A watchmaker, designer and philosopher, Daniel Strom has constantly questioned the past to enlighten the future. Considering time not as a simple measurement, but as a vital energy, he infuses his creations with a symbolic dimension, consistently highlighting the human condition faced with the eternal nature of life.
With the new Nethuns diver’s watch, named after Neptune, the Etruscan god of the sea, Daniel Strom takes us on a voyage to 20,000 leagues beneath the sea, or rather a depth of 200 metres. On this occasion, the philosopher-watchmaker is welcoming horological complications into its Agonium collection, of which Nethuns is the 5th opus.
The flying tourbillon housed in its titanium carriage at 6 o’clock appears to be literally floating on air, released from the effects of gravity… even when diving to 200 metres! A delightfully offbeat way of recalling the vanity of our existence, viewed as merely a passage before the start of a new cycle. Its fleeting nature makes life even more precious, as reflected in the imposing pink gold case of this fantastic dream-travelling machine.
The jeweller’s hand conjures up the retro-futuristic world of Jules Verne, complete with rivets, bolts, and even a submarine hatch door wheel at 9 o’clock to adjust the inner diving scale, complete with an ingenious device preventing any accidental handling. Or how to plunge to the heart of myths and legends backed by all the security one would expect from a Swiss haute horlogerie creation.
Nethuns II like every watch in the collection Agonium, comprises two cases. The robust and hermetic inner case houses the movement. The outer case brings the artistic dimension and gives free rein to the sculptor’s talent. Each one is fashioned by hand, never two the same, with limited editions in each alloy. A sculpture first. A timepiece second.