Singer Reimagined x Genus 8-Track Watch for Only Watch

The 8-Track for Only Watch – the embodiment of childhood memories in a watch, for a charity initiative.

The Racer

The 8-Track is a fusion of ideas, passions, mechanics and two watch brands: a watch with a Singer aesthetic in a case inspired by the iconic watches of the 60s and 70s, with a deep connection to the world of motorsports; the perfect setting for the exceptional mechanics of the display complication invented by Genus.

The racer’s shape, the materials, colors, engravings – the 8-Track Watch is a meeting of minds between two brands, both iconoclasts in their own fields, both with a taste for and a natural attitude towards pushing the envelope beyond limits and conventions.

With its 43 mm diameter and cushion-shaped case, the elongated edges at 6 and 12 o’clock seem to magnify the case band, prolonging the arc of tension. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock. Mounted on a leather strap perforated like the glove of a racecar driver from another time, it truly is a racer’s watch!

Under the hood

The engine under the hood is the powerful Genus in-house caliber, a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an award-winning innovation. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting figure 8 trajectory: the symbol of infinity.

The passing of the racer from one indicator disc to the other – the subject of a Genus patent application – recreates laps around a figure 8 racetrack. The discs that advance the micro-racer echo the rims of a sports car while maintaining the technical and functional traits required by the watch complication.

Team Singer Reimagined x Genus

What could be more logical for a car restorer than to work with an engine builder? What could be more natural for an expert in advanced mechanics than to work with a designer? In the profusion of watchmaking partnerships, this one holds the pole position.

The engine

The quiet power of the GxS-23-Ru caliber. Faithful to the foundations of Genus’ watchmaking approach, it takes on a new form, as a micro-sculpted racer that zips around its track – yet another testament to the flexibility and versatility of this singular watchmaking brand.

Between the crystal and the movement, a miniature sculpted racer, only 6mm long, travels along a curvilinear path tracing a figure 8. As the racer progresses around the track, it indicates the tens of minutes. As for the hours, they are displayed on a black ceramic peripheric disk, with large Singer Reimagined design engraved numerals, treated with Super-LumiNova®, which move past the orange hour index at 6 o’clock.

At the center of the watch, no dial but a unique automotive display. In the background, the GxS-23-Ru caliber, whose components are designed and hand-worked by the Master Watchmaker. The finishes of the 390 components show the most meticulous care taken in their execution. It is the architecture of the GxS-23-Ru caliber itself that reveals the nature of the project. The freedom, flexibility, and openness it offers stem from its having been conceived in two parts. The first, which can be described as the foundational movement, groups the essential functions, including a single barrel. It ensures a power reserve of 50 hours, which is considerable given the complexity of the caliber and the masses in motion. The second, grafted on top of the first, contains the display complication module for managing the hour and the tens-of-minutes indications.

The engineering

Genus is driven by a desire to shake up the fundamentals of watchmaking, to amaze and surprise – to broaden the perspective of displaying time while respecting the values of tradition and craftsmanship in compliance with the high finishing standards of Swiss Haute Horlogerie.

Genus has originated a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an innovation never attempted before. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting trajectory of a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.

In 2017, Master Watchmaker Sébastien Billières, and entrepreneur Catherine Henry, took up the challenge and cofounded the Genus brand. For more than twenty years, Sébastien Billières had been collaborating with the greatest watchmaking Maisons, providing a wide range of services, particularly in the field of complication movements. As a certified Master Watchmaker, his long experience as a restorer, watchmaker, and even professor of watchmaking, combined with the entrepreneurial drive and experience of Catherine Henry, guarantees the legitimacy of Genus. Together, they develop refined architectural watches.

Genus unveiled its first model, the GNS1.2 WG, on the stage of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2019, where it was awarded the coveted Prix de l’Exception Mécanique. Since this spectacular world premiere, far from resting on these prestigious laurels, Genus has continued to push the boundaries of the display and redefine the telling of time.

The 8-Track Watch by Singer Reimagined and Genus speaks to the child in all of us. And it’s off to the races...!

The experience

To enhance the experience, the winning bidder for the 8-Track at Only Watch 2023 Auction will be invited to experience the thrill of speed in a restored Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer Vehicle Design, during the 2024 Client Drive Experience. The winning bidder will have the choice between two options:

Option 1: Goodwood Festival of Speed 20

• 2 invitations to the event and full access to Hospitality Singer Vehicle Design on site.
• Laps around the circuit as a passenger in a Porsche 911 restored and reimagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver.
• Access to the track day with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle. (Hotels and transfers not included)

or 

Option 2: Monterey Car Week 2024

• Access for 2 persons to The Quail.
• Passenger rides in a Porsche 911 restored and re-imagined by Singer. At the wheel will be an official Singer Vehicle Design driver.
• Access to the Track Day at Laguna Seca Raceway with the possibility of driving laps with your own vehicle. (Hotels and transfers not included)

The organizational details of the 8-Track Experience will be personally coordinated with the winning bidder for this one-off timepiece.

Technical specifications

Singer Reimagined x Genus 8-Track Watch for Only Watch

Reference: GxS-OW2023

Unique piece for Only Watch 2023

Case

• Material: Steel
• Diameter 43 mm
• Thickness: 15.46mm
• Crystal: Sapphire with double-sided antireflective coating
• Crown: Steel, position at 4 o’clock
• Water-resistant to approximately 30 meters (3 ATM)

Dial 

• Hours: Peripheral disc Tens-of-minutes / 1 free-moving element circulating between two rotating foci (patent pending), having a stylized race car silhouette, hand-sculpted of 18K gold
• Numerals & indicators: Super-LumiNova™

Movement

• GxS-23-Ru
• Manual winding, manufactured in the Genus workshops in Geneva
• Material Brass plate and bridges
• Number of parts 390
• Number of jewels 26
• Regulating organ Swiss anchor escapement, variable inertia balance. Divided into two parts: one for energy storage and transmission, the other for distribution and regulation.
• Frequency 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
• Power reserve Approximately 50 hours

Strap and buckle

• Smooth dark brown calf strap, perforated racecar driver style
• Fold-over 2-part clasp in steel

Estimate

• CHF 100'000 – 120'000
• USD 110'000 – 132'000
• EUR 103'000 – 123'600

For more information, please visit onlywatch.com