The Watchmaker
After a period spent restoring some of the finest watches from the last three centuries, Kari Voutilainen set out as an independent watchmaker. His work has been welcomed with great acclaim, on account of its unique aesthetic and quality. Every component in his watches, from the bridges to the smallest of screws, involves manual labour, from adjusting tolerances to polishing and angling.
His efforts have been recognised with more than a half dozen awards the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève), the most prestigious award ceremony in the watch industry. The Vingt-8 collection has long been a centrepiece of the watchmaker's offering, representing the canvas on which he has continually experimented over the years. This 28Sport is one of the more recent and unusual interpretations of that design, combining a range of distinctive design elements.
The Design
This titanium 28Sport has an engine-turned pattern on the black, sandwich dial, with small scales surrounding the outer section. Both the centre of the dial and small seconds are made from hand-finished and highly-polished onyx. The outer pattern and shiny onyx surface reflect light differently, giving the dial a mixture of tones and fantastic depth. Applied orange index markers and luminous white gold Breguet hands bring some of the vibrant tones typically found on contemporary sports watches. The luminous hands are complemented by matching superluminova around the periphery of the index markers and centre dial portion. This creates a visually striking effect in low light, with the illuminating green standing out against the glossy, dark surface.
Kari Voutilainen's newly designed case with more angular, sculpted lugs finish off this distintictive timepiece; showing both the watchmaker's uncompromising attention to detail and craftsmanship. The mid-case is polished titanium, whereas the caseback is brushed. The reverse is marked with a “Limited Edition” designation, as well as “X-8”, indicating its position in the series. Unusually, the engraved Voutilainen signature is also highlighted in black. Our Tokyo grained leather strap compliments this unconventional interpretation of the Vingt-8.
The Movement
The titanium 28Sport is just as impressive within its lightweight housing. The sapphire crystal on the reverse allows for an uninterrupted view of the movement, revealing the rich palette of hues and forms. Kari's in-house Cal. 28 is made from German silver and titanium, classically finished with Côtes de Genève and perlage on the base plate.
Through the combination of a a free-sprung balance with Breguet over-coil and a Grossmann interior curve, and the signature direct impulse escapement with two large (13.6mm) escapement wheels, a high degree of engineering ingenuity is accomplished. One of the hallmarks of Voutilainen as a manufacture is their superlative hand-finishing; with expert anglage and a mixture of polished, brushed and frosted surfaces, the aesthetics of the movement is as impressive as the mechanics. The watch has a 50-hour power reserve.
The Set
This limited edition, Vingt-8 piece comes as a full-set, with its original box and papers. The watch comes on our Tokyo grained leather strap, as well as the original bespoke strap from Kari Voutilainen, made especially for this piece.
A Collected Man is the exclusively approved re-seller of Voutilainen watches. Viewings can be arranged in Central London by appointment.
