There will be all manner of watchmaking stories at the Watches and Wonders trade show this week — from heritage and throwback narratives to female-led ones — but HYT is hoping to add a comeback chapter.
Known for its disruptive timekeeping technology that mixes liquid and mechanics, HYT — for Hydro Mechanical Horologists — burst onto the scene in 2012. Orders of more than 21 million Swiss francs, or $23.3 million, were quickly placed, but then came years of quality issues before a short-lived revival, followed by a bankruptcy in 2021.
A second rebirth was equally brief, scuppered by a newly appointed chief executive who left after only 13 months. HYT’s current executive chairman, Vincent Perriard, who was its chief executive from 2011 to 2016, is now back running the show — and trying to calm the waters.
“To be fully transparent, this company has been difficult from Day 1,” Mr. Perriard said at HYT’s headquarters in the Swiss watchmaking town of Neuchâtel. “But there is a famous saying: ‘There is no innovation and creativity without failure.’ That’s really true. And that’s really us — including a bankruptcy.”
Mr. Perriard is spearheading what HYT is calling “a new chapter,” which kicks off with the introduction of its T1 collection (the T stands for tradition), at the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva.
Followers of HYT will immediately notice the 45 millimeter size and streamlined octagonal case. The profile is considerably smaller than HYT’s signature 50 millimeter size, which was originally necessary to accommodate the liquid-based technology, Mr. Perriard explained. But it also has been the brand’s biggest bugbear.
