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The Formula One-Inspired DWISS R2 Floating Hours Dares to Be Different

Watches and cars are the peanut butter and jelly combo of our times, so much so that a model of one is specifically made for the other, and the other way around. Feeding on this symbiosis and drawing for inspiration on pure Italian automotive excellence is the latest DWISS watch.
The DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complications 9 photos
Photo: DWISS
The DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complicationsThe DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complications
DWISS is a relatively new Swiss watchmaker, founded in 2011 by Rafael, an industrial designer recognized for his work with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award. Under the DWISS moniker, which stands for Design Watch Independent Switzerland, he’s won several other design awards, celebrating his accomplishments in terms of delivering unique pieces with unexpected complications and even more unexpected designs.

DWISS uses the informal motto “F**king great Swiss watches,” which should tell you all there is to know about its approach to watchmaking. If it doesn’t, here it is: DWISS doesn’t take itself or the established norms too seriously but, at the same time, it strives to deliver Swiss quality in watchmaking. They are two seemingly contrasting notions, but they’ve worked fabulously for the company so far.

Now at its fifth KickStarter campaign, DWISS is introducing the DWISS R2 Floating Hours, a new timepiece that is not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for those afraid to attract attention onto themselves. It is inspired by pure Italian automotive excellence, much like the RW1 model launched in 2020, the Formula One car. As Rafael explains in the video below, the Floating Hours has a new movement, is sleeker and more powerful, but just as accurate in telling the time as any other DWISS piece.

The DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complications
Photo: DWISS
The DWISS is also inspired by an egg, of all things. Well, it’s not just any egg, but the Ovetto (which means “little egg” in Italian) model from Rolex, which used a bubble back to create a thin case that would fit an automatic movement. The R2 Floating Hours does the same and is able to maintain a form factor on the slim, elegant side. Even eggs can be elegant in Italy.

Powered by the automatic Peseux P224 movement with a 42-hour power reserve and 28 jewels, the R2 comes in two models, the R2-SL and R2-BB, with the difference between the two being that the former comes with a stainless steel case with white and blue dial, while the latter has stainless steel case IP plated in black with a black dial and red details. It is the R2-BB model that drives the automotive comparison home and shows the piece’s Italian inspiration.

What makes this watch (and the owner, implicitly) stand out is the Floating Hours complications. In the decade that DWISS has been on the market, it has made a name for itself for being unapologetic about how disruptive it wants to be. In less fancier words, DWISS makes watches for people who don’t want to read the time in the classic 3-hand configuration. Instead, it offers unexpected complications that look as if they require reading an instructions manual before being able to tell the time.

The R2 isn’t exactly as puzzling as other models it has released, but it’s still as interesting. The multi-layered curved dial includes a piece of sapphire crystal with an “invisible” hand, a floating triangle – and it’s that triangle that moves to show the hour. It’s filled with Super-LumiNova BG-W9 for better nighttime legibility.

The DWISS R2 Floating Hours is inspired by Formula One, continues company's tradition of intriguing complications
Photo: DWISS
R2 is covered in in sapphire crystal to be scratch-resistant, with anti-reflection, and is water-resistant up to 10 ATM. The case is hand-finished 316L steel (natural color or IP black), with a clean back and a display window to see the mechanism in motion. The thin profile, of only 10.4 mm in thickness, and the 40.0 mm diameter, make the R2 suitable even for more slender wrists. Like the car that inspired it, the R2 aims to impress for other stuff than sheer physical presence.

The Floating Hours watch is offered with racing rubber strap, which comes with the DWISS buckle, but also works with any other straps from the watchmaker. Add-ons include leather straps and metal bracelets, which makes the piece appropriate for all kinds of occasions.

The DWISS R2 Floating Hours is available to backers for €490 ($560 at the current exchange rate), and to the rest of the world when the campaign ends, for an MRSP of €820 ($968). Deliveries to backers are scheduled for September this year.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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