This Voutilainen 28PI puts the watchmaker's skill front and centre with its inverted movement, placing the escapement and balance wheel on the front. Only 10 pieces were made in platinum, making this piece as elusive as it is attractive.

The Story

Kari Voutilainen, after studying at  in the 1980s,  enrolled in WOSTEP’s complicated watch course in Neuchatel in 1989. Before building his own atelier, he would go on to work at the legendary restoration workshop of Michel Parmigiani, the finest watches from the last three centuries. 

His work has been welcomed with great acclaim, on account of its unique aesthetic and quality. Every component in his watches, from the bridges to the smallest of screws, involves manual labour, from adjusting tolerances to polishing and angling. His efforts have been recognised with more than a half dozen awards at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the most prestigious award ceremony in the watch industry.

The Design of the 28PI

Building on his , the "inverse" series flips the movement, inverting the calibre to show the escapement and large balance wheel on front. In total, 28 watches were produced, with 10 in platinum, 10 in tantalum and 8 .

The 28PI - short for “platinum inverse” - has a very similar construction to the caliber 28, though it was reworked for both aesthetic and functional purposes. Additional gearing allows for the hands of the 28PI to travel clockwise around the dial, and for hand-setting to occur through the winding crown. The open dial displays design cues and finishing which are typical of Kari’s watches, but with an unconventional arrangement of the indications. A testament to watchmaker's thoughtful approach to watchmaking,  it brings to the fore something that is usually hidden; a desire which we'd like to believe all too often preoccupies the mind of Voutilainen collectors.

The hours and minutes are displayed on the front of the watch, with Breguet-style hands and blued-steel rings to enhance legibility. On the left corner, the watchmaker's oversized balance wheel is revealed, with two blued escape wheels placed discretely beneath.

The movement

Turning the watch over, the caseback shows both the style and exceptional level of finishing usually concealed beneath the dial of the Vingt-8. Open-worked bridges for the seconds and power reserve indications complete the reverse side of the 28PI, adding a hidden complicated element. This skilled adaptation creates an overall sense of balance and uniformity with the dial side.

Through the combination of a unique balance-spring system, with a typical Phillips overcoil and a Grossmann interior curve, and the signature direct impulse escapement with two large escapement wheels, a high degree of engineering ingenuity is accomplished. One of the hallmarks of Voutilainen as a manufacture is their superlative hand-finishing, with expert anglage and a mixture of polished, brushed and frosted surfaces. The watch has a 50-hour power reserve.

The Set

This Voutilainen 28PI is accompanied by its outer box, inner box, leather pouch, cloth, manual and certificate of origin. It comes on one of our grey grained leather straps, and also comes with its Voutilainen alligator strap and platinum buckle.

A Collected Man is the watches. If sold within the United Kingdom, this Voutilainen 28PI will be subject to 20% VAT. Viewings are currently suspended for the time being. 

Closer look