Art Mécanique’s 16-01 stood out by putting a conventional automatic mechanical movement behind an unconventional display: three rotating discs showed the hours, minutes and seconds instead of hands. Period coverage also described a decorated dial, a 316L steel case and a range of finishes and configurations. Those reports explain the campaign’s appeal, but they do not establish the watch’s final price, campaign outcome or current availability.
How did the Art Mécanique watch display the time?
The 16-01 used three rotating discs, one each for hours, minutes and seconds. Monochrome Watches described reading the indications along an imagined line running from the dial’s center toward 12. The layout reserved the upper area for time-reading and the lower section for decorative finishes, making the display itself the watch’s defining visual feature.
That design paired familiar mechanical watchmaking with a less familiar way to show time. It was not simply a conventional watch with an unusual dial treatment: the discs replaced the usual hands.
What movement and specifications did period coverage report?
Monochrome Watches and Chronotempus both identified the automatic movement as a Schild 280 and reported a 40-hour power reserve. Monochrome further listed 28,800 vibrations per hour and 26 jewels, and characterized the movement as an ETA 2824 clone. These are specifications reported in 2016 coverage, not independently verified measurements.
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| Specification | Period report |
|---|---|
| Movement | Automatic Schild 280; Monochrome Watches described it as an ETA 2824 clone |
| Power reserve | 40 hours, as reported by Monochrome Watches and Chronotempus |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour, reported by Monochrome Watches |
| Jewels | 26, reported by Monochrome Watches |
| Case dimensions | 42 mm diameter and 9.4 mm thick, reported by Monochrome Watches |
| Case material | 316L stainless steel; a black DLC-coated option was described by Monochrome Watches |
| Crystal and back | Front sapphire crystal and engraved caseback, reported by Monochrome Watches |
Chronotempus also reported a 316L steel case and sapphire crystal. The two publications identify the same movement and reserve, but their descriptions do not amount to an independent inspection of production watches.
What versions and finishes were described?
Chronotempus said the 16-01 was presented in seven versions and could be configured in more than 500 ways, with interchangeable straps. Monochrome Watches described steel and black DLC case options, several dial-cover finishes, grey or black discs, and multiple strap choices.
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These options made decoration and appearance part of the proposition alongside the unusual display. The period reports do not specify a lug width or establish which third-party straps fit, so “interchangeable” should not be read as proof of universal strap compatibility.
What did the Kickstarter-era pricing reports say?
The 2016 articles give materially different price ladders. Both are historical campaign reporting, not verified final transaction prices or current retail offers.
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| Publication | Campaign-era price reported |
|---|---|
| Monochrome Watches, 18 July 2016 | CHF 385 for early limited editions; CHF 405 for the regular edition |
| Chronotempus, 17 July 2016 | CHF 389 for the first 100 models; CHF 849 thereafter |
| TechCrunch, 7 July 2016 | Described a watch costing about $400 if funded and said the project was raising $100,000 |
The accounts cannot be reconciled from these reports. TechCrunch’s article was published while the campaign was underway; its fundraising target and conditional price do not establish whether the project ultimately reached its goal.
Who was behind Art Mécanique?
Monochrome Watches identified the founders as Adriano and Fred and reported 35 years of combined experience spanning design, marketing, engineering and micro-technology. Chronotempus named them Adriano and Frédéric and reported 32 years of combined experience. Because the publications differ on both the name form and the total, neither figure should be treated as a single definitive account.
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What made the watch’s value proposition distinctive?
The strongest case for the 16-01 was the contrast between its mechanism and its presentation: a reported Swiss automatic movement and traditional case materials paired with an hours-minutes-seconds display made from rotating discs. Its decorative finishes and configuration choices let the campaign offer visual variety without changing that central idea.
Period coverage does not establish how the discs performed in daily use, how easily the time could be read across lighting conditions, the final campaign result, or whether the watch is now sold. The record supports describing the concept and reported specifications, not making claims about real-world performance or present-day availability.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
