$ 205 000

Sometimes a luxury watch is really about celebrating the art of the instrument. Launched in 2013, Swiss Breva’s debut product was the Genie 01, the world’s first timepiece with a mechanical altimeter, barometer, and weather prediction complication. In many instances today the luxury world mimics or conforms to what is popular in consumer electronics. When mobile phones became ubiquitous, luxury brands responded in kind to produce very high-end mobile phones. Later, environmental and fitness sensors on gadgets began to attract consumer attention. A watch like the Genie 01 is in actuality an environmental sensor, developed and curated for the luxury watch buyer.

There is a legitimate argument to be made that Breva’s Genie 01 watch has limited utility in a world dominated by ultra-precise digital instruments. Nevertheless, few can argue that most electronic environmental sensors are as elegant or beautiful to behold as the Genie 01. More importantly, it has technology that can be understand with the naked eye, a principle element that allows for many instrument lovers to have an emotional connection with an object. The dial of the Genie 01 is masterfully open-worked with overlapping dials produced from semi-transparent crystal to allow for a legible, albeit open view into the mechanism.

Breva worked with the well-regarded movement designer Jean-François Mojon and his company Chronode on the development of this innovative movement. On the left of the Genie 01’s face is a subsidiary dial for the time, and to the right is the barometric pressure scale, which is also used to predict the weather based on the increase or decrease of atmospheric pressure over time. To the top of the face is an altitude scale, while the dial also contains indicators for the running seconds as well as the power reserve of the mechanical movement. At the bottom of the dial is the most important element of the altimeter and barometer system: a specially produced aneroid capsule.

Over the capsule is a small arm that measures the expansion of the capsule, which occurs naturally in a predictable manner with a change in barometric pressure. Using the Breva Genie 01 watch to predict the weather is a bit less straight forward than electronic tools. One must first take the altitude into consideration, and must also equalize the pressure in the case – by opening a small air valve – while taking different readings over time.

Breva imagines the Genie 01 to be used by well-funded skiing enthusiasts and other such adventurers interested in how the weather may affect their treks. The watch is, nevertheless, produced exclusively from precious materials and makes a bold statement at 44.70mm wide and 15.60mm high. Initially produced in 18k rose or white gold, the Breva Genie 01 was also produced in platinum, which was limited to just 12 pieces.

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