If you are looking for a brilliant timepiece that also serves as a luxury toy, fun, and exquisite, then look no further than the Christophe Claret Poker Watch. On the wrist gaming allowing a full game of Texas Hold'em, and the ability to still keep time, a mechanical complication that brings Swiss craftsmanship to the third piece within the collection. Intended to be the original in the series, the timepiece was much more of a technical challenge than thought and therefore the Blackjack 21 took the first release.
Now in 2014 comes the much awaited timepiece that will definitely make folks ante up. The 45mm horological dream is featured in PVD black coated titanium with blue accents. The hands are magnificently edged with blue spinel, and set in a modern design case, far from the classic designs that the brand creator tends to normally craft.
The Christophe Claret Poker Watch is built for luxury wrist gaming, and the movement inside the piece allows for up to three players. The in-house movement PCK05 is an automatic movement that is manufactured with 655 parts, 72 jewels, an entire collection of ball bearings, and the mechanism operates at a modern frequency of 28,800 bph while maintaining a power reserve of 72 hours. The movement is designed to work like two separate machines, one for timekeeping and one for gaming.
The mechanism developed strategically in house is almost completely free from the classic levers and springs, it is designed to be controlled by gears, in this case a very highly crafted set, nicknamed “the Brain”. The highly durable mechnism allows for adjustments backward and forward, and is comprised of 382 components, with 51 jewels. This masterpiece design is art in its finest form.
The gaming side of the mechanism is powered by pressing the pushers, which translates to no drain on the mainspring barrel. The timepiece also features the signature brand cathedral-style gong that sounds the gong each time one of the pushers is pressed. The totally impressive design of the timepiece has rotating louvers that act as a privacy screen for each player, protecting their cards from others view. Just like having three players sitting around a table, each with their own hand, and no visibility to anyone else.
In a regular game of poker you have approximately 32,768 possible hand combinations if you are playing a single deck, and with the Christophe Claret Poker Watch developed for three players, you have a total of 98,304 possible combinations. In the center part of the dial, there are five cards, visible to everyone and two private cards for each player. Not all five cards are displayed at once, you have three cards called the flop, then players are allowed to bet, and then one more card is displayed, referred to as the turn, and another round of betting, then the last card is revealed, the river card, and then the best hand wins.
Amazingly the movement of this timepiece has been designed to adhere to these rules, and set so that the first three cards are displayed on the left, and then the other two will be displayed with the press of the pusher. Brilliant design, clever patents on the mechanisms, and overall creative implementation for the piece collection that makes it not only a collectible, but an exciting timepiece for anyone to own. There are three limited edition versions planned, each limited to only 20 pieces, that includes 20 pieces in red gold and PVD black titanium, 20 pieces in PVD black titanium, and 20 pieces in 18k white gold and titanium.