Originally a micro mechanical engineer, Romain Gauthier came to watchmaking by passion and founded his namesake brand in 2005, impressing collectors with the impeccable hand finish of his watches and even receiving plaudits by none other than Philippe Dufour himself.

The HMS, launched in 2012, draws its inspiration from Gauthier’s original watch but opens the lower part of the dial to reveal the balance wheel and seconds gear in a glorious succession of circles and arches. In fact, the name of the watch HMS indicates the watches functions: Hours, Minutes and Seconds.

The caliber beating inside is Romain Gauthier’s first in-house movement, Calibre HMS 2206, with an incredible degree of hand decoration including hand-polished bevels, interior and outward angles, black polishing, hand-polished jewel countersinks and of course Geneva waves. The movement has been ruthenium coated giving it an even more contemporary appearance.

The HMS features another Gauthier signature: a crown that is set on the back of the case.

In almost unworn condition, the present watch comes with its full set of accessories.