On paper the Romain Gautier Insight Microrotor is a simple timepiece that indicates hours, minutes and subseconds. However, one glance at this brilliant feat of mechanical engineering and one realizes how much more there is to this timepiece.

Originally a micro mechanical engineer, Romain Gauthier came to watchmaking by passion and founded his namesake brand in 2005 impressing collectors with the impeccable hand finish of his watches and even receiving laudits by no other than Philippe Dufour himself.

The first element that catches the eye in the Insight Microrotor is the three dimensionality of the movement architecture and the incredible mind boggling finish of the components where no surface has been unattended.

The spectacular movement decoration includes hand-polished bevels, hand-frosting, snailing, straight-graining and circular-graining, as well as hand-polished jewel countersinks. The gears that can be admired from the back feature circular spokes. The regulator features the Romain Gauthier balance wheel with curved arms and calibrated eccentric weights, plus hand-assembled pallet lever that is triangular for maximum rigidity and finally the watch features two mainspring barrels providing an impressive 80 hour power reserve.

Interestingly the sapphire crystal is slightly more raised at the 12 o’clock position than at 6 o’clock, most probably to create a light effect.

Limited to only 10 pieces this Insight Micro-rotor in pink gold is made even more appealing by the fact that it is the original prototype/pre series and as such numbered 0/10.