With the new HYT H0 collection, the avant-garde brand immediately recognizable for their use of liquid-filled tubes to indicate the time is back with a new design. Featuring three different models, the HYT H0 Silver, H0 Orange, and H0 Black, the all-new minimalist look takes visual cues from a water droplet and a case design they call a “pebble” style. What does that mean? Well, HYT foregoes a bezel and case edge altogether, opting for a crystal that wraps around the side of the (very large) watch.
HYT has always fallen into the New-Age category of watchmakers for me (Ressence also comes to mind), as you almost have to be a chemist in addition to a horologist to truly understand exactly what’s happening inside their watches. HYT’s manual-wind movement here utilizes two flexible alloy reserves, or bellows, each filled with a liquid. One bellow houses a color, and the other houses a clear liquid, with both being separated by a repulsion force in the molecular makeup of each liquid. A mechanical piston in the watch movement compresses the “active-bellow,” or the colored fluid, while also depressing the clear liquid bellow, and vice versa. This creates a very specific and meticulous “battle” inside the glass housing of the watch. As the hours pass, the colored liquid compresses ever so slowly, while the clear liquid depresses, and voila – you have your hours indicator and a very unconventional way of displaying them.
The HYT H0 (that’s H + zero) collection utilizes the same technology with a much cleaner aesthetic. HYT released the H2 in 2013, followed by the H3, H4, and HYT Skull in 2015, and the newest H0 collection is a fitting addition to HYT’s catalog.
The HYT H0 collection will come in 3 different flavors. First is a brushed titanium case with a black dial and orange indicators, a new color for HYT. The second model comes in a brushed titanium case with a silver dial and blue indicators (or “snowball,” as it’s apparently being called) with the third being a black DLC-coated titanium case with a black dial and green indicators. As far as the HYT’s DNA is concerned, fans will immediately recognize the black and green model because it fits right in with initial releases of their previous collections. Gone, however, is the prominent 6 o’clock protrusion that is inevitably reminiscent of a G-Shock 6900’s similarly positioned “G.” Personally, I feel that all three remain quintessentially HYT.
The HYT H0 watches measure in at a 48.8mm case diameter and a 17.9mm thickness to accommodate the bellows-centered movement. Skeletonized windows at 6 o’clock show off the reservoirs, with an additional small window at 2 o’clock to display the generous 65-hour power reserve. While the retrograde hours are utilizing the HYT Micro-Liquid technology in a glass indicator around the edge of the dial, the minutes are displayed at 12 o’clock, and the seconds at 10 o’clock – the minutes being a welcome, and not always present feature for HYT (looking at you, HYT Skull).
Each piece will be fitted with an exclusive HYT Calibre beating at 28,800VpH with 35 jewels and Côtes de Genève-decorated bridges visible through the sapphire caseback (we’ll get you an image once we have it). A domed sapphire crystal, rubber strap, and 30m water-resistance are consistent across all three models.
HYT isn’t known for making “safe” timepieces, and the HYT H0 collection does not disappoint among the brand’s already atypical designs. While some enthusiasts may think the dial doesn’t stand out enough (when you grade on an HYT curve), HYT’s DNA is absolutely still there. It is really huge and strapping this on would make me feel a bit like Iron Man, and make me terrified of doorframes. Nevertheless, these watches embody a “coolness” factor that’s hard to take your eye off.
Pricing for the HYT H0 Silver ref. 048-TT-91-BF-RU, the H0 Orange ref. 048-TT-92-NF-RU, and the H0 Black Ref. 048-DL-90-GF-RU is $39,000 USD. hytwatches.com
