It doesn’t take very much to change the face of a watch. A few cleverly distilled details and the timepiece is transformed. In terms of its technical substance, the H2 Tradition is clearly very much in line with the watches that have forged the reputation of HYT. The mind-blowing ‘fluid mechanics’ principle that forms the brand DNA remains at the heart of this model, with the slim capillary tube in which the blue fluid progresses with the passing hours. The naked splendor of a mechanism highlighting twin majestic bellows on either side of 6 o’clock continues to assert the technical style of HYT like an unmistakable signature. Yet when it comes to its aesthetic form, the H2 Tradition strikes a strong contrast with its elder sisters. Through a number of small, frill-free touches, it adopts the codes of classicism. The inner bezel ring is punctuated by elegant Roman numerals, while classic diamond-guilloché finishes are combined with lacquered dials, an ogival-shaped crown and blued hands – thereby finding the perfect watershed between the distinctive aesthetic characteristics of haute horlogerie and the brand’s own spirit of contemporary innovation.
Whether viewed as a classic modern or retro-futuristic model, the H2 Tradition propels HYT into experimentation with a new design while losing nothing of its identity. Self-renewal sometimes also involves taking a look back at history.
Its architectural alter ego: The City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Spain, by Santiago Calatrava
In the city of Valencia during the 1980s, the idea of a scientific and cultural project was steadily taking shape. The aim was to create a place unique in its kind that would bring both knowledge and entertainment into the heart of local life: a city within a city that would propel Valencia firmly into the next millennium. The Reina Sofia Palace of the Arts was the first building completed in 1998, while the last, the Agora, was inaugurated in 2009.
The Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava threw himself wholeheartedly into this venture and designed a revolutionary and gigantic project. Based on three main themes (arts, sciences and nature), the complex is composed of several buildings serving various functions. This vision took shape through the eye-shaped Hemisfèric, the Umbracle with its floating arches, the boat-like Reina Sofia Palace of the Arts and the covered Agora square.
Calatrava has succeeded in creating a harmonious ensemble that is unique in terms of its formal languages. Each of the elements is partially surrounded by water. Their respective volumes play with well-known design codes that are used in a new and fascinating way. Knowledge and technologies are taken to extremes in establishing connections between man and nature. Finally, these dynamic architectures open and close, proving themselves capable of surprising observers, of having a life of their own and of associating volumes in a symbiotic relationship.
The philosophy behind the H2 Tradition reflects the same spirit of discovery, a will to push technical knowledge to its very limits, as well as a desire to play with a more classic vocabulary.
H2 Tradition
Case : white gold and titanium Diameter : 48.8mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound, exclusive HYT caliber, 8-day power reserve Functions : retrograde fluidic hours, minutes, seconds Dial : lacquered varnish Strap : shiny blue alligator leather and titanium folding clasp Water resistance: 50m Limited edition of 50
