Easily one of the most avant-garde new luxury watches from a Swiss watchmaker in 2024 is the limited-edition (just 10 pieces were made) Hautlence Retrovision ’47 watch. It started not as a commercial timepiece, but rather as a concept. Displaying the watch for audiences at Watches & Wonders 2024, Hautlence apparently had enough courage to make this product a reality in the form of a very exclusive limited-edition series. Hautlence is owned by H. Moser & Cie and is an even more boutique high-end timepiece maker, having started as a futuristic alternative to the more classic H. Moser & Cie product line. The irony is that H. Moser & Cie. watches have progressively become more modern, while this Hautlence watch is decidedly vintage-minded with “retro” in the name and inspiration coming from a 1940s-era home appliance.

Hautlence was directly inspired by a particular home radio unit known as the Model 5A5, built by General Television & Radio Corp. The receiver is pictured in our previous news article about the Retrovision ’47 and features a texture green bakelite housing, a handle on top, a grill-style opening for the speaker, and a square dial to set the desired radio frequency channel. It is a beautiful appliance, and this piece of electronics history seemed like a good inspiration for a luxury mechanical timepiece. The wristwatch version doesn’t catch radio waves, but since mechanical watch movement speed frequency is calculated similarly, the watchmakers felt that a hertz is a hertz and that a timepiece and an old radio could be synergistically combined to create the emotions necessary to appreciate a composition like this on the wrist.

The Hautlence Retrovision ’47 watch is very well-made, but to be honest, the looks won’t be for everyone. That makes sense since this vivid green and red watch (that looks like a celebration of mid-20th century Christmas time) is going to be divisive, even if you like the looks of the original radio. Putting the Retrovision ’47 on my wrist, though, I was immediately charmed. This is a truly weird and wonderful watch that Hautlence made as a pure artistic expression. Even though it isn’t cheap, it would probably cost a lot more if Hautlence felt more confident about it. This is a watch that requires a collector to discover and fall in love with, and once you do I think you can appreciate just how special an item like this is.

The case itself is rectangular, and that alone is more or less what connects it to other Hautlence watches (aside from the movement, of course). The case is 44.4mm wide, 12.1mm thick, and has a 39.2mm length. That actually isn’t too difficult to wear, even if the watch doesn’t look ergonomic. In actuality, the Retrovision ’47 is much more comfortable on the wrist than it may appear. The case is also not very heavy, being produced from titanium. Rather than create a fragile bakelite case, Hautlence decided to go the high-end route and have each of the Retrovision ’47 watch cases hand-painted to emulate the marbled look of the original radio housing. The overall shape of the radio was cleverly adapted for a wristwatch case, including strap lugs (which are not the polished titanium bars, but rather the strap attaches closer to the case), a crown, and a dial to indicate the time.

This latter part is interesting because we see a radio channel frequency dial that has been adapted into a wristwatch dial. This is done quite well, even if the design has the strange outcome of having lumed hour markers but non-lumed hands. The dial itself is gold-plated brass with an imprinted “Mobius pattern” in the center, which is inspired by the similar-looking Hautlence brand logo. To the left of the timekeeping dial is a polished titanium grill, which covers the window above the tourbillon. This is a rather tasteful, discreet way to present a dial-side tourbillon. Sapphire crystals are used for the various windows on the case. There is no mention on the case or the Hautlence website what the water resistance of the Retrovision ’47 is, and I would be afraid to take this watch anywhere that you wouldn’t take an actual radio.

Inside the watch is an interesting high-end Swiss Made movement produced by Hautlence/Moser, called the caliber D20 (or ED20 in this watch). This automatic-winding movement operates at 3Hz (with 72 hours of power reserve) and features just the time with hours and minutes. Seconds are (in theory at least) indicated via the spinning one-minute tourbillon. The tourbillon is a bit more exotic than most because the regulation system uses two hairsprings as opposed to a single hairspring. Double hairsprings allow for more error cancellation with the rate results as the watch gets moved around on your wrist. It is hard to say how actually accurate this movement is, but it is nice to know that chronometry as a concept was important in the development of the caliber D20 family. This watch is more than just horological art but also places some emphasis on being a decently performing machine. The text printed on the rear of the case plays with this notion, even if the text itself looks a bit ugly. The text sort of tries to merge the tech specs of a wristwatch with a radio, and also takes the opportunity to mention that the watch is “Proudly Produced in Switzerland.” To me, that sounds like a rejection of the more wishy-washy standard of “Swiss Made,” offering the claim that the Retrovision ’47 is truly a Swiss-engineered and -crafted product.

Watches like the Hautlence Retrovision ’47, with its original design, quirky features, and radio-inspired concept, are truly audacious in the way the Swiss like to use the term. This is very much an answer to a question few timepiece collectors are asking, but it’s hard not to be intrigued by the result. Hautlence went to great lengths to make sure the overall design and case of the Retrovision ’47 watch matched (as much as possible) the 1940s Model 5A5 radio receiver. The hand-painted case is an especially nice detail. It is OK not to find the overall watch pretty, though after wearing it, I find the watch to be incredibly cool and artistically inspired. Hautlence even had a few of these rare Retrovision ’47 watches still for sale when I got a chance to play with this piece. Limited to just 10 pieces total, the limited-edition Hautlence reference ED20-SP00 Retrovision ’47 “radio” watch has a current retail price of 60,000 Swiss Francs. Learn more at the Hautlence website.