One year on from the launch of the “Tribute to the Antikythera Mechanism” at the Archaeological Museum of Athens, Hublot presents the “Antikythera SunMoon” watch, featuring highly precise Sun and Moon indications. This will be produced in a limited edition of 20 pieces, featuring a simplified and miniaturised version of the original mechanism, in honour of this masterpiece of antiquity. Hublot views the recreation of the Antikythera Mechanism as an important contribution to the history of time and this is basically a tribute piece in furtherance of that. This is a very complex mechanism and I’m not going to get into the particulars right now (read below for more details).

In short, the movement contains 295 components and 7 complications (compared to 495 components and 14 functions for the Hublot calibre exhibited at the Museum of Athens). All of the indications are found on the dial side.

The Antikythera SunMoon includes both a solar and a lunar calendar, as well as an indication showing the sidereal position of the Sun and the Moon. This means that, as well as being able to read the time (hours and minutes), the wearer of this watch can ascertain, for a given day and with extreme accuracy, the phase of the Moon, or more specifically its shape in the sky, the name of the constellation behind the Moon and the time required for the Moon to pass through a constellation. For the same day, the watch shows the constellation located behind the Sun and indicates the time required for the Sun to pass through a constellation. The piece is completed by a flying tourbillon (without ball bearing) which rotates once every minute toindicate the seconds, with the hours and minutes shown by traditional hands at the centre of the movement on the dial side.

Antikythera Mechanism Background

The Antikythera mechanism is one of the most mysterious objects in the history of civilisation. Discovered in Greek waters in 1901, it is considered the first “astronomical calculator” in the history of humanity, and dates back to the 2nd century BC(sometime between 150 and 100 BC.).

On the 5th April 2012, all of the original remains of the ship, the treasure and the Antikythera Mechanism were brought together in a single exhibition at the prestigious National Archaeological Museum of Athens, and unveiled in the presence of the Greek Minister for Culture. It was a significant event for the international archaeological and scientific communities. Among the objects being exhibited was the “Tribute to the Antikythera Mechanism” watch, a complex horological movement developed by Hublot as a tribute to the first “astronomical calculator” in the history of humanity, and probably dating back to the 2nd century BC. It was the first time that a watchmaking manufacture had had its work exhibited in a museum.

Hublot only produced four movements, each an exact miniature replica of the original mechanism: The first is on display at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Crafts) in Paris, the second at the National Museum of Athens and the third is held by Hublot in recognition of the craftsmanship and ingenuity of its own engineers and watchmakers. The fourth will be sold at a unique auction in 2014.

words by Kyle Stults

A “Batman: Year One” of sorts, this will be the prequel to both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City chronicling the early years of Bats. Aside from the main antagonists being Deathstroke The Terminator and Black Mask, not much else has been said in regards to the story. The entire thing drops October 25th, and if it’s anything like its predecessors I’m likely not leaving the house come fall again.

Vault by Vans designer Taka Hayashi presents two new colorways of the TH Revere Hi LX this summer. The LA-based artist’s latest creation infuses the vintage athletic sneaker aesthetic with Vans DNA by integrating the Sk8-Hi form into its design. Sporting premium suede uppers, leather sidestripe, vulcanized toe cap, nylon laces and subtle Taka Hayashi branding complete each pair.

The two colorways that will be releasing are a Black / Grey version, and Bossa Nova. The Vault by Vans x Taka Hayashi TH Revere Hi LX will drop this June 2013, at select Vault retailers.

As you do every year, you were waiting for this one, and here it is: Harry Winston Opus XIII. And yes, it is as crazy as it looks. The Opus XIII has only one thing in common with any other watch and that is its balance and escapement; the rest of the mechanism is the brainchild of independent watchmaker Ludovic Ballouard. Honestly it is next to impossible to understand this watch just by looking at it (be sure to watch the video below to help you out).

Opus XIII once again defies the conventional rules of watchmaking. Fifty-nine pivoting minutes hands, eleven rotating triangles for the hours, and a sliding trapdoor perform a magic show where minutes and hours appear or vanish instantly — and, of course, tell the time. Harry Winston believes nothing in watchmaking is beyond human ingenuity, and Opus XIII invariably proves it right.

Instantaneous hours and minutes; Cumulative display of minutes via a peripheral, jumping retrograde system with fifty-nine hands; Successive display of hours via a peripheral, jumping system with eleven hands; Sliding shutter revealing the “HW” logo every twelve hours.

Minutes accumulate around a track, each five minutes in red, withdrawing in unison when they complete the circle of the hour. Silver triangles spring in turn from a faceted dome to show the hours, rotating back when their duty’s done. Every twelve hours, Harry Winston’s logo is revealed on the dial, only to vanish sixty minutes later.

The fifty-nine minutes hands pivot on a ring of as many steel shafts, each held between two ruby bearings, bringing the number of jewels in the timepiece to 242. No other timepiece ever made has as many functional jewels. The ruby ball bearings for the sliding shutter are so tiny that the package had to be opened in a non-static environment lest they fly off.

Beneath a smoked sapphire crystal you catch a glimpse of what looks like the fan of a jet engine. This is an extraordinary component, comprising fifty-nine jumper springs — one for each minutes hand — carved from a single piece of steel using LIGA technology (lithography, electroplating and molding).

Harry Winston Opus XIII in collaboration with Ludovic Ballouard is a Limited Edition of 130 Pieces sitting at 44.25mm x 13.6mm white gold case. More looks of this beautiful timepiece below.

Calling in assistance from fellow Japanese design Masterminds Fragment and Canadian outerwear specialists FYi, who in the past have worked with New Balance and Patagonia, SOPHNET have created the FsF range, clothing designed to meet the needs of the urban environment. This incredibly lightweight piece is constructed from rip-stop Nylon is packable into itself, designed to be easily stored and deployed should the weather take a turn for the worse. A simple, elegantly designed and highly functional piece. Available in Navy & Blue HERE now.

The first DX series Joker Collectible Figure from Batman (1989) has received high praise from fans and collectors. To follow up on this classic Batman movie directed by Tim Burton, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale mime version of The Joker Collectible Figure.

This movie-accurate figure is crafted with impressive likeness of the movie legend Jack Nicholson and features the Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS), elegant costume, a specially-designed stand with backdrop and accessories.

What more can we say… this figure is amazing in so many ways. More looks of the Joker (Mime Version) below.

After a first detailed look the other day, we can finally show you the full lineup of sneakers from the latest collaboration between French brand A.P.C. and Nike today.

The collection for Spring 2013 includes the Dunk High and the Air Maxim 1. The Nike Dunk High comes in black and wheat suede colorways with gum outer soles. The Nike Air Maxim 1 comes in black and white colorways and also gum outer soles. But the Air Maxim 1 comes in two different versions for men and women. While the men’s version, as shown here above, features a black mid-sole on the black colorway, the women’s version also features a white mid-sole on the black colorway, just like on the white colorway. Sounds complicated, but once you have seen it, you will know what we mean.

Look out for the official release of the A.P.C. x Nike Spring 2013 sneaker collection at A.P.C. stores in the coming days.

German designer Ralf Holleis has created a fixed-gear bike focused around 3D-printed titanium hardware. Dubbed the VRZ 2 BELT and weighing in at just 4.9 kg (10.8 lbs), the bike includes a stem and seat stay among other connecting parts molded out of titanium using the latest in printing technology. The VRZ 2 BELT is designed to be lightweight yet heavy-duty and features a belt-drive crank system, carbon-fiber wheels, and just a sliver of a seat for an overall low profile. No word yet on any release date but we’ll keep you updated as we hear more.

The ‘Godz finally let loose their debut album, KILLmatic, and you can cop it now.

Inspired by one of the most iconic cars of all time, Les Forges MDK has designed an iPhone 5 case as an homage to the DeLorean DMC-12. Most famous for appearing as the time machine in the Back to the Future series, the case features the vehicle’s logo over a texture resembling the DMC-12′s grill. The surrounding case completes the look for a case that goes hand-in-hand with the gull-winged car. Unfortunately, the case is only a concept at the moment and no production plans have been made yet.