News 
The Highlife collection with its trendy, pared-down style notably appeals to young urban pop fans. It is therefore hardly surprising that it’s the fruit of the partnership announced in June 2022 between the watch Maison and French producer-musician The Avener, who made a name for himself on the electro scene with his debut album. The result is two 39mm steel timepieces, designed by the artist and respectively produced in 432-piece limited series.
This number is no coincidence. In music, 432 is considered the perfect frequency, that of absolute harmony. On the dial, three hands and a date window at 6 o’clock keep time. Each watch bears the artist’s signature phrase “a tempo”, located just above the date window and referring to the resumption of the normal tempo after a faster or slower passage, expressed in BPM, or beats per minute.
The dial translates the oscillations found on studio monitors and seems to capture a few bars of a score. On the first timepiece, the oscillations run right through the blue dial on a black background. The Avener chose blue deliberately, as it is the colour of his first album, a global success driven by the single Fade Out Line.
The second timepiece is entirely black, from the DLC-coated case to the strap and date window. Only the hands and hour-markers stand out to beat time. On the dial, the raised and highlighted oscillations run concentrically from the centre – a nod to the Geneva-based Manufacture’s beloved sunburst finish.
Each timepiece comes with two easily interchangeable wristbands: the first featuring a steel or black rubber combo and the second with rubber or nubuck, both black.
December 14, 2023