DC6 Night Forest

Description

DC6 Night Forest

The DC6 Night Forest is the brand’s lightest watch. It weighs 45 grams and is a limited edition of eight pieces. At the heart of the timepiece, a flying tourbillon tilted at a 30-degree angle completes one revolution in 60 seconds.

Originally, the tourbillon was designed for pocket watches, which spent their days motionless and upright, tucked into a vest. In this position, gravity always pulls on the balance wheel in the same way, causing it to run slow. By rotating on its axis, the tourbillon exposes the balance wheel to all angles and averages out the deviations. When held vertically, the watch is corrected. On the wrist, however, this is not the case: the arm is constantly moving and already compensates for gravity. The tourbillon is only useful when the watch is laid flat and motionless.

But a wristwatch is rarely placed upright, and when laid flat, the tourbillon rotates in a horizontal plane, where it no longer corrects anything. The 30-degree tilt then comes into play: it tilts the balance wheel away from the horizontal and restores the tourbillon’s corrective effect. The titanium cage, which houses the small seconds hand, is black—a color formed in the metal through micro-arc oxidation rather than applied as a coating, ensuring it will not fade.

The brand’s watches are recognizable by their distinctive shape and the concealed crown at 6 o’clock. The “Magic Crown” is retractable, composed of 31 components, and recedes into the case when not in use. Moving the crown from its usual position at 3 o’clock is what allows for the case’s symmetry and ergonomics, and it is the first element designed when a new caliber is developed.

The case of the DC6 Night Forest is made of carbon fiber, specifically a unidirectional variant where the fibers all run in the same direction, continuous along the entire length. This is the same carbon fiber used in aerospace structures and Formula 1, which is extremely durable. When held up to the light, the surface resembles veined wood, a far cry from the speckled appearance of forged carbon. These lines are inspired by the Risoux Forest, which lies directly across from the workshop. The carbon is framed by sloping lugs made of Grade 5 titanium. The movement is housed in a titanium chamber that ensures water resistance to 50 meters.

On the dial, two sapphire domes reveal the tourbillon, which rotates at 9 o’clock, facing the hemispherical hour and minute display at 3 o’clock. At 12 o’clock, the power reserve indicator—another complication of the timepiece—shows the movement’s 55-hour power reserve.

The largest portion of the dial is taken up by two titanium plates featuring the hand-engraved “Pointes du Risoux” guilloché pattern, inspired by the tips of trees in a forest as seen from the sky. They are not covered by a sapphire crystal, and the pattern can be felt under the finger just as clearly as it can be seen. The dial itself is topaz green—the hue of a mountain lake on a clear day—achieved by anodizing titanium that has been previously sunburst-finished. The smoky effect is a trompe-l’œil applied by hand using an airbrush. The numerals are applied in silver powder and stand out against the surface.

On the back, the titanium bridges are angled at 3° to create a cascade of light. Decorated entirely by hand, they meet the exacting standards of traditional watchmaking in the Vallée de Joux: Côtes du Solliat, polished chamfers and moldings, graining, hand engraving, and drawn flanks.

David Candaux is an independent watchmaker based in Solliat, in the Vallée de Joux, where watchmaking has been practiced since 1740. He founded his brand in 2017, after more than twenty years developing movements for some of the most demanding watchmakers. A watchmaker, manufacturer, and engineer, he designs and develops his watches, which are crafted using traditional methods with his small team in the workshop. He is the only watchmaker to construct each of his movements entirely from titanium.

Supplied by the brand to the GPHG for its entry.