Description
The Hautlence Retrovision '64 is a collector's piece in the truest sense of the term: just 3 pieces, USD 165,000 each, and a sci-fi concept that flips the expected horology playbook on its head. Unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026, it is Hautlence's most literal tribute yet to a piece of pop-cultural design history — the handheld communicator used by Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, which first appeared in 1964. The rounded rectangular titanium case, the perforated grille-style aperture, the crown at 12 o'clock — all of it reads as a loving nod to the Roddenberry-era design language.
Inside, however, this is a serious mechanical watch: a manually-wound in-house calibre with a flying tourbillon and a linear retrograde jumping-hour module developed by Agenhor, the Geneva specialist behind some of the most technically creative display modules of the last twenty years. The hours read horizontally, like a line of numbers on a Star Trek console; the minutes are displayed in a small circular register off-centre. It is a watch that answers "why" only with "because we can — and because Star Trek fans will get it".
Design
Case: rounded rectangular, 61.2mm × 41.8mm × 15.6mm, in titanium with brown PVD and red-gold PVD trim — a retro-futurist colourway that mirrors the warm plastic-and-metal palette of the original 1960s prop. The crown is at 12 o'clock (not a conventional position for a wristwatch, but exactly where the original communicator's antenna would have pivoted). The dial features a horizontal linear jumping-hour readout — "transmission line" aesthetic — and a circular minute register below. The flying tourbillon sits visible through a dial aperture, ticking away as if it were a sensor array. The caseback is engraved and display, revealing the 239-component calibre.
Specifications
- Case: 61.2mm × 41.8mm × 15.6mm, titanium with brown PVD and red-gold PVD finishing
- Crown position: 12 o'clock
- Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective
- Dial: Linear retrograde jumping-hour display (horizontal), off-centre circular minute register, visible flying tourbillon
- Movement: In-house manual-wind calibre; linear jumping-hour module developed in collaboration with Agenhor
- Components: 239 parts
- Complications: Flying tourbillon; retrograde linear jumping hours; circular minutes
- Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve: ~70 hours
- Limited edition: 3 pieces only
- Price: USD 165,000
What's Exciting
Two things. First, the combination of a flying tourbillon and a linear retrograde jumping hour in a single piece is exceptionally rare. The linear retrograde jumping hour is an Agenhor signature (Jean-Marc Wiederrecht's atelier has been the go-to for unusual display modules since the 1990s, including the Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 with Willard Wigan). Adding a flying tourbillon behind a "sensor grille" aperture is pure horological theatre. Second, the 3-piece run at USD 165,000 is priced for genuine collectors, not investors. This is exactly the kind of independent-watchmaker project that makes Watches & Wonders interesting — not the safe third refresh of a best-selling reference, but a concept watch from a small brand that gets to take creative risks.
History
Hautlence is a Swiss independent founded in 2004, now part of the MELB Holding group alongside MB&F, H. Moser & Cie. and other creative independents. The Retrovision series is Hautlence's concept line — deliberately experimental pieces paying tribute to 20th-century retro-futurism. Previous iterations (Retrovision 47 and Retrovision 85) referenced 1947-era Americana and 1985-era consumer electronics. The '64 reference in this new piece is explicit: 1964 was the first airing of Star Trek: The Original Series, and the prop communicator designed by Wah Chang for Desilu Productions is one of the most iconic handheld devices in science fiction history. Hautlence's partnership with Agenhor — a longstanding collaboration — allows the brand to pursue display complications (jumping hours, retrograde displays, unusual indicators) that would be impractical to develop in-house from scratch. At 3 pieces, the Retrovision '64 is the brand's rarest collectors' item to date.
Sources
- Monochrome Watches — "Introducing: Back to the Future with the Hautlence Retrovision 64"
- Hypebeast — "Hautlence Debuts the Retrovision 64 at Watches and Wonders 2026"
- Stuff — "The legendary Star Trek Communicator has been reimagined as a luxury wrist watch"
- Timekeepers Club — "Hautlence Retrovision '64"
