Starting in 2019, Kari Voutilainen offered his take on the classic watchmaking practice of inversing a calibre to showcase the moving components on the dial side, while the static view of the baseplate is relegated to the movement side. Based on the in-house Calibre 28, his take on this aesthetic is as considered and innovative as those familiar with his craft have come to expect.
Voutilainen produced 28 examples in this Inverse series – this includes eight pieces in titanium (28Ti) and 10 pieces each in platinum (28Pi) and tantalum (28TAi). In the last metal, it was offered at a significant premium over the other two, owing to the rarity of tantalum.
It is worth getting into this watch from the movement that is put front and centre. Additional gearing allows for the hands to travel in a clockwise fashion, and for setting the hands by the winding crown despite the upturned orientation of the calibre. In place of the canon pinion that would drive the hands normally, in the Inverse calibres there are a series of gears that drive the hands in what is effectively a counterclockwise direction.
This indirect wheel train that inverses the natural direction of movement of the hands is located on a bridge atop the barrel bridge. Working with them is a tension spring to ensure that the minute moves smoothly even in this counterclockwise direction. This spring is located above the barrel wheel.
The mechanical ingenuity is paired with the familiar aesthetic of the Calibre 28. The massive balance wheel, anchored by a large, pocket watch-style rounded balance bridge, sits in the north-western section on the dial side. Underneath it are the twin-blued escape wheels and the natural escapement that is a mainstay of Voutilainen’s catalogue. The four-tiered set up of the calibre gives the dial side significant depth – in fact, to accommodate the height brought on by indirect wheel train, the case on the 28TAi is 1.9mm thicker than that of the Vingt-8.
The bridges, crafted from ruthenium with a frosted finish, have a darkened appearance that perfectly complements the tantalum case. Contrasting the shade of the barrel and indirect gear train bridges is the black polished ratchet wheel and click spring and the solarised barrel wheel. The tension spring, ensuring the smooth operation of the minute hand, also has a mirror finish. The bridges, irrespective of their scale, are finely adorned with anglage, with the edges mirror polished.
The time-telling aspect includes a brushed, light blue chapter of minute plots running the perimeter of the dial side. It features a quarter of larger applied plots with the intervening minutes marked by smaller plots. The observatoire hands have blued inserts, with their bases also similarly achieved by precise application of heat.
On the movement side, the baseplate is open-worked to show off the motion of the wheels of the going train. The seconds indication is also integrated on this side, with an open-worked register achieved in the same brushed light blue shade as the minutes chapter. South of this register is the arc of the power reserve indicator, also similarly adorned.
The 39mm tantalum case has a satisfying weight to it and a darkened appearance that is unique to the metal. Together with the ruthenium the calibre is crafted from, this iteration of the 28 Inverse is exceedingly understated. As mentioned previously, the case is thicker, measuring at 13.4mm tall. However, this is cleverly disguised. The rotund midcase retains the proportions of the Vingt-8 while the bezel accommodates much of the increased height of the calibre due to the inverse set up. The bezel height is undercut by its pronounced concave form. Both the bezel and the rim of the display caseback meet the midcase in prominent lips. The caseback itself is flat, with stepped details, and attached to the case by proprietary design screws.
Completing the picture are the teardrop-shaped lugs, their 20mm gap furnished with a grained leather strap secured by a signed pin buckle. The watch comes with its full set of outer and inner boxes as well as guarantee paperwork signed by the maker.
This example in tantalum, is marked apart not only by its status as a tenth of the pieces created in the metal. Within a catalogue marked by flamboyant design and finishes, the 28TAi is singular in its restraint and the innovation with which the inverse calibre is achieved.
