Kari Voutilainen is one of the most talented living watchmakers of our time, his signature talents being complex mechanisms with superlative hand finishing - no easy feat. Every component within his watches, from the bridges to the tiniest of screws, involves manual labor, may it be adjusted tolerances, polishing, angling and so on. His talent is not limited to the mechanics that power his watches, however. "Handmade" is not a term that Kari Voutilainen takes lightly. Even each set of hands takes almost two full days to make, and the sublime guilloché dials are also made in-house.

The present 28-R12 is part of a limited release of just eight pieces made beginning in 2011. Only two total were made in platinum, and only one of the two - the present example - with a guilloché enamel dial. The two-tone blue of the dial, made by Voutilainen’s own in-house dial manufacturer, is highly striking – a vivid royal blue in the center of the main dial and the subsidiary seconds, and a more subdued navy for the outer sections. The guilloché, etched on a solid gold plate rather than nickel silver, repeats in a bold pattern of radiating lines linked with gentle waves. The gloriously hand-finished movement is visible through the sapphire caseback, with the in-house balance wheel and escapement completely exposed to the viewer. Setting the 28-R12 apart from previous pieces, the two escapement wheels lend extreme efficiency to the movement by giving a direct impulse to the balance. This increased efficiency, combined with the wearable yet sturdy 39mm case, makes this a suitable, daily fixture on the wrist of any collector.

Presented with all original accessories, including an exquisite, numbered presentation box made by Vichard, this sublime Voutilainen creation from 2017 is essentially a unique piece, imbued with all the talent and passion of one of the greatest creative forces in modern horology.