Is it really necessary to present Kari Voutilainen ? One of the most talented living watchmakers, he has not only garnered a cult following amongst collectors of independent watchmaking but is also superstar amongst the watch collectors of today.

His movements, cases and sublime guilloché dials are all made inhouse, his signature being complex mechanisms with superlative handmade finishing. Every component in his watches, from the bridges to the tiniest of screws, involves manual labor, may it be adjusted tolerances, polishing, angling and so on.

The present 217QRS uses Voutilainen’s ground-breaking caliber Vingt-8 that features a complex direct impulse escapement enabling a more constant distribution of energy. Furthermore, the extra-large balance allows fine regulation of the watch using a rare balance spring system with the exterior of the spring using a Breguet overcoil, while the internal curve uses the little-known Grossmann curve.

The movement features a retrograde date indication fully integrated in the movement. the date - when changing from 31 to 1 does not simply jump to 1 but very elegantly "glides" back in a motion that takes close to 2 seconds - a feat that took Voutilainen quite some time to develop and perfect. The date can be set via a simple push of the crown

The movement can be unabashedly described as a work of art for which every shape has been carefully thought out and executed, and every individual component has been painstakingly hand finished in Voutilainen’s ateliers in Môtiers, Switzerland.

The 217QRS also features a dark blue lavishly guilloché dial set in a platinum case with downturned facetted lugs (that differ to the habitual tear drop lugs used by Voutilainen).

This model was produced in a limited edition of 10 pieces in platinum like the present example numbered 8/10, 10 pieces in white gold and 10 pieces in pink gold.