The Inverter is a kickstarted, sub-$500, 34mm automatic mechanical watch built around Citizen’s Miyota Calibre 9000 movement, augmented with a custom module that makes the watch run backwards, so that it can be mounted so that the movement is exposed (beneath a sapphire crystal), with the back of the watch becoming its “face.”
It’s the kind of high-end novelty watch that normally sells as a super-luxe item for $20K and the team behind it, the folks from Watchismo (previously) have a long track record of building excellent timepieces (and fulfilling previous wristwatch crowdfunders).
This is a beautiful precision machine produced for no reason apart from the sheer aesthetic joy of exposing a complex and ingenious mechanism, and while $500 is a steep price for ornamentation, producing a watch to this spec at that price is actually a rather magnificent achievement.
The watch has lots of nice gracenotes, like an easily-swapped band, 3ATM of water-resistance, a selection of colors and a super luminous dial. Watches ship in November.
My grandfather was a watchmaker and I grew up playing with his movements, tools and workbench. Exposed movements are among my most favorite aesthetics, and I could watch them for hours.
The Invertor | A $20K Inverted Automatic Design Under $500 [Xeric/Kickstarter]