2023-07-13 08:00:00
Appearing in 2021, these strange elliptical-shaped watches owe their uniqueness to a designer of Colombian origin. Specialized in the world of luxury, Federico Restrepo presents his new watchmaking creation.
By Hervé Gallet
It was while observing the curvature of the Earth aboard a Concorde that Federico Restrepo had the idea of designing an elliptical watch. Today it is launching a new Ellipse Mach 2 Automatic Chronograph model.
© DR Published on 07/13/2023 at 08:00
After two years of existence and presence on the watch market, we are beginning to know a little more about the watches designed by Federico Restrepo, a designer with multicultural, French and Colombian roots. It was precisely this transcontinental creativity that had led him to design a timepiece sporting an astonishing elliptical design. “True beauty is a matter of personality,” he asserted as he unveiled this coin, adding to his demonstration that the Earth was not round, but ellipsoidal. About this particular case shape, Federico Restrepo gave a quick historical reminder: “It was often used during the 1970s by large houses, but has since been completely abandoned. Bringing it up to date in a world where the round, the square, the octagon or the rectangle dominate is a bold challenge”.
Complications, grands fonds et imagination
After the launch of the original collection comprising various pieces equipped with a chronograph or GMT function (El Caballero, Dark Warrior, Day Warrior) or daring bright colors on a day-date-month calendar with power reserve indication (Hasta La Victoria), we discovered in 2022 the continuation of the adventures of the elliptical watch. Celle had taken on the face of a model called Octopus, inspired by the famous work of Jules Verne, Twenty thousand leagues under sea. Today, a total change of universe with a newborn called Ellipse Mach 2 Automatic Chronograph.
A tribute to Concorde
As its name suggests, the Restrepo Ellipse Mach 2 Automatic Chronograph has its origins in the world of aviation, and more specifically Concorde. A legendary device that the designer had the chance to borrow and which allowed him to fly at Mach 2, twice the speed of sound (2469 km/h). “23 years ago, taking flight AF 002 Paris-New York, I was fascinated by this legendary aircraft. Looking through the porthole, I realized at that precise moment that the surface of the earth was not spherical, but traced a very beautiful ellipse. As I always travel with a sketchbook, I started during this flight to sketch watches of a new design adopting an elliptical shape”. Thus was born the Restrepo brand collection.
A limited series of 99 copies
Beyond the elliptical case and the dial depicting the curvature of the Earth, the designer of the piece explains that he went further in evoking the supersonic plane: “The enamel dial retraces at 6 o’clock the ellipse of the Concorde’s flight instruments,” he says. Swiss-made, the Mach 2 Automatic Chronograph crafted in steel and powered by a Valjoux 7750 movement will only be produced in 99 numbered copies. An ever-original piece to wear on a metal bracelet with an invisible folding clasp. Because let’s not forget that Federico Restrepo, even if he now expresses himself in the watchmaking sector, still and always has the soul of a designer.
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