Debuted by DeWitt at Baselworld 2019, the Academia Slide represents the Swiss independent watchmaker’s unique view of time.

A rectangular brass plate, inscribed with its respective Arabic numeral marks each hour. The hour plates rest, vertically, at approximately 45 degrees, and then slide along a track to a horizontal position to mark the current hour.

In the center of the dial, a Sword-shaped hand indicates the minutes, and a slender Lance-shaped seconds hand, with a diamond-shaped counterweight, indicates 0-60.

Every hour is inscribed on a brass plate that slides along a track, guiding it to a horizontal position. It is this horizontal display alone that shows the current hour. Next, the two central hands indicate the minutes and seconds.

According to Dewitt, “This simple, intuitive design is also highly energy efficient. The hour plates slide in a natural, fluid manner. They are all interconnected: as soon as an hour arrives at the flat position, its plate begins its return to a vertical position and the next plate begins its descent.”

The watch case, crown, and caseback are all made from titanium. This is a large watch with a 49.2 mm diameter and 15.3 mm thickness, which is required to accommodate the mechanism which measures 39.6 mm in diameter.

DeWitt caliber DW 0101 drives the 3D sliding hours, minutes, and seconds at 4Hz, using 22 jewels, 276 total parts, and a 42-hour power reserve that’s automatically wound. The Interlug width is 23 mm and water resistance is 30 meters. Retail is $52,000. (Ref. AC.SLD.001)

 

Photos by DeWitt.