François Quentin’s 4N turns time into oversized digital-style numerals without using an electronic screen. Its MVT01 movement uses ten rotating discs, arranged in moving groups, to show the hours and minutes. The result is an unusual contrast: a display designed for immediate reading, driven by a highly elaborate mechanical mechanism.
How the 4N displays the time
The 4N’s numerals appear through a central opening as discs rotate into position. The display is digital in appearance, but entirely mechanical. In a 2013 account published after Belles Montres, Monochrome Watches described ten discs: five for the minutes, one for the tens of minutes, and four for the hours. Monochrome Watches’ 2013 profile presents the idea as Quentin’s aim to create “a simple digital display powered by a mechanical engine.”
The discs are held in groups by cages, which move as the displayed time changes. That moving architecture is central to the watch’s character: the display is easy to parse, but its changes come from coordinated mechanical parts rather than pixels or an LCD.
What makes the movement jump
Quentin developed the movement with APRP (Audemars Piguet–Renaud & Papi). Monochrome describes a spring-loaded mechanism it calls a “mechanical transistor”: energy builds over a minute or an hour, then releases to move a cage by a fraction of a revolution. Gearing drives the other display discs. The article presents this constant-force jumping arrangement as a way to manage the energy required to advance the display.
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The movement’s published specifications include 514 components, 78 jewels and a 237-hour power reserve. Yanko Design’s June 2013 interview with Quentin gives the 237-hour figure, and the official 4N news page’s indexed text also states it. Yanko Design’s 2013 interview calls the display a “24h digital display with a very large display.” The reserve is nine days and 21 hours; Monochrome rounded it to ten days in its profile.
Finishing and practical details
The 4N’s appeal is not limited to its display. Monochrome reports polished bevels, re-entrant angles and hand-finished bridges. It also describes the dial surface as crossed Côtes de Genève and explicitly says it is not carbon fibre. A quick-change strap system uses two buttons on each side of the case, according to the same 2013 article.
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Launch-era editions and prices
The 2013 reports describe limited production and prices at the time of publication. They do not establish present-day stock, current prices or service availability, and their edition descriptions should not be treated as interchangeable offers.
| Reported version or detail | What the 2013 sources said |
|---|---|
| MVT01 production | Monochrome reported 16 pieces across titanium, rose gold, white gold and platinum. It separately mentioned a 16-piece titanium DLC prototype edition. Source: Monochrome Watches, 30 December 2013. |
| MVT01/D01 edition | Yanko Design’s interview described the MVT01/D01 as the last of 16 and reported a $235,000 MSRP. Source: Yanko Design, 14 June 2013. |
| Reported price range | Monochrome gave launch-era prices of €168,000 for titanium and €242,000 for platinum. These are historical reported prices, not current quotations. Source: Monochrome Watches, 30 December 2013. |
| Sapphire Planet | Indexed text on 4N’s official news page describes a 2015 version with a one-piece sapphire case, manual movement, 514 components, 78 jewels and a 237-hour reserve. It says three customizable examples were announced at a €280,000 public price. This is an indexed official-site report, not confirmation of current availability. Source: 4N official news page, 2015 announcement. |
Can you buy a 4N today?
The available reporting establishes launch-era editions and prices, but not whether the watch is currently in production, offered by a dealer, or available on the secondary market. It also does not verify present service arrangements. A reader comment on Monochrome’s 2013 article asked where to buy one, and the reply then suggested emailing Quentin; that old exchange is not a verified current sales or support channel.
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Anyone pursuing a 4N should seek current confirmation directly from an authorized or otherwise verifiable source and independently authenticate any resale example. The historical figures above are useful for understanding the launch, not as a guide to today’s availability or value.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the 4N matters as a design
Quentin’s concept makes a clear trade: the wearer sees a large, direct time display, while the mechanism behind it is anything but simple. In the Yanko Design interview, Quentin described haute horlogerie as addressing “sense emotions and the intellect,” adding that it is “like art” in its freedom. That perspective helps explain the 4N’s premise: its legibility is the visible idea, and the elaborate movement is part of the experience rather than something hidden behind a conventional dial.
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