Revolution’s Wei Koh and Jose Miranda’s Isotope founder create their latest limited edition — the Isotope × Revolution Mercury Limited Edition.
This 150-piece limited edition is inspired by the multiple meanings of Mercury — a liquid metal, a train and the Roman god that is a bearer of positive tidings. It is a fully polished stainless steel watch with the first-ever mirror-polished convex dial. Arriving at the perfect polish for the case, dial and hands was an infinitely painstaking effort, but arriving at its design is a process that will pleasantly blow your mind.
A consistent feature across all Isotope watches is the subtle, and often playful, integration of the brand’s ‘lacrima’ (Latin for ‘teardrop’) logo into different elements of the watch, such as the lugs, markers, dial or hands. The teardrop shape was inspired by the Kitchen Clock designed by Max Bill for Junghans in 1956, a piece José’s Grandmother once owned. Additionally, up until this point, a subversive dress watch was missing in Isotope’s catalogue. Hence, that became the starting point for the Mercury.
Subsequently, the Isotope team began toying with the idea of liquid metal droplets. Mercury, known by its chemical symbol Hg, is most famous for its fluidity at room temperature. This was reflected in the Isotope logo on the dial of the Mercury watch, serving as the noon marker, featuring a primary droplet accompanied by a smaller residual droplet.
From there, the creative process unfolded like a mind map with the team drawing inspiration from the polysemy of Mercury. The case design found its muse in the Mercury train, a set of high-speed passenger trains operated by the New York Central Railroad in the mid-20th century. Offering faster speeds, improved comfort and a futuristic appearance, the Mercury was part of a larger effort to make train travel more attractive as railroads sought to compete with the growing popularity of automobiles and aeroplanes.
Comprised of three parts, the case of the Mercury watch measures 38mm in diameter and 44.5mm lug to lug with a height of 10mm. It is characterized by rounded, sweeping lines and gentle curves. While polishing is often employed to emphasize flat planes and sharp angles, it is equally adept at accentuating curves and domes, creating a sense of fluidity and tactile quality that is enormously satisfying. The shape of the lugs was derived from the brand’s logo, each being half of the teardrop’s form. Despite being conceived as a dress watch, it offers a water resistance of 100 meters.
The minute hand is tipped with a leaf, and furthermore, both hands converge at each hour to form a large laurel leaf. As a result of their unique form, they had to be entirely crafted and polished by hand, which is virtually unheard of at this price point. The hour and minute hands as well as the subsidiary seconds hand are further elegantly topped by a polished domed hub, enhancing the handset with an unusual amount of depth and detail.
“Crafting a flawless convex mirror dial had never been attempted in watchmaking, and despite consulting numerous dial makers, the unanimous response was, it can’t be done.”
José Miranda, Founder, Isotope Watches
The dial is topped by a domed sapphire crystal and visible through the sapphire caseback is the hand-wound calibre I-7 which is a modified ETA/Peseux 7001 produced by Landeron. Originally introduced in 1971, the Peseux 7001 is a robust and reliable 17-jewel movement adopted and adapted by a wide range of brands from Blancpain to Omega, and in modern times, from Nomos to Urwerk. It runs at 21,600vph (3Hz) and offers a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement here has been dressed up with blued screws and straight graining on the bridges as well as perlage on the baseplate.
Available in a limited edition of 150 pieces, it is priced at £1,990 / USD 2,400 per watch (excluding taxes).
For more information please visit Isotope Watches