people. After the H2, that was developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet subsidiary Renaud & Papi, there will be a H3 that is also developed together with the Renaud & Papi team. But for news about that I’m afraid we will have to wait until next year.

These visits are not only to celebrate that the H1 finally ‘HYT’s’ the stores (yes, pun intended), but also to show the H2 to collectors around the world. The H2, introduced at Baselworld earlier this year, looks much more technical as its younger brother, the H1. The cylinders are in an angle to make more room for other movement parts and because of the absent dial, every technical detail can be admired from the front and back side.

Below some more photos for you to enjoy. All photos are shot in absolutely gruesome light and there was the fluorescent green light from the HYT displays, that made photographing even more challenging. By the way, at the HYT website you can see all different versions of the H1 and H2, like the H1 TB – titanium with bronze shot-peened and satin finished surfaces.

The H1 will be available for around € 35,000 Euro for the H1 Titanium and other versions are priced north of that.