Kauri Watches, which specialises in the use of precious wood for its mechanical timepieces, owes its name to a fossilised New Zealand tree whose trunks, preserved by the oxygen-free soil, are perfect for precision machining. It was founded by the young independent watchmaker Samuel Gillioz: "When I was attending watchmaking school in Geneva, I had the idea of creating watches with wooden cases, but I didn't want them to resemble the cheap models that can be found on the market. Not an easy objective, which Gillioz achieved by avoiding attaching any structural elements to the wooden case which, in reality, is nothing more than an octagonal external carrure, attached to the actual steel case underneath. The crown and the metal elements that make up the lugs are connected directly to the inner metal case and are only 'leaning' against the wood, without subjecting it to stress or wear. The end result, therefore, is not a mechanical watch made entirely of wood, but one in which wood is the undisputed master of the scene, despite the steel bezel. In addition to Kauri, other types of wood are used, such as rosewood, mahogany or Erica Arborea briar, a species typical of Calabria and widely used to make pipes. Animating the watches is the Soprod M100 automatic calibre, with skeletonised bridges and plate and a rotor customised by Gillioz himself. The 41 mm case is pressure-resistant to 3 atmospheres and is closed by a sapphire crystal on both sides. The dial is totally absent, allowing the movement to be observed in every detail (including the winding barrel spring) and the hands are blued, while the hour markers (white or black) peep out directly from the flange. The watches are on sale on the e-commerce channel of the website www.kauri-watches.ch at a price between 3,490 and 5,490 Swiss francs.
