After the damp squib that was Rolex's anniversary celebration at this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva (maybe Rolex will bring back the Milgauss in 2027?), we started to worry that truly WIRED timepieces would be few and far between this year. Then we found the Retrovision ’64 by Hautlence.
Clearly channeling none other than Captain Kirk, the high-end Swiss brand has turned Star Trek’s iconic Communicator into a full-on luxury wristwatch—and we’re very much here for it. Fans of the '60s sci-fi series will be delighted to recognize the characteristic cover and perforated grille, which, oh yes, flips up to reveal the watch workings underneath. However, despite the light-hearted design cues, those workings very much lean into serious horology.
The Retrovision ’64 is a high-end wristwatch masquerading as a Star Trek communicator.
Photograph: Courtesy of HautlenceThe Star Trek universe is no stranger to watch collaborations, but this is a whole new level. Inside the retro-futuristic case beats an in-house caliber equipped with a linear jumping hour mechanism developed in collaboration with Geneva-based artisan watchmaker Agenhor, which worked with Hautlence in 2022.
Under the metal grille, the Retrovision ’64’s hour display is arranged horizontally, apparently referencing some space transmission indicator, and it’s on this linear display that the hours jump immediately to the next number once the minutes displayed on the central circular dial hit the full 60 mark.
The sapphire crystal central dial also gives a window into the Retrovision ’64’s serious timekeeping abilities, as a flying minute tourbillon with a double hairspring is on show. This is a sophisticated, premium mechanical watch movement designed to achieve maximum precision and a flash of visual allure. The "flying" tourbillon (which rotates every minute to negate gravity's effects on the delicate movement) is combined with a pair of matching, opposing hairsprings that stabilize the balance wheel's movement, further enhancing accuracy and stability.
Photograph: Courtesy of Hautlence
Photograph: Courtesy of HautlenceThe case, crown, and lugs are made from grade 5 titanium with copper and brown physical vapor deposition coating. PVD is a process used primarily in luxury watchmaking and jewelry to create a rich, 18-karat rose gold color. On the underside is a see-through sapphire caseback, giving wearers another view of the D50 mechanical movement with a 72-hour power reserve, meaning that should you choose not to wear the Communicator watch for an entire weekend, it should still keep time.
Hautlence says the central mission for the Retrovision ’64 was to “transform the mechanics of watchmaking into a visual spectacle.” Mission accomplished.
The stellar irony here is that in the Star Trek universe, the United Federation of Planets is a post-scarcity, post-capitalist society where money is obsolete and its enlightened citizens work instead for self-improvement and the betterment of humanity. Hautlence didn't get this memo, as each Retrovision ’64 will retail for an out-of-this-world $165,000. Only three ardent Trekkies will be able to get one, though, as that's all that will be made.
For anyone looking to bag a “real” space timepiece, Watches and Wonders this year served up a few alternatives, including IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, the brand’s first-ever watch designed from the ground up for human spaceflight, and Bremont's Supernova Chronograph, which will be attached to the chassis of Astrolab’s FLIP rover and land on the moon later this year.
