CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Aventicum Emperor "Marcus Aurelius" Limited Edition NEW
AVENTICUM
Paying
homage to Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius
Christophe Claret’s passion for history
has inspired him to create Aventicum, a tribute to the capital of ancient Roman
Helvetia and to highlight the extraordinary work of the Avenches Roman Museum. In
the center of its dial, Aventicum reveals a miniature gold bust of Roman
emperor Marcus Aurelius. The micro-engraved effigy is particularly
three-dimensional thanks to an ingenious optical effect.
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Christophe
Claret has always been intrigued by the history of Aventicum, which was the capital
of Roman Helvetia for more than 300 years and the ruins of which now lie near
the Swiss town of Avenches. Even today at the Aventicum excavation sites,
archaeologists continue to unearth precious artefacts dating from this rich era
of antiquity. In 2013, Christophe Claret decided to create a three-dimensional film
in partnership with Philippe Nicolet and his production company, NVP3D, to
document the incredible relics now belonging to the Avenches Roman Museum and the
town of Avenches. The advantage of using 3D for a film of this nature becomes evident
on the big screen. Displaying the ancient artefacts in three dimensions allows
for incomparable detail of even the tiniest objects, giving audiences and
researchers alike the opportunity to rediscover the rich history of Aventicum.
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Among the excavated objects was a priceless finding: a solid gold bust of
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which was found in 1939 when an old pipe was being
cleaned. This precious discovery is one of only three known Roman busts of this
style in the world. Other similar statues were most likely melted down and
recycled into other objects over the centuries. Due to the museum’s limited exhibition
space, many of the ancient Roman capital’s excavated objects cannot be properly
displayed for the public. Christophe Claret hopes that his Aventicum-inspired
timepiece will help raise awareness about the phenomenal efforts of the Avenches
Roman Museum to preserve these vestiges of this ancient civilization. He also
wishes to generate support from the Swiss government to construct a new
building to conserve and showcase this incredible heritage.
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The
ancient capital city’s history, coupled with the 3D film, has served as
inspiration for the Aventicum timepiece. A micro-engraved gold replica of the Marcus
Aurelius bust can be found in the centre of the dial. Incorporating a technique
never before used in the history of watchmaking, the faithful, small-scale
representation of the Emperor – measuring less than three millimetres – is displayed
in magnified form thanks to a clever invention called the mirascope.
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The
mirascope is comprised of two identical parabolic mirrors arranged one on top
of the other, creating an elliptical shape. The convex mirror on top has a hole
in the middle. When an object is placed in the centre of the concave bottom
mirror, the reflection from the top mirror creates a hologram of the object,
which appears nearly two times larger than it actually is. In implementing this
optical effect in Aventicum, the bust of Marcus Aurelius looks as if it is
thrusting out of the middle of the watch. The illusion is so realistic that it
is hard to resist attempting to touch the gold sculpture through the sapphire
glass, but it would be in vain…
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Aventicum,
like all Christophe Claret signature timepieces, epitomizes the highest standards
of haute horlogerie embodied by the brand. Developing the technically demanding
mirascope to function perfectly took extreme dedication and focus. Months of
research and several prototypes were integral to obtaining the desired optical effect.
The next critical step was designing and fabricating the hour and minute hands,
which had to be reconfigured, as the mirascope was now the centrepiece of the
watch. The hands became pointers revolving on an invisible ring around the perimeter
of the dial, each equipped with a counterweight to optimize stability. The challenge
of creating the hands for Aventicum was to find a material light enough to compensate
for the relatively larger – though mainly concealed – size the display
mechanism. The solution was to use carbon microfiber, which has an excellent
rigidity/weight coefficient.
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Turning
over Aventicum, the patented, transparent sapphire-winding rotor of the
automatic movement can be admired through the display back. The rotor is
embellished with five numbered Roman
Gaul racing chariots in full swing of a
thrilling competition. Yes, the playful spirit found on many of Claret’s
timepieces is apparent yet again, this time in the form of a fun, interactive race:
by positioning Aventicum horizontally and performing one or two waving
movements, the chariots are jumpstarted in the wake of the rotor’s action,
which then stops. The player whose chariot finishes above the “A” of Aurèle (Aurelius),
engraved on the periphery, is the winner.
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Aventicum embraces its Roman heritage,
as this great civilization’s artistic influence suffuses the timepiece by way
of a number of carefully thought out adornments – like the Roman numerals forming
the hours or the labyrinthine motif found on both the dial and back of the
watch, encircling the sapphire-winding rotor. As Marcus Aurelius was not only
an emperor but also a philosopher, Christophe Claret elected to engrave, in
Latin, one of his famous maxims on the back of the watch: “Perfice Omnia facta
vitae quasi haec postrema essent”, or “Perform every act in life as though it
were your last.” Christophe Claret has licensed the patent from Vianney Halter regarding the relationship between the outer sapphire rotor and its inner bearing.
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Aventicum is
available in two limited editions: 68 pieces in 5N red gold and anthracite
PVD-treated, grade 5 titanium; and 38 pieces in palladium-rich white gold and
anthracite PVD-treated, grade 5 titanium.
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Technical Specifications
Reference: MTR.FLY11.120-128 Palladium-rich White Gold
Limited edition of 38 pieces
Reference: MTR.FLY11.120-128 5N Red Gold
Limited edition of 68 pieces
Movement:
CALIBRE FLY15:
- Diameter: 26.20 mm
- Height: 3.37 mm (excluding hands)
Number of parts: 186
Number of jewels: 28
Barrels: Twin barrels
Power reserve: 72 hours
Escapement:
Frequency: 4 Hz (28’800 vph)
Swiss lever
Features:
‘Mystery’ winding rotor in transparent sapphire adorned with 5 high-definition metalized chariots
Functions:
Hour and minute display around chapter ring
Case:
Dimensions: 44 x 52.11 x 18.49 mm
Water Resistance: 3 ATM / 30 m / 100 ft
Material
- Palladium-rich white gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium
Hands in carbon fiber
- 5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium
Hands in carbon fiber
Crown
- White gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium with cabochon in black PVD titanium
- 5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium with cabochon in black PVD titanium
Strap
Black alligator leather with black stitching
Features
Mirascope with a micro-engraved bust of
Marcus Aurelius
Limited edition of
38 pieces
Price in Swiss Francs (ex VAT):
53’000
Limited edition of
68 pieces
Price in Swiss France (ex VAT):
49’000
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