Krayon Anywhere

In the world of luxury watches, where innovation meets heritage and precision engineering dances with artistic flair, the Krayon Anywhere watch stands out as a masterpiece of watchmaking artistry. Unveiled in April 2024, this one-of-a-kind creation is the result of a unique collaboration between Krayon, a rising star in the watchmaking world, and Jean Todt, the legendary motorsport personality.

The Anywhere watch is more than just a timepiece; it's a transportive experience, a portal on the wrist that takes the wearer on a celestial journey. Its very essence is captured in the breathtaking miniature painting adorning the dial, a meticulous recreation of Vincent van Gogh’s iconic masterpiece, ‘The Starry Night’. The swirling blues, yellows, and whites of the painting evoke the mystery and awe of the night sky, drawing the viewer into a world of swirling stars and a crescent moon.



The 39mm case of the Anywhere watch is crafted from a solid block of 950 platinum, a precious metal prized for its silvery white sheen and resistance to corrosion. Platinum is not only incredibly dense but also surprisingly soft and malleable. This combination of characteristics makes it both a formidable and a beautiful choice for a watch case, requiring the highest levels of skill from Krayon’s master watchmakers to shape and polish.

The dial of the Anywhere watch is a captivating symphony of blues. The miniature painting of ‘The Starry Night’ takes center stage, its vibrant colors meticulously recreated using a technique known as Métiers d'Art. This painstaking process involves the application of lacquer in multiple layers to achieve the desired depth and intensity of color.

Surrounding the miniature painting is a broad peripheral ring, its upper portion colored a sky blue and its lower portion a deep, almost midnight blue. This ring serves not just as an aesthetic element but also plays a vital role in the watch’s functionality, as we will explore in the second part of this article.



Two central hands in a classic style display the hours and minutes on the Anywhere watch. The hands are complemented by a discreet date window located at 6 o’clock. The inclination of the flange that surrounds the dial creates a three-dimensional effect, further enhancing the watch’s visual appeal.

The Krayon Anywhere watch is a timepiece designed for the discerning collector who appreciates not only precision engineering but also artistic merit. The watch’s exceptional craftsmanship, its use ofrare materials, and its unique functionality make it a conversation starter and a true heirloom piece.

The heart of this watch's innovation is a complication never seen before, a truly personal expression of time and place. It lets you track sunrise and sunset times for any location in the world. Think about that for a moment: whether you're at home, dreaming of a faraway beach, or standing in the shadow of an iconic monument, this watch can become an intimate reflection of that unique moment in both time and space.

The Anywhere's dial is where this celestial dance plays out. Remember that broad peripheral ring with its shifting shades of blue? That ring subtly changes its proportions throughout the day. As the hours pass, the lighter blue segment, representing daylight, will expand and contract to mirror the actual length of the day as dictated by the sun. And, of course, its darker blue counterpart represents the encroaching or receding night.



There's more to this visual ballet than meets the eye. The changing blue ring isn't just an abstract representation; it's meticulously synced to the watch's hands. Look closely near the outer edge of the dial, and you'll see tiny markers that indicate the exact time of sunrise and sunset. As the hands of the watch move, so do these markers, aligning perfectly with the boundary between the day and night segments.

The magic of this feature is all thanks to Krayon founder Rémi Maillat, a visionary watchmaker who delights in turning the impossible into reality. The secret lies in his development of a complex system of levers and racks adjusted by the watchmaker once the wearer chooses their desired location.

Now, you might think this is a "set it and forget it" kind of feature, but nature loves to keep us on our toes. This is where the Anywhere's adaptability shines. As we move through the year, the length of days and nights at a fixed location changes. This watch, with its intricate internal machinery, keeps up seamlessly.

Remember 'The Starry Night' miniature? It's more than an aesthetic masterpiece. Two sapphire discs, one painted in sky blue and the other a deep twilight shade studded with stars, perform a hypnotic waltz underneath it. A golden sun, seemingly floating above those discs, completes its circuit with diamond-cut rays catching the light with each revolution.



The brains behind this celestial dance are the Caliber C030, a marvel of compact engineering with over 400 individual components working in harmony. Manually wound, this movement boasts a generous power reserve of 72 hours, ensuring your journey through time and space isn't interrupted by frequent winding rituals.

But the C030 isn't just about efficiency; it's a showcase of horological artistry. Turn the watch over, and the transparent caseback reveals hand-finished bridges with graceful curves and meticulously chamfered edges. Everything you see has been painstakingly designed, crafted, and polished within Krayon's workshops in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

The Krayon Anywhere watch is more than an example of mechanical expertise – it's a philosophy made tangible. In an age of digital devices and instant gratification, this watch reminds us of the profound connection we share with the rhythms of the natural world. It's not just about the time right now, but about where the sun sits on the horizon, and how its arc changes with seasons, with our travels, and with the way we choose to mark significant moments in our lives.



Krayon, with this exceptional creation, reminds us that those age-old timekeeping traditions are inseparable from humanity's fascination with the cosmos. From the ancient Egyptians using obelisks to track the sun's position to Apollo mission engineers calculating trajectories, we're a species obsessed with our place within the grand celestial scheme. And just like Van Gogh, forever moved by the beauty of the night sky, Krayon lets us carry a piece of that cosmic wonder on our wrists.

The Krayon Anywhere, particularly this version crafted in collaboration with Jean Todt, isn't a watch for everyone. It's a testament to the relentless pursuit of innovation, the preservation of traditional watchmaking craft, and the deeply personal nature of how we choose to perceive time. This one-of-a-kind creation is, above all, a resounding statement to the enduring allure of mechanical artistry and the human fascination with the cosmic dance that surrounds us.