Phenomen – Axiom
When it comes to horology, the “Swiss made” concept and the automotive universe are a couple of indisputable factors. Some Swiss brands rely on the performance of the high-end cars sector. Nowadays, there seems to be more watches brands than car logos in the world. But the association is symbiotic and usually works well. So, when Alexandre Meyer, a graduate engineer from the French Institute of Advanced Mechanics, decided to found a horology brand inspired by cars, he might have made a good bet.
Phenomen is a Bensançon based watch company that combines creativity with a certain sort of luxury to create atypical timepieces. Cofounded by watchmaker and designer Sylvain Nourisson, the brand is independent and focuses on three fundamental values: mechanics, style and daily enjoyment. The first piece of this adventure is called Axiom, a manual winding watch made by former Greubel Forsey prototype watchmaker Maxime Colson. Its amphitheatre shape recalls the rear of legendary shooting brakes such as the Ferrari 365 GTB 4 Panther and the inimitable lines of the Mustang Fastback, where an aerodynamic design raises the airstream, thus reducing the drag coefficient. Like the engine of a race car, Axiom’s PH-010 movement is designed to provide the perfect power-to-size ratio. Axiom’s twin barrels in series provide a power reserve of over 100 hours.
The assembled in France movement is shaped like a half-pyramid, such that its construction mirrors the incline of the case itself. The hour and minute setting mechanisms have been separated, facilitating immediate access to both displays and avoiding any accidental adjustments. As a result, the watch sports two crowns, with the minute’s crown also being used to wind the piece.
Axiom boasts an original, direct time display. Confined within a 100-degree span, it allows the human eye to capture the information immediately, with no need to take in the entire 360 degrees of a traditional display. The information follows a structured, two-level hierarchy, with the hours on a 100-degree display on the upper level, and the minutes spanning 85 degrees beneath it. Both indications are retrograde, providing overall style consistency; the hour display, meanwhile, is not only retrograde but also jumping. This double complication for the hour display makes telling the time clearer: the hand jumps from hour to hour, instantaneously and in synchronized fashion, leaving no doubt as to the correct time.
The case is made on titanium, an obvious choice due to the combination of its mechanical strength and lightness. Axiom was presented in World Basel and will be available on a limited edition of 60 pieces in Grade 5 titanium and 60 in blackened titanium.
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