The present example is the result of an ambitious project conceived by German luxury brand Goldpfeil in the early 2000s. Seven members of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI), Sven Anderson, Martin Frei with Thomas and Felix Baumgarter, Vincent Calabrese, Vianney Halter, Frank Jutzi, Bernhard Lederer and Antoine Preziuso, were recruited to each produce a small series of unusual watches, along with a one-off piece for charity.

This particular watch is the brainchild of Vianney Halter, best known for being behind the landmark Antiqua and Harry Winston Opus 3. Halter’s imaginative creation was inspired by vintage rangefinder cameras (the consequence of Goldpfeil being a leathergoods maker). It was the most expensive of the seven watches, with a retail price of almost 65,000 Swiss francs in 2001 – necessitated by the tremendous amount of work in crafting each watch.

The front of the white gold case is covered with hundreds of micro dimples, each created by hand with a tiny hand hammer, intended to mimic the look of a leather wrap on antique cameras. The complex crown is modelled on a camera’s winding knob, while the unique white gold buckle for the strap takes its cues from the loading mechanism for film.

Halter also developed the automatic movement inside from scratch. Most notably, the moon phase is one of the most accurate ever installed in a wristwatch, deviating by a day in 139 years, compared to the 122 years of the typical moon phase in a high-end wristwatch.

The three sub-dials indicate the minutes (via the blue "Gold-Pfeil" arrow) and running seconds, jump hours in the window on the left corner, and a moon phase illustrated by stylized glyphs around the subdial. According to information released by Vianney Halter, the series consisted of 108 pieces, along with a piece unique that was bejeweled.