This advancement, exclusively offered by the brand, remains a unique achievement in the watchmaking market. Following the success of last year's world premiere of this in-house complication displaying the time in a hypocycloidal manner in a 44mm version, the young brand is responding to growing demand by introducing four models with a 40mm diameter, offering a variety of styles: a two-tone design in steel with yellow gold PVD coating, an anthracite version with or without a bezel set with natural black diamonds, and a classic steel model, similar to the bestseller of the 44mm line. The result of a collaboration with Olivier Mory, the renowned watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds, these timepieces ingeniously combine a circular minute display with a hypocycloidal hour presentation, symbolized by a raised triangle on the foreground of the dial. This revolutionary approach transforms time reading into a choreographed experience, capturing an alternative temporality that reflects the perpetual movement of life.
4 variants
Today, the CHPTR_Δ, the pioneer of the brand’s first in-house complication, is enriched with four new 40mm variants, further expanding its appeal to fine watchmaking enthusiasts. These three new variants, with a 40mm diameter, stand out due to their distinctive aesthetics, embodying a unique and refined style with different straps, allowing everyone to find the perfect combination.
The CHPTR_Δ.6 [PHANTOM] and CHPTR_Δ.7 [ELLA] Black Diamond models are distinguished by their sophisticated anthracite hue, with or without subtle gem settings. The meticulously crafted details give this piece a touch of discreet luxury within timeless elegance.
CHPTR_Δ.8 [KAIROS] features a pure aesthetic with its stainless steel case. Incorporating all the characteristics of the 44mm bestseller, this version embodies the quintessence of contemporary watch design, highlighting simplicity and sophistication in perfect balance.
Finally, the CHPTR_Δ.9 2-Tone is adorned with an elegant two-tone combination, pairing steel with a yellow gold PVD coating. This fusion of materials offers a look that is both classic and contemporary.
« A hymn to Time that counts»
The brand’s founder, Thomas Baillod, is proud to present BA111OD’s first manufacture complication. While the minute hand travels around the dial in the usual way, the hour is indicated by a small dot following a hypocycloidal path within a triangle, creating a non-linear experience of time. "I particularly appreciate this aspect. Besides being mesmerizing, it's the symbolic aspect of life that fascinates me. Like those precious moments that last or slip away... the hour dot slows down and then speeds up again in a movement that appears irregular yet is perfectly calibrated and precise."
A hypocycloidal reading of time
This project, initially imagined by the designer Diego Böttger-Zevallos, turns out to be complex to realize. Thomas Baillod takes on the challenge. To ensure its technical development and production, he once again calls upon the brilliant watchmaker Olivier Mory, who is already responsible for the paternity of the BA111OD Chapter 4 Tourbillon. "There is hardly anything but the transcendent beauty of mathematics to obtain a triangle using only things that rotate in circles! And it is a discreet tribute to the several centuries-old use of the cycloid in watchmaking. Galileo, Newton, Huygens, Euler, Cantor or Roberval, to name but a handful, have all worked on the amazing properties of these curves," says Olivier Mory.
Rather than simply rotating a hand around a central axis, the movement was designed to "roll" a satellite hour wheel around a fixed central hour wheel. When a wheel is rotated around another wheel, the trajectory described by any point on this satellite wheel is a cycloid. There are several types of cycloids, some of which have particular trajectories, depending on the size ratio between the fixed wheel and the satellite wheel, as well as whether the satellite wheel rotates inside or outside the fixed wheel.
In this new chapter for BA1110D, the chosen cycloid is a deltoid (with a ratio of 1/3), and as a result, the trajectory described by the tip of the hour hand is... a triangle.
A particular shape highly appreciated by BA111OD is the triangle. With its three legs, this geometric shape that rises up represents direction and determination. It symbolizes stability and balance. This balance echoes the brand's business model, which is based on three letters, BAC (Business → Afluendors → Clients), breaking with the linearity of traditional distribution (B2B, B2C). Even the name BA111OD incorporates the number 3, with its three 1's.
Conception, design, development, production, and assembly Swiss made: Between local collaborations and in-house work.
Few watchmaking houses have taken the step of developing their own in-house movement module; those that have are well-established and have already built a solid reputation. BA111OD stands out in this regard. The young Neuchâtel-based brand is embarking on this adventure, despite having been founded just under five years ago, on October 11, 2019. However, according to its founder, this is a natural progression: "From day one, BA111OD has been about a different way of looking at watchmaking. Here, we also offer a new way of reading time."
Accustomed to highlighting the artisans with whom he develops his models, Thomas Baillod is no exception in this case. He pays tribute to Diego Böttger-Zevallos, the initial designer of this movement, with an engraving of Module 09310 on the dial, which, when read backwards, offers a nice nod to this Neuchâtelois, as his first name can be discerned.
As with previous models, the design is handled by Liliane Murenzi, BA111OD's Senior Designer. It is she who gives the piece its sleek character and highlights its DNA through a play of transparencies, asymmetries, and subtle open zones on the movement at different levels, adding depth. All of this is enhanced by the contrast of circular polished-brushed and matte satin finishes.
Working for over a year on the technical development of this automatic winding mechanical movement, with the BA111OD 09310 module for hypocycloidal time reading, watchmaker designer from Chaux-de-Fonds, Olivier Mory, is also responsible for its production, while assembly is done in-house. Since fall 2022, BA111OD has its own watchmaking workshop, T2 (dial fitting, hands, casing) and T3 (bracelet fitting) in Neuchâtel. The brand also has its own after-sales service and logistics department.
Swiss made NFC Technology – the watch industry’s first connected glass
BA111OD is proud to be the first watch brand to offer models with an NFC (Near Field Communication) connected sapphire glass, which allows for contactless communication between two devices in close range, within 1 cm. This technology provides a link between the physical watch and the digital world, but only if the customer desires. By scanning their watch, the NFC glass allows them to transmit their business card or any other predetermined link directly to the phone of their interlocutor. If the customer is an "afluendor" (a contraction of "Ambassadors, infFLencers, and venDORs"), they even have the option to share their own BA111OD e-shop by scanning their watch, making it easier to recommend the brand following its innovative business model, which is based on we-commerce, the community-driven evolution of e-commerce.
The CHPTR_Δ models are now available for pre-sale on the brand's website, on the Community App, or at one of the official points of sale, starting at CHF 2600.
