Manufacturer: Vianney Halter Year: Circa 2005 Case No: 7W.617.T Model Name: Trio Grande Date Material: 18k white gold Calibre: Automatic, VH205, 40 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Dark brown Vianney Halter crocodile leather strap Clasp/Buckle: 18k white gold Vianney Halter buckle Dimensions: 32 mm. width Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Vianney Halter service invoice dated 19 December 2014, cloth, manual, fitted presentation box and fitted presentation box. Literature: For another Trio Grande Date by Vianney Halter, please see Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking by Michael Clerizo, page 208.
Catalogue Essay
First introduced to the market in 2006, the Trio Grande Date by Vianney Halter was created much inspired by the dashboard of a steam engine. It is the third model in the Futur Antérieur collection following on from the Antiqua and the Classic model. Cased in a white gold rectangular curved case, the present watch houses the rectangular VH205 calibre fitted with a ‘mysterious mass’ sapphire rotor, which was designed specifically for the Trio collection. The watch features the time, day and night indicator and the date is displayed through two riveted porthole apertures. The grand date mechanism alone comprises over 50 components and can be operated through the crown only, making the watch very convenient to use. The date and time setting mechanism is independent; setting the time does not interfere the date, hence reduce the risk of damaging the movement. Visually interesting and houses an exquisite mechanism, the present watch is a very fine watch indeed.
Vianney Halter seeks to change how we view time and creates mechanical timepieces with retro-futuristic innovative timekeeping displays. One of his most famous models, the groundbreaking Anitqua, takes inspiration from the nineteenth century with an industrial, steampunk aesthetic, using a case with four separate dial displays that wowed collectors when it was first launched in 1998. For some of Halter's creations, literature — in particular that of Jules Verne — has been a source of inspiration. Halter continues to create futuristic case designs and works with complicated movements.