If you want a watch that looks like it comes out of a Surrealist painting, Exaequo might just be the answer.
The Melting Watch looks like a classically styled dress watch that has been dropped into a blast furnace.
Comparisons will inevitably be made with Cartier’s mangled-case Crash watch, which has long invited comparisons to Salvador Dalí’s famous 1931 Persistence of Memory painting with the melting pocket watches.
The Exaequo does not make the Cartier connection, but makes a direct link to the artistic movement spearheaded by Dalí, Luis Buñuel and others.
The watches are “directly inspired by the stylistic elements of the Surrealist movement” that celebrates a centenary this year, as 1924 saw the launch of the Surrealist Manifesto, a document signed by leading French artists in an attempt to consolidate their philosophy.
Unlike the Crash, which has been re-released but remains eye-wateringly expensive, the Exaequo is relatively accessible at just CHF 550.
Bonhams has an original Cartier Crash for sale in this week’s Fine Watches Auction in London with an estimate of £60,000 to £80,000.
The asymmetrical oval shaped steel case of the Exaequo Melting Watch has a length of 47mm and a maximum width of about 28mm, with a round crown on the right for easy adjustment.
The two-level dial comes in five colours: blue; black; white; green; and gold, and is covered by a domed plastic glass.
The movement is Ronda quartz and the watch is water-resistant to 30m.
The leather strap is smooth leather for the steel cased versions and crocodile print for the PVD gold models.
Exaequo is part of Italy’s U-Boat group. The brand is about to launch with a UK distributor, but the Melting Watch is currently available to buy online.
CHF 550 exaequowatches.com
