HYT’s New Limited-Edition Watch Uses a Fluid-Filled Skull to Tell You the Time

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At the intersection of art, watchmaking and philosophy lies HYT, a watch brand with a mind-bending approach to mechanics. Nowhere is that positioning clearer than in the brand’s latest timepiece, the Soonow Drop One, a limited-edition wristwatch created for the “Sneaker Time” exhibition currently on display at the Watches of Switzerland flagship in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood.

Staged in collaboration with Stadium Goods, a re-commerce site for rare and limited edition sneakers, the exhibition, which runs through Dec. 2, features 15 pairs of rare sneakers, each matched with an equally sought-after watch. The juxtaposition is meant to underscore the obsessive culture of collectability that permeates both the sneaker and watch communities.

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The Soonow Drop One timepiece is shown alongside a near-mythical pair of Nike Airs, dubbed “ParaNorman.” Part of a 2012 social media giveaway for the film “ParaNorman,” they look like they’re being engulfed by green flames.

Limited to five pieces, the Soonow Drop One—whose name, a blend of the words “soon” and “now,” plays with the notion of time’s transience—captures the same ghostly aesthetic. HYT’s signature skull motif appears on the titanium dial, whose bluish-purple coloring stands in sharp contrast to the bright green Super-LumiNova cast of the eye sockets. Across the face of the watch appear 313 18k yellow gold pins and 937 high-precision perforations, as well as a glimpse of the fluid-filled capillaries that portray imminent and elapsed time using blue and green liquids, reflecting HYT’s singular blend of fluid technology and mechanical watchmaking.

“The synergies between HYT and Watches of Switzerland are apparent,” says HYT CEO Gregory Dourde. “As a brand that is revolutionizing the watch industry, we see Watches of Switzerland, a company that is redefining the role of luxury watch retailer, as an ideal partner, and Sneaker Time as the perfect way to launch our latest Soonow model. This unique timepiece encapsulates the theme of the exhibition and we feel will truly resonate with a collector’s audience.”

The manual-wind model comes in a 48.8 mm steel case and retails for $75,000.

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