As clever as it might be technically, the first thing one sees in the Konstantin Chaykin Levitas is a watch of whose styling recalls the age of art deco and carefree abandon and it poses a delightfully teasing puzzle to bemuse the uninitiated.
The dial, which is offset to the left is fully transparent through to the back and the hands appear to stem from.... well, nothing! It begs the one word dilemma "How?" In fact, the more you think about it the hands do move as if levitating (Levitas), unattached to any means of propulsion and once considered, something must be making it happen, but what?
The answer to the puzzle is as ingenious as it is obvious once Levitas has revealed her secret, because the reason that the dial is offset is not purely aesthetic, it is because every component in the mechanical heart of the watch has been created in miniature and set off towards the crown, and its gears engage with two perfectly transparent sapphire discs with painted stencil hands; one for the hours and one for the minutes.
The proprietary crescent like KMR 02-0 manual winding calibre is a real accomplishment in its execution. It has been entirely conceived and created in house; its plates, bridges and tiny components fashioned in diminutive detail and lovingly hand finished to a standard only to be found from the finest watchmakers in the world, which Konstantin Chaykin surely is. He even finds a way to incorporate a moonphase and still manage an impressive thirty-three hour power reserve from the confines of its tiny barrel.
Encased in a round 44mm 18kt white or rose gold case, Levitas is available with the option of blue, brown or black face.
