Krayon Anywhere: A Personal Ephemeris for the Wrist

In 2017, Krayon made a notable foray into watchmaking, through its opera prima, the Everywhere, the only watch that could show, at the wearer’s request, the sunrise and sunset times regardless of the wearer’s location on Earth.

This 2020, Krayon returns with a new creation, Anywhere, a new, nifty interpretation of the astronomical concept of the Everywhere with the degree of creativity, quality and finishing that is expected and demanded in the world of the highest watchmaking.

Anywhere shows the ephemeris, more precisely the time of sunrise and sunset, at any point on the globe chosen by its bearer. It can be the location of the user at that precise moment, the place of birth, or wherever he wants, so it can be… “anywhere”.

Krayon’s Anywhere shows the hours and minutes with dedicated central hands. This is surrounded by a ring area on which a small sun circulates in perpetual motion, indicating the time in 24 hours. The ring zone has two sectors: the day (light blue) and the night (dark blue). The respective lengths of the sectors change constantly, indicating by their position the times of sunrise and sunset which can be read on the fixed indicator ring.

The length of each day is linked to the latitude—the 0 to 90 degree angle from the equator to the poles. The North-South position determines the length of the day, which is equal to the night at the equator and gradually expands or contracts toward the poles. To integrate this geographical factor, Krayon devised a mechanical positioning system consisting of a rake and a rocker with an adjustment-by-screws system in the centre. On each side of the recorder, two screws make it easy to adjust the desired latitude and its effect on the duration of the day- and night-time. This smart and essential feature is visible through the sapphire caseback at around the 6 o’clock position.

The Anywhere becomes alive thanks to its 432-part C.030 manual-wind caliber designed in the tradition of classical movements. Its barrel is coupled with an elegant ratchet click. The shape of the bridges is particularly decorated, made of solid and fine engraving and bevelling. The numerous handcrafted inner and outer angles seem nicely finished, just as you would find in any high-end watch. This movement, designed and built entirely by Krayon’s founder, Remi Maillat, has an 86-hour power reserve. Despite the relative complexity of the movement and its displays, the mechanism is remarkably slim, at only 5 mm thick. In total, the height of the Anywhere is just 9 millimeters.

The Anywhere watch can be found in two interpretations: white gold with blue as the dominant dial color, and 18K pink gold with creamy white as the main tone. The shape of the 39mm diameter case is highlighted by a rim along the bottom of the bezel and on the caseback. The recess created in this way further underlines the slimness of the case.

It is all-too-clear that Remi Maillat’s horological ambition is a very special one, for his watches make use of the broadest yet most inspiring guiding principle of watchmaking: the movement of the stars. Krayons indicate time in a different way, from a more universal and, one could even say, romantic perspective, since the straightforward concept of this timepieces is led by the cycle of day and night, framed by specific moments such as sunrise, the sun transit and sunset.

That eagerness and his mathematical expertise led Maillat to experiment and discover new methods to make his horological dream come true. At the beginning of last year, I had the opportunity to talk to Remi in Geneva about what his motivation was for creating pieces like the Everywhere, at that time, and today the Anywhere. Maillat summarized then the essence of his watches: “Nature must always be the most important inspiration. When the sun rises or sets is the vital moment of every day. These are the instants that have always marked the natural life of plants and animals, and that of human beings since their appearance on Earth —Maillat told me at the time—. When nature wakes up at dawn, this is the time when the animals and people do, act and perform. These are the moments that connect us to Earth”.