ISOCHRONO has captured on video, the appearance of Mr Roboto on Planet Earth, the first time we have seen him materialise on this planet, and where he will continue his mission. He first appeared 15 years ago, and replicated himself into a smaller form to teach humanity to have fun again. But it seems that the humans have once again, lost their way, constantly one-upping each other with their wait-listed-this, and exclusive-that. His travels from the Planet Zug have been long and time-consuming, but alongside his allies from the Planets Nord, and Fuku, where the robust Mr Roboto R2 and Mr Roboto Bronzo hail from respectively, Mr Roboto has refocused his mission on showing humans the true meaning of joy. Gathering the finest materials in the universe, Mr Roboto unveils Mr Roboto Sapphire, a comrade-in-arms with a highly resilient exoskeleton that brings in the light, along with the ability to soften even the most hardened and serious watch enthusiast to make fun watches great again.

Mr Roboto made his first appearance in 2008, where his tonneau-shaped stainless steel case and quirky time layout earned a cult following, particularly in Singapore, where the brand was conceived. From this piece, Azimuth quickly gained fans for their watches in terms of their creativity in displaying the time.

The original Mr Roboto would become known as the R1, and soon, more models followed – the R2 that featured a more streamlined design, and the Bronzo models, a variant of the R1 coming with and without artistic engravings.

In 2023, Mr Roboto’s newest ally is a spitting image of his original form, albeit, with a 43x50mm sapphire case, providing a straight-shot look into the heart of Mr Roboto. Its layout is one of the quirkiest we have seen in the industry – being one of the first watches to do this at the height of early 21^st Century watchmaking. Mr Roboto’s “eyes” display the hours on the left, and a GMT/second time zone function on the right, with his red triangular nose being the running seconds indicator.

At the bottom of the dial, we see a retrograde minutes indicator that makes its way towards the right, before flying back to zero on the left – a design very reminiscent of analogue electronics instruments. Where Mr Roboto has before been clad in stainless steel, the sapphire case of Mr Roboto Sapphire allows for the module plate to be observed – in this case, a Damascus steel pattern adorns the module, giving a mottled look reminiscent of camouflage! A curious addition to this watch, the crown is modelled to look like a winding key, like the tin robots of the 1950s – robots that Mr Roboto takes its inspiration from, and who he allies with to bring fun back into watchmaking.

Housed within his crystalline armour is an ETA base 2836-2 (with some containing an ETA 2834-2), with a proprietary module developed by Azimuth themselves, a robot companion meticulously crafted to teach humanity to have fun with watchmaking once again.

Mr Roboto and his allies from Azimuth, The Toy Watchmaker have secured his legacy, and alongside his toy robot friends, are eagerly awaiting his return. Watchmaking is made fun again, through his latest creation. Landing in Geneva, Mr Roboto will be embarking on his mission in the watchmaking capital of the world, where he will aim to educate all watch nerds to have fun with watchmaking, and to find joy in the craft once more.

Technical Specifications

Case – Sapphire Crystal, 43x50mm

Movement – Automatic Self-winding, based on an ETA 2836-2 or a 2834-2, customised rotor

Functions – Hours, retrograde minutes, running seconds, second time zone

Strap – White fabric

Buckle – Steel deployant clasp

Price: 21,000 CHF

For those not in the know, “BIT” stands for “Back In Time” and is a complication that is a signature staple of Azimuth, where the hands of the watch go counter clockwise. How do you tell the time? Check out this simple graphic below.

Of course there are plenty of interesting technical and philosophical aspects to a complication like this, which I’m sure you’re burning to find out more about. For that check out my comprehensive article on the Back In Time complication linked below.

Now given that the hour markets on the dial are printed “backwards” (counter clockwise) from normal (clockwise), it does allow some interesting things to be done, and also explains why the “Singapore BIT 56 Commemorative Edition” has the word “Singapore” in it.

Well, it turns out that the watch extends upon an idea from a previous Azimuth BIT watch – the “Singapore Commemorative Edition 1965-2010” where the “4” and “5” Arabic numerals on the dial are highlighted to make them look like “45” or the anniversary of the country the year (2010) it was released.

In the “Singapore BIT 56 Commemorative Edition”, the “5” and the “6” for the numerals are highlighted, and this time it is for the 56th anniversary of Singapore, which was last year in 2021.

Why is Garfield fencing then? Well, according to Azimuth, it’s because they feel that their watchmaking ethos resonates with the character of Garfield, with a strong independent attitude laced with a ton of swagger. I get that. Haven’t we seen Garfield in the comic strips doing whatever the hell he wants? What about fencing then? Well, that’s not exactly a very common preoccupation, and I like that combination of fencing being extremely technical and precise, yet is also a martial art that can attack or defend – nice.

Well, whatever the reason Garfield is on the dial, the watch overall is executed very well. First of all, using a fencing sabre allows the single time pointing hand to be very thin, which makes the 5 minute resolution of the watch easier to make out from a time telling perspective. Then there is the thinness of the hand making it seem very sharp, which does make it possible in your imagination to hear the swishing motion of the sword when you see it moving over time.

Curiously, Garfield wears some kind of metal hat instead of a fencing mask, which is understandable because one never hides the face of your expensive celebrity. Added to this is a white fencing suit and red shoes that match the tone of the “56” numerals – all apt and in line with Singapore’s national colours, which are white and red are Singapore’s colours.

The choice of the light yellow background though, that seems to have the texture of paper is a little uncommon, but strangely, it does work. That texture as well, contrasts nicely against the Garfield figure, which is glossy throughout.

Now who will this watch appeal to? Garfield lovers definitely, some proud Singaporeans and those who want to see the BIT complication telling the time with the hand(s) of a cartoon character – which is an Azimuth first. I know what you’re thinking, but the “AZIMUTH X GO ASTRO BOY GO!” doesn’t count since the hands go clockwise normally.

Sized at 42mm width and at 14.5mm thick inclusive of the dome crystal, this is a relatively large watch with a large presence. It comes on a padded red leather strap with orange underside (like Garfield) and features a commemorative engraving of Garfield on the solid case-back with the edition number, out of – what else? – 56 pieces total.

Coming in at SGD3200 it is available, if you’re in Singapore at authorised dealers Red Army Watches or WOW2, or from Azimuth (chrislong@azimuthwatch.com) directly, if you are outside Singapore.

Drawing inspiration from a bewildering variety of sources from vintage cars and robots to space exploration, Azimuth watches are designed and conceptualised in Singapore while the movements are customised and assembled in the brand’s workshop in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The use of modified ETA movements has enabled them to offer avant-garde designs at reasonably affordable prices. 

Amongst the brand’s most unusual timepieces is the Spaceship SP-1 Mechanique that was launched in 2007. It features a jumping hour disc, itself resembling a spacecraft, mounted on a large, sculpted minute hand.

The entire display traverses across the dial under a massive sapphire crystal dome, inspired by the profile of a spacecraft. The paradoxical combination of a digital and analog display in the watch has made it one of the brand’s most intriguing models.

Since then, the Spaceship has spawned numerous variants including one with an aventurine dial, which creates an impression of a starry sky. Subsequently, the brand introduced the Predator, incorporating a skeletonised ETA 6497 movement that further enhances the futuristic theme of the watch.

This was followed by the Predator 2.0 in 2019. It featured an enlarged, angular two-part case made up of an inner capsule and an outer chassis with lugs – essentially the Predator on steroids. Additionally, the plates and bridges of the Unitas movement are made of aluminum to keep the weight of the watch in check as well as offer several different coloured variants. 

This year, the brand has unveiled the 100-piece limited-edition Spaceship Predator Lava Overland that is distinguished by a bronze case paired with a hand-painted enamel dial, depicting a lava flow. 

Measuring 43mm in diameter, the case is made entirely out of CuSn8, or phosphor bronze, an alloy that is 92% copper and 8% tin. In contrast to aluminum-bronze alloys, phosphor bronze is slightly reddish in colour and develops verdigris over time as a result of oxidisation. 

Like the original Predator 2.0, the case has a complex two-part construction with a sloping profile. It is substantial in size and sits higher at 12 o’clock for easier viewing. It is predominantly polished but features perlage decoration on the top surface of the case.  

But the most striking aspect of the watch is the enamel dial that depicts flowing lava illuminating a dark landscape. Each dial is painted by hand, and as a result, no two dials are exactly alike. Given the complexity of the dial, the large hour numerals in the standard model have been replaced by circular lumed markers.  

At the heart of the watch is the ingenious jumping hour mechanism that is mounted on a massive minute hand. It relies on a uniquely designed spring that holds a 12-point star hour wheel in place. When the entire hand pasts 12, it interacts with a stud on the dial and flips the hour by one position. This is a simple yet clever and reliable solution to achieve an orbital jumping hour display. 

Powering the time display is the Unitas 6497, a robust, large-diameter movement originally conceived for pocket watches. Referred to as “Lepine”, the 6497’s small seconds is directly opposite the crown which thus allows the watch to retain a small-seconds at six o’clock while the crown is positioned at 12. Its large diameter lends itself to a high-torque mainspring, making it an ideal canvas for such a complication.  

To complement the earthy tone of the watch, the movement plates and bridges have been bead-blasted to create a smooth, finely grained surface and finished in a bronze colour.  

This new “AZIMUTH X GO ASTRO BOY GO!” is a watch by Azimuth in collaboration with the famous manga character whose raison d’être is to save the earth. With Azimuth being the brand famous for the iconic Mr Roboto, a watch inspired by toy robots from the 1950’s, I’d say that there is enough street cred here to make the collaboration work.The watch is simple enough – it’s sized at 42mm with a black PVD case carrying an automatic ETA movement. Astro Boy decorates the dial, standing sideways and wearing a cheeky smile, with his arms helpfully serving as hour and minute hands to tell the time. Furthermore, the dial has a charcoal-coloured fumé effect and Astro Boy himself coated with a layer of luminous paint, which means that he glows in the dark!Round the back, we find the text “Go Astro Boy Go!” which is the name of the TV program that the character stars in, as well as the limitation number, out of 50 pieces.The watch was created for Thailand, although the interest for it has spread far and wide. According to Azimuth, enquiries for the piece have come from many countries in Asia, including some further afield where the cartoon was shown. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and to this end, the number of pieces that are available as of press time has dwindled rapidly. Best to contact Azimuth directly if you’re interested in getting one.The watch comes with a limited-edition Astro Boy figurine, which is a nice touch. Something similar was done with Mr Roboto, with a little robot figurine coming in the box as well.

If you’re not familiar with Astro Boy, here is a brief summary from the press release:

Astro Boy ( also known as Mighty Atom) is a science fiction character created by the godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka during the 1950s. Set in a futuristic world where humans and robots coexist, it is a powerful android created by the head of the Ministry of Science Dr. Tenma to replace his son Toby, who died in a car accident. The scientist gave Astro Boy superpowers – the ability to fly, bionic eyes and ears, a high IQ, fingers equipped with lasers and limbs that fire rockets. More than just an Android, Astro Boy has a soul and displays human emotion.

However, it did not take long for Dr. Tenma to realize that Astro Boy could not replace the feelings he had for his lost son, and decided to sell him to Hamegg, a selfish robot circus owner. Fortunately, Astro Boy was rescued by Professor Ochanomizu, who became the surrogate father of Astro Boy.

Professor Ochanomizu subsequently created a robotic family for Astro Boy and helped him live a normal life like an average human boy, while accompanying him on his heroic adventures.

Or you can watch this, which is also fun:

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This is why we see faces in random patterns and attribute human characteristics to the objects that we see them on. It is also a reason why when a face appears on a watch, our relationship to it changes.

I know this because my Azimuth Mr Roboto is not just a watch that tells me the time, it is also a friend that I have imaginary conversations with. Why?

A watch with a face can seem to stare back when you look at it, and it is easy to anthropomorphize it by giving it a name, a personality and even, whether jokingly or not, by speaking to it.

So it got me wondering if there were other watches that were similar to Mr Roboto in this regard. Intuitively of course, one might look to the many Skull type watches that exist, but I wanted to find watches that went the extra mile, watches that go beyond just sticking a picture, whether fancily made or not, on what is for all intents and purposes, a standard watch. As a result here are my criteria.

1. The watch in question must not just have a picture of a face on the dial.
   2. That the case is obviously the head.
   3. That the elements of the “face” are part of the time-telling function – (read: no hour and minute hands sprouting from the centre of the dial.)

This means that something like the Fiona Kruger Skull fulfils the first and second criteria but not the third. Also, it goes without saying that all the watches on this list should be mechanical.

It was quite difficult to narrow it down, but here is a short list of watches that fulfil the criteria. Choose one of these and you’ll have a friend who will tell you the time and even maybe talk to you when you need some company.

1. Konstantin Chaykin Joker

The Joker from Konstantin Chaykin has to be the most emotive watch on this list, and that comes not just from the way the eyes look independently in all directions – depending on the time, but the details that give it a playfulness. This is the brand’s most memorable and shall I daresay – iconic – watch, and it comes from the unique vision of Konstantin Chaykin himself, who has managed to come up with a collection of watches, apart from this one, that all have something special about them. The version shown here, is a unique piece, nicknamed, “The Mime”, and all monochromatic themed version that was made for Singaporean collector @watchinery. Other variations with interesting themes are also available as seen below.

The complication is achieved by adding an 8 jewelled module on top of the ETA 2824-2, dividing out the hours (left) and minutes (right) to each eye, and then adding an additional crown at the 9-o’clock position with recessed corrector for correcting the moon-phase display that is shown by the tongue as it moves across the mouth.

It is easy to tell the time with this watch, and it is probably also the easiest to react emotionally to it, since the way that the eyes move can make the Joker’s face look crazy, calm or serene at different times.

As proof of how unique the vision of Konstantin Chaykin is, look no further than the watch he made for Only Watch 2019, the Joker Selfie, which is essentially a self-portrait of the namesake watchmaker. Look for the distinctive beard and eyebrows that decorate this piece, and also a very unique additional complication hidden in the left eye which wears a watchmaker’s loupe. When worn on the wrist and flipped up towards the wearer to read the time, the hidden secret hour is revealed.

Find out more at www.konstantin-chaykin.com

2. Azimuth Mr Roboto

The Azimuth Mr Roboto, compared to the aforementioned Konstantin Chaykin Joker, has a more stoic appearance, and that’s on account of the indications that do not seem to move as much. It’s a robot after all- what do you expect?

In Mr Roboto, the robot eyes contain rotating discs that display the current hour (left) and the dual time zone (right). Retrograde minutes are handled by the robot’s mouth, while seconds (to mainly indicate that the watch is running) are shown by the rotating red triangle which is the robot’s nose. This is a watch that is potentially useful for travellers since you can independently change your second time zone as you would any dual timezone watch.

This watch was inspired by 1950’s lantern robots from Japan and it shows – even the crown is a large key that one can imagine winding up your lantern robot with, as you would do with this watch.

The main criticism that came with this watch was that the time was a little difficult to read, given that the hour indication in the eye was too small. That was what prompted the release of the second version, Roboto 2, which had a bigger case with bigger eyes and a bigger mouth. It does solve the readability issues of the first version, and it makes the robot have a different look. There are fans for either, but my preference is for the first version, since I don’t really wear Mr Roboto to tell the time.

Find out more at www.azimuthwatch.com

3. CLVII Skull Watch

Now this is a watch that is relatively affordable, offering a design that fulfils my criteria and has a great wrist presence to boot. Offered by high-end French street wear brand, CLVII, it uses its distinctive logo as the face of the watch – a skull wearing sunglasses. Interestingly the brand name – CLVII – are Roman numerals for the the number “157”, the number of the shop on 157 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris that founder Julien Léonard, established the brand in June 2007.

Don’t go running there however if you want to visit though, as the store has since relocated to 93 rue de la Verriere in Paris.

The CLVII Skull watch is a distinctive watch for sure, and though it stands tall at 18.5mm thick, the articulating lugs on the case help to make its 51mm length manageable on small wrists.

The time is told with rotating discs in the aperture of the skull’s forehead, that tell hour and minute as referenced by the red triangle. Running seconds are also included to indicate that the watch is running.

To keep the price manageable, the CLVII Skull runs an automatic Seiko movement, that just proves that inventive horology can come from a simple movement if the concept is done right.

Buying the CLVII Skull Watch is also a treat when one looks at the packaging, which is basically a black plastic skull from which you can retrieve your watch. They even give you a nice CLVII cap for you to wear to complete the look with the watch on your wrist.

The watch is available online at the CLVII website, or from our friends at Watch Wonderland (https://wonderland.watch/) in Singapore.

Find out more at Time in France

4. Kopf Concept Skull Watch 

In my research to find watches that fit my criteria, I came across this one that seems to look a bit of both a robot and a skull.

The Kopf Concept Skull Watch is an interesting looking one for sure and it comes from the mind of master watchmaker and vintage watch restorer, German Polosin, who operates out of Bristol in the UK, and Moscow in Russia.

Similar in concept to the Konstantin Chaykin Joker, the eyes show the hours and minutes in such a way that readability is not compromised. Even at night, the time is easy to read since the dial and hand pointers are lined with self illuminating tritium tubes. Aside from that it’s the case design that makes the Kopf Concept so intriguing. The articulation in the case comes at the jaw of the skull, making wearing on the wrist easier. This portion also hides the crown in and among the teeth.

Only 100 pieces of the Kopf watch will be made and each will have to be pre-ordered. This allows owners to select the materials from which the case will be made (18K gold is offered as well), as well as the serial number, and engraving for initials.

The Kopf Concept Skull can only be ordered from Polosin via the website at what is frankly a reasonable price of 4560 GBP for 2020, with the price rising to 5400 GBP in 2021.

Find out more or order one at http://kopf.watch/

5. MB&F Jewelry Machine

The Jewelry Machine is a watch that I’ve seen in person only once, and it was an experience to remember since it is even more impressive in the hand than in the pictures that you see here.

There are two versions available but the one I saw, the Jewelry Machine Purple is a mesmerising exercise in high jewelry, courtesy of a collaboration between MB&F and famed jeweller Boucheron.

What’s really surprising about this watch is when you consider how thoroughly transformed the Horological Machine No.3 or HM3, the underlying chassis of this watch, was.

Now I know that this watch is unlike the others in this list so far, that have a humanoid face. Even though this watch is an owl instead, it still does have a face and it still does look at you, and it goes one better by having the case as the entire body of the owl, instead of just the head.

Why an owl then? Well, aside from the obvious symbolism and its distinctive looks, the practical reason must be because of its big eyes, that proportionally allow the time telling cones of the HM3 to work aesthetically. With the hours and day/night indicator on one cone and the minutes on the other, telling the time is not an issue with this watch. Although you probably won’t be buying it for this reason.

Two new versions of Azimuth’s Back-in-Time, with its signature complications of hands going backwards to tell the time, now with bronze cases and with environmentally conscious dial treatments.

A note on the complication

I’ve covered Azimuth’s signature complication of the Back in Time watches before, and if you’re unaware of what that’s about, it’s useful to get a sense of it to understand before proceeding. Have a look at the link below.

Azimuth Back in Time – An explanation of a signature complication

Saving the Earth

So what do we have with these two latest watches of the Back in Time collection?

Well, as the name suggests, they have been created to inspire awareness towards treating the environment better. Such a perspective definitely makes sense in our current era, with wild-fires burning, global temperatures going out of whack, and the general sense that we are running out of time to put things back in order.

In that context, the Back in Time complication in these watches, certainly makes sense. As I alluded to in my previous article, it is the fact of the time going anti-clockwise that provokes thoughts on our relationship with time, and in terms of the environment, all the efforts that are ramping up globally are in service of making things return to the way they were before.

The watches

There are a few main things to note about the Back-in-Time Earth Vision – Save the 1’ Limited Edition watches.

The first is that bronze is the case material that they come in. Certainly, while bronze can now be considered a “mainstream” option as a case material, having exploded in popularity over the past few years, in the context of the Earth Vision watches, it does have particular resonance,

Bronze is an alloy that dates to 3500 BC and was instrumental in the advancement of human civilisation. Yet it also reacts to its environment, developing an ever changing patina.

The Earth Vision watches marks the second time that Azimuth has used bronze as a case material, and the choice of using it contrasts well with the first watch that was in bronze. That was a limited edition version of their iconic Mr Roboto that was launched last year. In that context, with bronze and the design of Mr Roboto, the feel was an extreme steampunk.

With the Earth Vision watches however, is it the changing property of the aesthetics of the bronze through patination over time, that resonates well with the message of the watches.

The second thing to note is that there are two watches that each have their own dial colours, with the blue named “Save The 1 – Ocean Blue”, and the green named “Save The 1 – Rainforest”. Both have dials that have evoke the ripple patterns inspired by the dynamic movements of nature, evoking the gentle waves of the ocean and rustling of leaves.

Certainly the treatments are attractive, with the dials both machine stamped before being painted with a graduated “fumée” effect. After this there are then lacquered to ensure a summery gloss finish.

As an artistic statement on the pressing environmental issues of our time, they certainly work, or if not, as the level of a different offering for Azimuth’s relatively unique backwards time complication, they are something different to consider.

Find out more at azimuthwatch.com

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One of the other watches that I have known about and that has always captured my attention was the “Back in Time” or “BIT” for short. First launched in 2009, its signature complication is that it displays the passage of time going backwards, with the hand (or hands) running anti-clockwise on the dial as opposed to the normal clockwise direction. Azimuth made single and two handed versions of the BIT when it was first launched. 

These watches work very much as you’d expect from the name, in that the time indication goes anti clockwise to tell the time. Now, one would wonder why anyone would do this, and it turns out that there are quite a few interesting things to be said about it which I will explore later. 

Now, such a complication is achieved in a relatively simple way, and the easiest way to imagine it is to have one additional gear in between the drive-train and the hands. By the very nature of how gears work, this basically reverses the motion of the hands to achieve the complication. Of course, that’s just the theoretical basis of how it is achieved. The nuts and bolts of making it work however, are a little more involved than that, and require an additional series of gears instead of just one. Overall however, the process is relatively straightforward from a watchmaking perspective. 

One could imagine, after realising this, that such a complication, of a backwards time indication, would be an idea that has been seen in the watch industry many times. It turns out that this is not true at all.

Some examples of the same complication

The first known I was able to find is the “Goofy Helbros” Original Issue Backwards watch from 1972.In fact, this was the watch that inspired Azimuth founder, Christoper Long, to want to create a version of it as well, differing from this watch by creating a single hand version as well, which together with a two hand version, came out in 2009.  

More recently, in 2019, Franck Muller introduced the Cintrée Curvex Remember which has essentially the same type of complication. Given that this is a brand that gave us the exceptional Crazy Hours, which plays with the notion of a unique time display already, this watch, albeit at a higher level of price and prestige than what was already available with Azimuth, made sense. 

Of course, this short list only includes watches that are mechanical, and does not include the many quartz based ones that are available right now by doing a simple Google search. 

Left-handedness and the poetry of time – or what does it mean? 

The Back In Time watches beg the question, what is this complication for? Certainly, it can be quite puzzling to have a watch like this, that deliberately makes it difficult to read the time, since most of us are used to reading hands that go in a clockwise direction. 

Yet could it be so? 

In researching this complication, a friend of mine told me something that I did not realise, and that is because I am part of the dominant majority, in that I am right-handed. 

The moment she saw the Back in Time watches, she recalled a situation when she was younger when her mother brought her to a shop selling items that were designed for left-handers. One of the items that the shop sold was a clock that basically does the same thing as the Back in Time complication in that the hands move backwards. I asked her why a clock like that would exist, and she had no definitive answer, but stated that this type of clock was intuitively easy for her to read. When I probed further, she asked me to draw a circle, and to note if I did it in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Turns out that I did it clockwise, as did many of the right-handers that I tested. 

It seems then that the world as we know it has been created with right-handed people in mind, and left-handers who view the world in a different way, have had to retrain themselves to fit in. It’s an interesting thing to realise, and for the Back In Time watches might perhaps be a useful tool for left-handers to have, allowing their dominant sides to come out once in a while. 

Of course, leaving left-handers aside, the more obvious attraction about the Back in Time watches, is how it plays with the notion of time. There is something poetic about considering time in a different way. 

Think for example of some of the old quartz based backwards watches I’ve seen before, show a picture of Chairman Mao on the dial, subtly indicating that communist China is a society going backwards. This is certainly not a sentiment that applies today, but the idea is interesting nonetheless.

Not only that, these watches also play into the notion of turning back the clock, of having a second chance to do something again, like how in the Christopher Reeve version of Superman in the movie “Superman 2”, when he flew against the earth’s rotation at such high speed that time went backwards, so that he could save Lois Lane from dying.

Back in Time Variations

There have been quite a few variations of the Back in Time over the years, which I have attempted to show in this article, both in single and two hand versions. One notable example is the one with the Singapore flag on the dial, with the flag’s crescent moon moving backwards to tell the time. 

My favourite though and the one that I feel really captures the essence of the Back in Time collection is this particular pilot model seen here, in which it is basically  a pilots watch turned on its head. 

Why is this interesting? Well, if you held this watch up to a mirror, you can read the time in the mirror image as you would a normal watch. The effect is quite surreal, and the fact that the Azimuth logo and Arabic numerals are also printed backwards completes it. Even the position of the crown appears like how a normal watch would in the mirror.  

What do you think? Is this a complication that deserves more appreciation? 

Find out more at azimuthwatch.com