One of the reasons I’m so attracted to the world of watchmaking is because it’s a platform where science and art can come together. Every year at Baselworld, we awe over this complication or that new material. But some watches catch our attention solely for the artistic values they express. Meet Peter Speake-Marin’s “Triad”, the first piece from his Mechincal Art collection.
No, the Triad isn’t a watch dedicated to the notorious far-eastern organized crime network. In musical terms, a Triad is a chord composed of three notes played simultaneously- each contributing to create a single, harmonious sound. And that’s precisely what the Triad is: a watch that displays the same time on 3 sub-dials.
The number 3 holds significance in just about everything. Take religion, for example: in Christianity you have the Holy Trinity, in Judaism you have the three 3 Patriarchs and the 3 pilgrimage festivals, in Islam certain parts of ablution and prayer are performed 3 times in a row, in Taoism you have the Three Treasures, and so on.
There are 3 primary colors, and in mathematics 3 is both the first Fermat and Mersenne prime number. Time itself has 3 distinct periods- past, present and future. And more introspectively, our very existence can be summed up in 3 acts: birth, life and death.
What I love about the Triad is that its significance is open to interpretation by its wearer. I quite like the way Peter put it when personally presenting the watch to yours truly at Baselworld. The way he saw it, the actual time might be the same for himself, his daughter and his father, but time itself simply wasn’t. Now how deep is that?
But besides the poetic aspect of the watch, the Triad is simply a marvel to behold. On top of a circular-grained silver-rhodium movement plate, three off-centered yet equidistant open dials appear to distance in perfect sequence. The open dials reveal the blackened and gilded wheels, done in Peter’s signature topping-tool shape. The flame-blued “foundation” style hands, another Speake-Marin trademark element, lend a touch of old-world romance to the open dial. A raised black dial encompasses the open-worked spectacle in the centre, with white Roman numerals done in relief and text (including an explanation of the watch, “3 Notes 1 Maening”) in red gold lacquer.
This work of mechanical art is housed in Speake-Marin’s iconic 42mm “Piccadilly” officer’s style case, crafted in a polished stainless steel case with a contrasting 18K red gold bezel that brings out the movement’s gilded wheels.
Unfortunately I was too enthralled by Peter’s words to notice that pretty much all my movement photos were too far overexposed to be salvaged. The Triad runs on the Eros 2 automatic movement, with a “mystery” rotor done in an exquisitely finished blued three-pronged topping-tool shape. The movement is able to deliver a power reserve of 120 hours.
Peter Speake-Marin’s Triad is as mesmerising on the wrist as it is off. It’s a watch that is likely to get a few stares from passers by and watch-enthusiasts alike, though I’m certain it would be in admiration (and a fair amount of curiosity no doubt!)
As far as “art watches” go, this truly stands apart from the highly decorative cloisonné enamel and sculpted dials I’m used to seeing. Peter Speake-Marin has successfully created a piece of wearable, mechanical poetry. Considering that this is only the 1st offering from his Mechanical Art collection, I can only imagine what the English watchmaker will come up with next.
The Speake-Marin Triad is limited to 88 examples, with a price tag of 25’000 CHF.
More information on www.speake-marin.com
