With the Insight Micro-Rotor, Romain Gauthier puts his own stamp on the self-winder

by James Buttery

Following up the Logical One is no mean feat. With that watch Romain Gauthier challenged entrenched perceptions over use of materials ? its ruby-link chain is still one of the most astonishing sights in horology ? and went on to win the Grand Prix d?Horlogerie de Geneve for Best Complication in 2013.

By comparison, the 39.5mm Insight Micro-Rotor is a far simpler concept; an automatic ? Gauthier?s first ? with small seconds. But thankfully Gauthier?s ingenuity is as evident as ever. Bulk and an obstructed view of the movement would never pass muster with the Le Sentier-based watchmaker, who wisely opted for a micro-rotor before revisiting the concept entirely with an entirely new movement, only the third in the company?s 12 year history. Instead of mounting the bidirectional micro-rotor from a single side using a conventional ball-bearing arrangement, Gauthier placed his dense 22k gold rotor between two bridges, pivoting in jewelled bearings. The ruby bearings make for entirely silent, and much more fluid, rotation that can be seen on both the dial side and caseback.

The efficient rotation of the micro-rotor is needed to wind twin mainspring barrels that offer a power reserve of 80 hours. The barrels are connected in series to offer more consistent power delivery, and thus better timekeeping, throughout.
Gauthier has also brought his enamel dial, small seconds a...