Byrne: Gyrodial Zero Rhodium Silver & Black

Byrne Watch, in March 2023, adds another chapter to its history by presenting the Gyrodial ZERO. A vision, a movement, a unique animation, seemingly simple but complicated in its development and never seen before in the world of watchmaking. One watch, four dials each day. During each night at midnight, or at noon, with precision and fluidity, the four rotating cuboid-shaped hour markers transform themselves and reveal a new appearance.

THE DANCING FACES

You may be wondering how such a design was conceived? 

The idea for the Byrne timepieces came to John Byrne, skilled watch designer and expert restorer, in 2015 during a performance of George Balanchine’s Apollo at the Bastille Opera in Paris. That evening he was struck by a tableau in which the dancers, positioned one behind the other, changed places so accurately that the audience was given the impression of a single figure with four different faces.

He also made his wife Claire, a consultant in retail and luxury areas, a part of this idea. The latter, enthusiastic about the project, decided to join him on a trip that would take them to Switzerland, to the city of Fleurier, one of the historic watchmaking headquarters. The Byrne Watch adventure began, sealing the combination of long experience in restoring prestigious watches and the expertise of a manufacture founded by captains of the watchmaking industry. Years of experimentation and refinement processes led in 2021, to the birth of the Gyrodial model. And also Byrne Watch, with its theatrical complication, gives the world of haute horlogerie an unprecedented interpretation of marking time. 

A NEW BEGINNING

The Gyrodial ZERO is completely redesigned and comes in two new configurations: Rhodium Silver and Rhodium Black. 

The 41.7 x 48.1 mm case, obtained from a block of grade 5 titanium, has been redesigned by slimming its profile more than the original Gyrodial, unveiled last summer in Geneva. Its cushion shape is thus emphasized by taut lines and curved silhouette. The bezel, on the other hand, shares the same sandblasted finish as the plate, and emerges in an exquisitely industrial style with different tones and shades of metallic dark gray.

Looking at the dial, we see how the chapter ring is engraved directly on the plate and treated with Super-LumiNova in order to increase legibility and durability. The four rotating cuboids and their respective iterations (Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, sports dial and transparent dial) are more enlarged and located at the cardinal points of the dial. The hour markers also feature a tone-on-tone rhodium-plated finish (silver in the first model and black in the second), slightly different from that of the plate, enhancing the details of the watch and the subtle contrast between the various elements.

The skeletonized dial reveals the essence of the GyroDial ZERO, its movement. Caliber 5555, visible also through the sapphire crystal case back, is entirely developed and assembled in Fleurier at Le Temps Manifacture. It consists of 261 components, 60h power reserve and 28,800 vph frequency.  

Behind the choice of exposing the movement, John Byrne sends the refreshing message that you don’t need an exclusively skeletonized movement to be inventive.  

PRICES AND AVAILABILITY

Both models come with curved inserts straps (smooth grey-green calfskin for the silver model and dark grey rubber for the black version) and personalized grade 5 titanium buckle. It’s possible to order them online via https://www.byrnewatch.comfor the price of €. 18.500

By Luca Barone