Konstantin  Chaykin,  the  Russian  inventor  and  founder of  the  Konstantin  Chaykin  Manufacture  designed a watch that is more than a timepiece  –  but a piece of art. Konstantin named the watch Carpe Diem (Latin for Seize the Day) and included multiple allegoric representations of time in the mechanics and the design to create a harmonious reminder of how important the present is and how fleeting time really is for each and every one of us.

The main idea behind the Carpe Diem Watch is to embody the abstract idea of time using classic metaphors from the Western canon. The symbols included in Konstantin’s design hark back to paintings by Bartholomäus Bruyn the Elder, Pieter Claesz and Heorhiy Narbut.  The  main  character  in  the  Carpe  Diem  Watch  is  the  ancient  god  Chronos, who had birthed Time, the first element of Creation. He is depicted in a personal and vivid form: lost in  thought,  with  deep  wrinkles  on  his  forehead,  Chronos  is  enthroned  on  the  miniature  dial  that  only  indicates  hours. In one hand Chronos wields a scythe and his other hand rests on an hourglass. A starry night sky in the background symbolizes the cosmic nature of time.

The technical innovation in the Carpe Diem Watch is the patented mechanism by Konstantin Chaykin: using a few  shutters  Konstantin  was  able  to  create  the  illusion  of  sand  flowing  through  an  hourglass.  In the Carpe Diem Watch, the moving sand serves as the minute indicator. Hours are indicated by a hand contained in a miniature dial decorated with a monogram. The Carpe Diem Watch also includes a day of the week indicator, where each day is indicated by the appropriate astrological sign.

Konstantin invented and patented a new calibre, the K 01-4 for the Carpe Diem Watch, a caliber which belongs to  his  line  of  movements  to  tell  time  in  non-standards  ways  of  indication.  The  bridges  in  the  Carpe  Diem  are  decorated  with  ‘côtes  de  Genève’,  the  escapement  wheel  is  gold,  and  the  gleaming  barrel  wheel  and  winding  wheels are perfectly polished. The work of the balance is visible through the sapphire glass back. The case is hand engraved, while the decorations and the image of Chronos are patinated.