The Frederic Jouvenot Helios does Make an Occasional Comeback

Meet the fresh new version of one of the most striking novelties from the year 2011.

One of the most striking novelties from the year 2011 was the Helios model by Frédéric Jouvenot, back when he was still referred to as a young watchmaker. Ten years later and just ahead of his 45th birthday, Jouvenot announced the release of a new version of his trademark Helios watch. The model has held onto all the key features, but the watch inspired by ancient sundials has now been given a more modern look thanks to the use of innovative material — carbon.

The pyramids between the sunbeam cones responsible for indicating the hours have made from carbon. Earlier versions of the Helios could be distinguished from one another by the way in which the pyramids on their dials were designed. Pyramids sloped down in steps on the Helios White Gold, they were partially darkened on the Helios Titanium DLC, and they were made glisten with precious stones on the Helios Diamond.

What makes the new pyramids stand out is the surprising texture created by carbon. The carbon is paired with a black DLC-coated titanium case measuring 44 × 55 × 13 mm. However, the most important thing about this watch is still its complicated movement.

The watchmaker who founded his own brand in 2008 has used it to make the watch display the time with a 24-hour system instead of hands which indicates the time of day. Everything is complicated but simple at the same time: the golden sunbeam cones gradually turn over to tell the daylight hours. This means the entire dial is lit up at midday but plunged into darkness at midnight.

The modern-day watch inspired by the sundial is powered by a manually wound movement developed in-house by Frederic Jouvenot and has a 50-hour power reserve. The jumping-hour mechanism which took two years of engineering endeavors to create is comprised of almost 100 components and enclosed in the 12 mm capsule at the center of the dial.

It's encircled by the rotor-like central disk display for the minutes with the brand's name on. The Frederic Jouvenot Helios Carbon watch is limited to a series of 18 pieces. This is a typical number for a limited series by Frederic Jouvenot. Other models released by the brand have been limited to the 88, 188 and 288 pieces.