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The wandering hour is one of those complications watch nerds love to explain but unfortunately, almost none of us actually own. Dreamed up in the 17th century so Pope Alexander VII could read the time from bed without having to squint at a watch dial, it has spent the centuries since living almost exclusively in haute horlogerie territory.
In fact, if you’ve ever even considered one, you’d have to spend five figures (and up). Leave it to CIGA design, the Shenzhen outfit that beat the Swiss at the 2021 GPHG, to crash that particular party with the new Time Cipher Gold.
A Complication That Does Laps
Instead of your conventional watch hands, this timepiece has been outfitted with a skeletonized gold arm that sweeps the dial, pointing out the minutes along the outer scale. Riding on that arm is a gear-shaped hour disc that rotates as it orbits, which means the current hour always sits aligned with a fixed marker.
And the whole DLC-coated assembly is finished like something far pricier, with Côtes de Genève across the arm, a polished rim on the openworked disc, a micro-sandblasted counterweight, and Super-LumiNova numerals for after dark.
The Void Underneath
All that golden hardware floats above a Super Black dial that absorbs an impressive 99.4% of the light that hits it. That means no reflections, and no texture. You’re just staring at a flat void that makes the mechanism look suspended in mid-air. Think of it like jewelry in a blacked-out display case.
Thin Where It Counts
The mirror-polished steel case measures 44mm across but just 11.8mm thick, with a lugless profile that flows straight into its fluororubber strap. Micro-sandblasted capsule recesses at the four cardinal points break up the gloss, to round out the affair.
Inside sits CIGA’s Caliber CD-08, an automatic built on a proven Miyota 9000-series base with 40 hours of reserve, all visible through the exhibition caseback.
Spec Sheet
Model: Time Cipher Gold
Case Size: 44mm (48.0 x 40.8mm)
Case Thickness: 11.8mm
Case Material: 316L stainless steel, mirror-polished + micro-sandblasted
Movement: CIGA design Caliber CD-08 automatic (Miyota 9000-series base)
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Water Resistance: 5 ATM
Crystal: Domed sapphire
Strap: Fluororubber with hidden push-button clasp
Lume: Swiss Super-LumiNova
Price: $899
Pricing & Availability
The Time Cipher Gold is available now, priced at $899 (€949 across the pond). Head over to CIGA design’s website to check it out for yourself.
Recap
CIGA design Time Cipher Gold
CIGA design sets its gold-dipped wandering hour assembly against a light-swallowing Super Black dial, bringing a five-figure complication down to $899.
