You might have thought that watchmaking had taken on almost every field in ultra-luxury, either directly or through collaborations. From sports cars to cigars via the beaches of St Barts and gastronomy, hasn’t every conceivable rich boy’s toy already been catered for? No, said emerging brand Reservoir: nobody else has done hi-fi. Audiophiles are a relatively rare breed: highly specialised collectors who venerate valve amps, have their speakers tailor-made and hunt down vinyl records, probably thought by most to be obsolete.
Retro forever
Reservoir’s approach to energising this world of sound is as atypical as the brand itself. Niche watchmaking and hi-fi aficionados are made to get along. The resulting piece, the Sonomaster, is an intriguing chronograph that uses the retrograde, sectoral layout dear to Reservoir. But make no mistake: the Sonomaster isn’t a mere gadget watch; it really is an authentic complication.
On the left, a vertical sector — quite a rarity in and of itself — counts off the seconds in 30-second increments: the retrograde function intervenes twice a minute, in other words. Facing it on the opposite side is another sector displaying the date. This too is retrograde, earning the Sonomaster its overall description as ‘bi-retrograde’, an approach also much beloved by Vacheron Constantin.
Mini counters, maxi chronograph
The other half of the complication is the chronograph. Reservoir’s traditionally busy dial presented a dilemma: how could all the subdials of a conventional chronograph be accommodated without reverting to a traditional set of circular counters? What other layout could there be apart from a bicompax or tricompax arrangement?
Here too, the solution is quite unusual — a small counter beneath 12 o’clock counts off 30 minutes; below it, above 6 o’clock the 12-hour counter. There’s also a central hand for the seconds, with the other two hands marking off hours and minutes. The complex calibre that brings this design to life is a La Joux-Perret LC01, extensively altered by Reservoir and providing a generous 60-hour power reserve — enough time to play a few LPs.
Déjà vu
The stylistic treatment of the dial, inspired by the world of hi-fi, further adds to the singular nature of the timepiece. Sound levels are traditionally measured and displayed by a slim needle and corresponding scale that date back to a device called the VU meter that first came into existence in 1940, with VU standing for Volume Unit. VU meters were developed to measure all types of signal, and became standardised for telephone exchanges and radio stations in 1942 before eventually coming to be used on all types of audio equipment and headsets.
There are many forms of VU meter, but all share a thin needle travelling across a curved or straight scale. Rather than covering a 360° circle like the hands of a regular watch, the needles move backwards and forwards. A red zone at the end of the scale indicates distortion, overload or other similar issues.
This kind of display delivers a cool, vintage feel; VU meters hark back to the pre-digital era. Here in the Sonomaster, the seconds (on the left) and date (on the right) benefit from this unusual visual approach. The chronograph is a bold, rare, and creative timepiece, available on its release at the highly competitive price of CHF/EUR 5,750.
Reservoir Sonomaster Chronograph
CASE: steel, sapphire caseback, water resistant to 50m, crown in the form of an amp control knob and pushers inspired by bass and treble pots
DIAMETER: 43mm
MOVEMENT: automatic winding mechanical movement, RSV-Bi120 calibre (LJP-LC01 base), column-wheel chronograph, retrograde seconds and date, 28,800vph (4Hz), 60-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS: hours, minutes, retrograde seconds on the left-hand VU meter, date on the right-hand VU meter, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock and 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
DIAL: black and cream
STRAP: black leather with white overstitching, steel butterfly folding clasp
LAUNCH YEAR: 2022
This year GMT Magazine and WorldTempus have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the chronograph since the year 2000 in The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs is available in both French and English here.
