Hautlence heads to Colette

Following the success of its Playground collection and the first model in the range, the Labyrinth, Hautlence has designed an exclusive new series for Colette. To celebrate, the Playground Labyrinth Limited Edition By Colette is adorned in the Parisian store’s signature black and blue.

Hautlence calls to our inner child with the legendary maze game. Who didn’t love rolling the ball around these little plastic mazes? It drove us up the wall too! But the Playground Labyrinth Limited Edition By Colette isn’t really a watch…

Its black titanium dial with diamond corners doesn’t tell the time. The crown activates a “mechanical lift” that puts the blue steel ball back into the maze using a system of cams that you can see through the transparent back. The rectangular steel case (37×43.5mm) is reminiscent of watches by the brand whose name is an anagram of Neuchâtel.

When Hautlence unveiled its first limited edition Labyrinth (18 available) in Basel in 2016, it came as a surprise to many. It is more a square case housing a small ball in a maze. A complex mechanism brings the ball back into play once the player’s managed to get it into one of the two holes. The special watch was a success for the brand despite it not being able to tell the time.

The collection is primarily a metaphor for a time where there are no deadlines. The original philosophy is in keeping with Colette’s avant-garde products. The famous Parisian store sets the trends and unearths the latest new pieces. The limited edition (5 available) is exclusively available from Colette and its modern city-chic look is true to Hautlence’s designs.

Price: 9,900 CHF hautlence.com

By Inès Aloui