The Type 46 is a watch using a very different approach to time-telling: it has the ability to interpret the owner’s desire to read the time.
It uses “cursors” on sliders to indicate the time. The sliders are activated only when the user places his arm before him. A feat made possible by the accelerometer inside the watch.
Just recently going from the prototype to manufacturing stage this intriguing and very original timepiece is from small Montreal based independent watchmaker Division Furtive which is the brainchild of Gabriel Menard.
It breaks new ground by using “mechatronics” instead of gears in its caliber. An accelerometer combined with a digital processor and stepper motors make up the internal mechanics. It is assembled by hand using Swiss parts made exclusively for Division Furtive.
The display uses cursors moving horizontally which align to indicate the time when the watch is rotated into a 45 degree orientation to the ground plane. After the user has read the time and puts his arm back down the cursors return to their zero position.
It is powered by dual linear movements. Linear movements are quite a rarity, another example would be the X-Treme by Chrstophe Claret.
The Type 46 also has secondary functions that are activated when the watch is in “reading mode” and the face is tapped. Cursors will then move on secondary scales.
Pre-order price is US$2,923 , retail price to be announced soon on the Division Furtive website here. Limited to 46 units.
Below are the specifications (which are subject to change) Click for larger view.
