Just as DeWitt invests in unique pieces, Jean Dunand’s Thierry Oulevay and Christophe Claret are committed to a degree of creativity that challenges the outer limits of that which is considered watchmaking. Of course, they do this without directly challenging the idea of what a watch is because, according to Ouvelay, they never want to make anything that does not look or feel like a watch. Within this limitation though, they are interested in creating the most stunning mechanical objects possible.

The Shabaka, at a wearable 44mmX17.65mm, demonstrates this while also showing how the brand keeps things functional. With pushers that resemble those found on a chronograph, the Shabaka is actually a perpetual calendar and minute repeater. There is no chronograph mechanism hidden here.

Thierry Oulevay says what he and partner Claret intend to do with Jean Dunand watches is to stretch the “pyramid of watchmaking” to ever higher points. This is a particularly apt philosophy when applied to this watch as there are pyramids on the dial, literally, and it pays tribute to an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty.

When the concept of the Shabaka appeared last year, it seemed to be part of the time-on-rollers school of thought but, as anyone familiar with the fiercely independent mindset of the exclusive brands knows, there is no such school.

The perpetual displays of day, date and month are all instantaneous – meaning they change immediately instead of slowly turning throughout the relevant cycle. The Shabaka allows itself to be adjusted with the equivalent of +- pushers but also incorporates a safety mechanism that locks the pushers, preventing potential mishaps.

Another security system, this one within the movement, maintains the precise calendar changes while – as one might expect from the shocks of such jumps – a flywheel mechanism serves to keep such shocks from causing premature wear and tear.

The piece de resistance here is the minute repeater mechanism, which is integrated into the movement. In fact, the cylindrical rollers too are built into the repeater movement, allowing the watch to avoid being thick to the point of inelegance.

Interestingly, the case manages to be water resistant to 30 metres, meaning that light splashes will not do this repeater in. All told, this is a watch that deserves further deconstruction and observation and we hope to bring you a fuller treatment of it soon.