The Keris MECA01 and Winding PUSH allow watch lovers to immerse themselves in horological mechanisms

Zach Blass

If watch geeks did not want to stare at the movement inside of a watch every chance they get, watch brands would not be making timepieces with exhibition casebacks. Of course, watch collectors and enthusiasts are drawn into the mechanical cities of gears that drives their watches, and part of the wonder is how all of the watchmakers around the world can engineer, decorate, and assemble such tiny engines. But if you want to appreciate a mechanical movement on a larger scale, this is where Keris comes in.

Presumably, many of you reading this have gone to a brand event or exhibition and seen an enlarged scale version of one of the brand’s latest calibres, allowing you further to immerse yourself in the world of the movement. And I bet many of you saw such mechanical sculptures and wished you could buy one for yourself. Swiss firm Keris has worked with brands to create these enlarged movements, but now it has developed new lines of functioning “Mechanical Wonders” that are available to the public to buy. You have the Mechanisms range, and the Focus range – each with different objectives.

Mechanisms: The MECA01

The MECA01 is a complete, manually-wound movement with a full gear train, escapement, and barrel with a mainspring that stores the potential energy generated by winding it. It is comprised of 86 components, with openworked bridges to reveal the full mechanism. After all, the entire point of this artwork is to have the mechanism of the movement on full display – it wouldn’t make much sense if the movement was entirely or largely covered on one side.

The aluminium surfaces of the bridges are executed with a sandblasted, bead-blasted, brushed and anodised finishes for a more modern feel; however, the edges do present a sense of bevelling to elevate the look further. Also in the mix are nickel-plated brass gears and polished stainless steel for components like the openworked barrel and the large mainspring within it. For a sense of scale, the MECA01 is approximately 16 times larger than a movement found within a watch.

Focus: The Winding PUSH

The Focus segment does exactly what its name suggests, honing in on a single element with a movement mechanism for greater focus on the particular element. In the case of the Winding PUSH, the functional sculpture showcases how a self-winding mechanism works.

With your hand, you can push the openworked oscillating mass to begin the demonstration of how a watch would automatically wind itself due to the movement of the rotor. This mechanism, though crucial to the experience of our daily-wearer watches, can often be overlooked, and is often the mechanism, over time, that, due to the continued stress placed on it, is serviced during an overhaul. It has the same sense of scale as the MECA01, and it also utilises similar materials and decorations. But, being a focus on a singular element, it is less expensive than the complete movement sculpture offered with the MECA01.

Closing thoughts

It can be a bit tricky when trying to explain the wonders of a mechanical movement to friends or family yet to be infected with “the sickness” by pointing your finger at a small window of glass exhibiting components measured in microns and millimetres. With Keris’ functional, artistic Mechanical Wonders, the brand is offering watch enthusiasts around the world a means of bringing artwork into a space, whether a home, office, or store, that allows us all to highlight our passion for watches. Whether an educational tool or a sculpture to bring the artistry of horology into a space at a larger scale, Keris is fulfilling a longstanding wish of watch geeks to be able to have supersized timepiece mechanisms for our own personal enjoyment.

With the MECA01 pricing being equal to an entry-luxury mechanical watch, it is certainly not an inexpensive investment. However, the quality of the sculpture, its functionality and its attention to detail fabrication, when seen in person, makes it very clear you are paying for something that is very well made. And, ultimately, the Focus range and its singular focus on an element such as the winding mechanism offer a more affordable option that is equal in the awe it provides.

Keris MECA01 & Winding PUSH pricing and availability

The Keris MECA01 and Winding PUSH are both available now for purchase from the Time+Tide shop. Price: CHF 1,200 (Winding PUSH, incl. duties and taxes), CHF 3,135 (MECA01, incl. duties and taxes)