Singer Reimagined and Genus present the 8-Track Watch for Only Watch
The collab'mobile
For this year’s Only Watch charity auction, Singer Reimagined and Genus are rekindling the flame of the childlike sense of wonder that lies dormant in each of us, bringing back a flow of memories. “We all remember the stories we made up and the adventures we lived out playing with our little toy cars, which in turn, as adults, have nourished our dreams and passions for real cars. Matchbox, Siku, Majorette, Dinky Toys, Hot Wheels... scratched, scuffed, the paint worn down to the metal, all our little toy cars in the huge box at the foot of our bed or strewn on the playroom floor. These little toy cars, sometimes dented but always authentic, were so true, so real.”
It’s with these toy cars that kids set out to imagine wild chases, acting out frantic races, from morning to night! They were the emotional starting capital, the foundation of the passion for classic cars shared by two friends, Marco Borraccino, Designer, CEO, and Creative Director of Singer Reimagined and Sébastien Billières, Master Watchmaker and Co-Founder of Genus. Fond memories!
Singer Reimagined and Genus is a fusion of the mechanical-aesthetic, the horokinetic, the auto-emotional that brings back childhood memories and the passion for miniature versions of the cars for “when we grow up”.
The 8-Track Watch? It’s the direct connection created for Only Watch, merging the aesthetic codes of Singer Reimagined with the innovative award-winning mechanics of Genus.
A miniature sculpture, fully hand-crafted of 18K gold measuring just 6mm, inspired by the silhouette of a vintage race car, gliding along a figure 8 racetrack…
When the idea of incorporating a miniature car into the display complication was first raised by Catherine Henry, COO and Co-Founder of Genus, imaginations immediately shifted into high gear, sparks flew, and it was off to the races. Picturing the slot cars screaming around a racetrack, reliving those moments spent playing on the Polistil racetrack sets of their childhood, it teleported the 3 friends into a universe of memories, playful pursuits, and emotions.
The 8-Track for Only Watch – the embodiment of childhood memories in a watch, for a charity initiative
The racer
The 8-Track is a fusion of ideas, passions, mechanics and two watch brands: a watch with a Singer aesthetic in a case inspired by the iconic watches of the 60s and 70s, with a deep connection to the world of motorsports; the perfect setting for the exceptional mechanics of the display complication invented by Genus.
The racer’s shape, the materials, colors, engravings – the 8-Track Watch is a meeting of minds between two brands, both iconoclasts in their own fields, both with a taste for and a natural attitude towards pushing the envelope beyond limits and conventions.
With its 43 mm diameter and cushion-shaped case, the elongated edges at 6 and 12 o’clock seem to magnify the case band, prolonging the arc of tension. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock. Mounted on a leather strap perforated like the glove of a racecar driver from another time, it truly is a racer’s watch!
Under the hood
The engine under the hood is the powerful Genus in-house caliber, a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an award-winning innovation. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting figure 8 trajectory: the symbol of infinity.
The passing of the racer from one indicator disc to the other – the subject of a Genus patent application – recreates laps around a figure 8 racetrack. The discs that advance the micro-racer echo the rims of a sports car while maintaining the technical and functional traits required by the watch complication.
Team Singer Reimagined X Genus
What could be more logical for a car restorer than to work with an engine builder? What could be more natural for an expert in advanced mechanics than to work with a designer? In the profusion of watchmaking partnerships, this one holds the pole position.
The style
Singer Vehicle Design performs restorations based on vintage automotive icons, adhering to parameters that can be completely defined with the owner, with the goal of creating, with each new project, a profoundly improved version of the legendary Porsche 911.
In 2009, Rob Dickinson founded the Singer Vehicle Design studio, bringing to life the most prestigious restomod specialist on the planet.
In 2017, Rob joined forces with Marco Borraccino, Design Director for major companies and watch brands, and a lover of cars, especially Porsches. Together, they created Singer Reimagined, a watchmaker’s take on the Singer concept.
Their ambition is to reinvent and improve iconic watch functions by developing watch “engines” and complications that challenge conventional codes. The first of these watches, the Singer Track 1, redefines the very concept of the chronograph. Its 60s racing-inspired aesthetic codes and central chronograph with peripheral hour and minute indication radically challenged the status quo. When it appeared in 2018, it won the Best Chronograph Prize at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix (GPHG).
Marco Borraccino, Co-founder, CEO, and Artistic Director of the Singer Reimagined watch brand is in constant pursuit of the free expression of his creative ideas and his passion for uncompromising design. As he explores new avenues, he draws on the rich culture and heritage of watchmaking to create watches that are remarkable, beyond our time.
The engine
The quiet power of the GxS-23-Ru caliber. Faithful to the foundations of Genus’ watchmaking approach, it takes on a new form, as a micro-sculpted racer that zips around its track – yet another testament to the flexibility and versatility of this singular watchmaking brand.
Between the crystal and the movement, a miniature sculpted racer, only 6mm long, travels along a curvilinear path tracing a figure 8. As the racer progresses around the track, it indicates the tens of minutes. As for the hours, they are displayed on a black ceramic peripheric disk, with large Singer Reimagined design engraved numerals, treated with Super-LumiNova®, which move past the orange hour index at 6 o’clock.
At the center of the watch, no dial but a unique automotive display. In the background, the GxS-23-Ru caliber, whose components are designed and hand-worked by the Master Watchmaker. The finishes of the 390 components show the most meticulous care taken in their execution. It is the architecture of the GxS-23-Ru caliber itself that reveals the nature of the project. The freedom, flexibility, and openness it offers stem from its having been conceived in two parts. The first, which can be described as the foundational movement, groups the essential functions, including a single barrel. It ensures a power reserve of 50 hours, which is considerable given the complexity of the caliber and the masses in motion. The second, grafted on top of the first, contains the display complication module for managing the hour and the tens-of-minutes indications.
The engineering
Genus is driven by a desire to shake up the fundamentals of watchmaking, to amaze and surprise – to broaden the perspective of displaying time while respecting the values of tradition and craftsmanship in compliance with the high finishing standards of Swiss Haute Horlogerie.
Genus has originated a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an innovation never attempted before. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting trajectory of a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.
In 2017, Master Watchmaker Sébastien Billières, and entrepreneur Catherine Henry, took up the challenge and cofounded the Genus brand. For more than twenty years, Sébastien Billières had been collaborating with the greatest watchmaking Maisons, providing a wide range of services, particularly in the field of complication movements. As a certified Master Watchmaker, his long experience as a restorer, watchmaker, and even professor of watchmaking, combined with the entrepreneurial drive and experience of Catherine Henry, guarantees the legitimacy of Genus. Together, they develop refined architectural watches.
Genus unveiled its first model, the GNS1.2 WG, on the stage of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2019, where it was awarded the coveted Prix de l’Exception Mécanique. Since this spectacular world premiere, far from resting on these prestigious laurels, Genus has continued to push the boundaries of the display and redefine the telling of time.
The 8-Track Watch by Singer Reimagined and Genus speaks to the child in all of us. And it’s off to the races...!
The experience
To enhance the experience, the winning bidder for the 8-Track at Only Watch 2024 Auction will be invited to experience the thrill of speed in a restored Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer Vehicle Design, during the 2024 Client Drive Experience. The winning bidder will have the choice between two options:
Option 1: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025 • 2 invitations to the event and full access to Hospitality Singer Vehicle Design on site. • Laps around the circuit as a passenger in a Porsche 911 restored and reimagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver. • Access to the track day with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle. (Hotels and transfers not included)
or
Option 2: Monterey Car Week 2024 • Access for 2 persons to The Quail. • Passenger rides in a Porsche 911 restored and re-imagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver. • Access to the Track Day at Laguna Seca Raceway with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle. (Hotels and transfers not included)
The organizational details of the 8-Track Experience will be personally coordinated with the winning bidder for this one-off timepiece.
