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Attention, CODE41 breaks the codes of mechanical watchmaking! With the Mécascape, a new watchmaking era of creative freedom is beginning. Our opinion on this stroke of madness and genius from CODE41.
Discover CODE41’s Mecascape
This new mechanical object called Mecascapea contraction of “mechanical” and “landscape”, is a marvel of balance and harmony between the elements. It is a new path, a new understanding of the watch object with a completely visible mechanismplaced on a flat surface with an overall aesthetic whose complexity increases exponentially. CODE41 has broken the volumes and redefined the proportions.
This flat mechanical watch shakes up our certainties, questions us and seduces us, we have never seen anything like it. It’s all about levels of reading, reliefs, shadows and light. On its large surface, the watch object is transcended and takes on a new magic. Carved from Grade 5 titanium (the highest quality of titanium in watchmaking), the Mecascape offers a new architectural fusion of space, time and light.
The Mecascape: a new watch object
The singularity of the whole lies in the fact that CODE41 has achieved exactly the opposite of what is usually practiced in the world of watches and watchmaking in general: the brand has, through the multitude of components, sought to highlight the volumes while stretching and refining the whole. Its relaxed, decomposed space offers a new vision of the mechanics that plays with volumes, while preserving harmony and natural balance. Its singularity, the innovation of its flat movement, and its operation have been technically redesigned in a completely different way. Freeing itself from shapes, scales, proportions… the Mecascape is thus the fruit of a new kind of creative work, where its mechanics are entirely put at the service of design of which time is only one element. With the creation of the Mecascape, CODE41 imagines a new form of mechanical object, which expresses and transcends the usual volumes. Let’s bet that if CODE41 is still successful, this first mechascape will become an icon for collectors!
Claudio D’Amore, founder of CODE41, gives us his vision of Mecascape: “My idea of Mecascape dates back to 2009, more than 12 years ago. Today, after founding CODE41, giving birth to 6 collections, and devoting 5 years of specific development to the project, the time has come, the maturity and the means also, to give birth to the first Mecascape. I knew, with the team, from the beginning that we were working on something truly special. An ambitious and daring project in every sense of the word. Translating my vision into a unique and original watch object was a real collective challenge, and we are all very proud of the result. Working with time from all angles (and it is indeed the case to say it here) has rarely been so rewarding.”
How would you describe Mecascape to you?
Conceived and designed according to the mathematical language based on the golden number 1.618 and the Fibonacci sequence, this first Mecascape is visually balanced and racy. With an architecture that strikes with its graphic strength and originality, its components, its form, its movement and its cladding respond to each other in a spirit of great apparent simplicity.
Thin, with a thickness of only 8mm, the mechanical object can easily slip into a jacket pocketso that you can keep it with you. Its horizontal format also allows you to place it on a piece of furniture or a desk, thus also offering the possibility of contemplating it and appreciating time in a different way.
If the mechanical magic with the balance wheel, the barrel, the escapement and all the cogs is visible very distinctly, reading the time remains extremely clear and easy. Main hour counter, minute counter, second counter, second time zone with a world map reproduction at the heart of the GMT disc to enrich its aesthetics, and power reserve indicator, the whole combines balance and good readability.
Two small knurled crowns on each side, subtly integrated into the profile, allow the time to be set and the mechanical winding of the Mecascape in a simple and pleasant way, a small push button placed on the side allows the date to be set. While the entire “landscape” of the Mecascape is protected by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, its solid Grade 5 titanium caseback protects it from possible twisting of the caseband and guarantees a solid structure, suitable for everyday life. With a small opening – porthole style – also in sapphire crystal, which also allows you to admire part of the plate as well as certain cogs of the movement, the solid caseback also allows the Mecascape to be placed vertically on a piece of furniture, a desk, thanks to its metal support provided for this purpose – or to be able to place it and lay it down naturally. Finally, the fruit of CODE41’s collaboration with the Cercle des Horlogers, an independent Swiss watch manufacturer located in the Canton of Neuchâtel (halfway between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds), the Mecascape has generated a number of extraordinary technical challenges to overcomestarting with its unprecedented dimensions, the complex calibration of the machines and its structural viability.
Technical details of Mecascape
Here are the technical specifications of this watchmaking UFO:
Functions : Hours – minutes – date – second time zone (GMT function), Power reserve indication
Material : Titanium Grade 5
Movement : Mechanical, hand-wound, Manufacture, 100% Swiss Made
Frequency : 28,800 alternations / hour
Number of components : 237, including 39 rubies
Power reserve : 8 days
Glass : Sapphire with 1800 Vickers anti-reflective coating
Back : Closed, in Grade 5 Titanium
Dimensions : 108 mm x 71 mm
Thickness : 8mm (7.9mm metal part and 8.1mm with the lenses)
Mecascape: a risky bet?
This is not the first time that Claudio d’Amore has broken the codes and gets the entire watchmaking community talking! When he launched the brand in 2016, many “experts” announced that it would be short-lived… a few years later, with 500,000 members in the CODE41 community and several millions in turnover at each launch, it is clear that these experts were wrong on all counts.
Same when CODE41 launched the X41 at over €5,000. We read many comments explaining that a young brand, even a Swiss one, would not be able to attract a large audience in this price range, which is being fought by the big names in watchmaking… result: hundreds of X41s sold and several million in turnover with this high-end model.
What about Mecascape? We’re willing to bet that Mecascape will once again be a huge success! It all comes together: a truly original watch, an ultra-motivated community, investors who increasingly see CODE41 as a safe bet for resale.
Pre-orders start on Wednesday, November 2, 2022!
It is today, Wednesday, November 2, 2022 that the Mecascape pre-orders!
This little gem is priced at €11,450 and there are only 133 copies left for sale at the time of writing.
You will find more information and can place your order on the CODE41 website.
We hope that this article on this small watchmaking revolution has interested you!
