Named "Sublimation One", it is a new mechanical watch object that transcends the usual dimensions and reveals a new architectural vision of time, space, volume and light.
Neither wristwatch, nor pocket watch, nor clock... Mecascape goes to the core of the passage of time and symbolizes the birth of a new watch class.
A contraction of "mechanical" and "landscape",
it is the creation of a new category of time objects,
that of Clockwork Landscapes: 'Mecascapes'.
To shake up staid codes! Break free! Explore new pathways! Let in creativity! Push innovation! Get off the beaten track! To not repeat, but to invent, think differently, ingeniously! Under the deceptive appearance of simplicity, the Mecascape opens a new mechanical “time objects” category.
Contrary to what one might assume, the Mecascape is neither the enlargement of a watch (!), nor the flattening of a clock (!). In addition to precision and ingenuity, it is first and foremost a space that opens up a new form of creative freedom in watchmaking, a new, different, singular and heretofore undiscovered space for expression.
This new mechanical object named ‘Mecascape’, the contraction of “mechanical” and “landscape”, is about balance and harmony between the elements. It is a different way of working and apprehending the object – because it is appreciated more instinctively, as a whole, with a completely visible mechanism, placed on a flat surface with a global aesthetic whose complexity builds exponentially.
One has to break down space, its dimensions, and redefine proportions. “Flatness” is a new ideal of mechanical beauty, an elegance that expresses purity at its most absolute. Spatial volumes are loosened, ‘de-contracted’, becoming more generous than those afforded in a watch or a clock, which in turns requires a skillful capacity to adapt.
Everything is a question of levels of perception, of reliefs, of shadows and light. Across its expanse, the time object is transcended and takes on a new magic. Cut from Grade 5 titanium (the highest quality titanium in watchmaking), the Mecascape reveals a new architectural fusion of space, time and light.
Only its concept gives the illusion of simplicity.
To know the past to reinterpret it better; to respect its heritage as a Swiss brand to better push the limits, and finally invent something truly different. To master the codes until one is completely free of them to transform design into emotion and mechanics into pure beauty. The Mecascape belongs to both worlds. It speaks of movement and precision as fluently as it does of form and space.
Its myriad different shapes, hemispherical, concave, spherical, the sequence of satin and polished finishes, allows a continuous play between light and shadow. The uniqueness of the whole lies in the fact that CODE41 has achieved exactly the opposite of what is usually practised in the world of watches and watchmaking in general: the brand has, through the multitude of components, sought to bring out the spatial volumes whilst to stretch and refining the object as a whole.
Its relaxed, deconstructed space offers an original vision of the timekeeping mechanics that plays with spatial volumes while preserving harmony and natural balance. Its singularity, the innovation of its flat movement, and its function have been technically rethought in an entirely new way.
Freeing itself from shapes, scales, and proportions... the Mecascape is thus the fruit of a new kind of creative endeavour, where mechanics are entirely in the service of design – of which time is only one element. With the creation of the Mecascape, CODE41 imagines a new form of a mechanical object, which expresses and transcends the usual spatial volumes.
The result of a creative vision and a passion for a different kind of watchmaking, CODE41 and its founder Claudio D'Amore has created a new “time object,” opening a new category – Mecascapes – that is unprecedented in the traditional watchmaking landscape.
An approach both different and new
In creating this first Mecascape, the approach is essentially emotional. The watch-object takes on a new form and expresses itself with more volume, and more space than in a watch or a clock where the mechanics are ultra-condensed.
With the Mecascape, the dream is gradually becoming a reality and today, Claudio D'Amore, founder and CEO of the Swiss brand CODE41, sees his years of creativity first as a designer for the most important watch brands, then as founder of CODE41 – result in a magnificent object that combines everything he hoped to express: a different kind of watchmaking, both in its spirit and in its approach.
12 years after the embryonic idea of the concept came to him, in 2009, when you hear Claudio D’Amore talk about its development, you feel that he has found the osmosis he is looking for, between his faith in the purity of lines, his passion for contemporary design, his taste for architecture, coupled with a sensitive, pure intuition, nourished by his Italian roots. Everything in this Mecascape allows us to understand CODE41’s vision: a singular watchmaking that is free from traditional codes.
To acquire a Mecascape is entering a different, unique, intimate universe. It means adhering to an original vision of ultra-contemporary and independent watchmaking. It is to let yourself be guided by a state of mind that explores new territories of technical and aesthetic expression, evoking new emotions.
Claudio D’Amore, founder and CEO of CODE41, says: “My idea for the Mecascape goes back to 2009, more than 12 years ago. Today, after having founded CODE41, given birth to 6 collections, and dedicated five years of focused development to the project, the time has come, the maturity and the means too, to give birth to the first Mecascape. I knew, with the team, from the outset that we were working on something really special. An ambitious and daring project in every sense of the word. Translating my vision into a unique and original watch object was a real collective challenge, and we are all very proud of the result. Working with time from all angles (and that's the right word here) has rarely been so rewarding.”
Foundational principles
Conceived and designed according to the mathematical language of the Golden Ratio 1.618 and the Fibonacci sequence, this first Mecascape is visually naturally balanced, harmonious, racy, contemporary, both aesthetic and geometric, thanks to the harmony and natural beauty of its divine proportions that derive from the algorithms on which CODE41 has based its design.
With an architecture that is striking for its graphic strength and originality, its components, shape, movement and exterior resonate with each other in a spirit of great apparent simplicity. Slim, with a thickness of only 7mm, the mechanical object can be easily slipped into a jacket pocket to keep it with you.
Its horizontal shape, like a small timeless mechanical sculpture in its purity of intention and execution, allows it to be placed on a piece of furniture or a desk, thus offering the possibility of contemplating it and appreciating time differently while remaining very contemporary.
If the complex mechanical magic, with the balance, the barrel, the escapement and all the gears is very clearly visible, each one ensuring its function at first glance, reading the time remains extremely clear and easy.
The main hour counter, minute counter, seconds counter, second time zone represent a world map in the heart of the GMT disc to enrich its aesthetics and power reserve indicator – the whole combines balance and optimum legibility. Two small knurled crowns on each side, subtly integrated into the profile, allow the time to be set and the Mecascape to be wound mechanically in a simple and pleasant gesture, with a small push button on the side for setting the date.
While the entire “landscape” of the Mecascape is protected by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, its solid Grade 5 titanium case back protects it from possible twisting of the case middle and ensures a solid structure suitable for everyday life. With a small opening – like a porthole – also in sapphire crystal, which also allows you to admire part of the plate and some of the movement’s gears, the solid back also allows the Mecascape to be placed vertically on a piece of furniture or a desk, thanks to its metal support provided for this purpose - or even to be placed on a table and laid down naturally.
Finally, as a result of CODE41's collaboration with the Cercle des Horlogers, an independent Swiss watchmaking workshop located in the Canton of Neuchâtel (halfway between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds), the Mecascape – which was born under the impetus of Claudio D'Amore – has generated several extraordinary technical challenges that had to be met, starting with its unprecedented dimensions, the complex calibration of the machines and its structural integrity.
Variations and accessories
With a creative aesthetic that exudes a strength that speaks to lovers of high-end, singular and exclusive objects, the first Mecascape is destined to be declined in a multitude of colour variations, concentrated mainly on the display elements, thus emphasizing its structure, functions, lines and curves, offering beautiful contrasts to the timepiece as a whole.
The Mecascape comes with two accessories: a metal stand that allows the Mecascape to be positioned vertically on a piece of furniture or a desk, for example, and a travel case made of high-quality Italian leather lined with microfiber, which will allow its owner to carry it safely, combined with a small cut-out to store a bank card or business card elegantly.