Innovative, Paris-based watchmaker Hegid has introduced a new limited-edition collaborative timepiece collection. Created with Hervet Manufacturier, Celeste brings a whimsical touch of EDM to the world of horology.

When it launched in 2019, Hegid offered customers a whole new way of choosing a watch, and retailers a fresh take on selling them.

The brainchild of a group of watch professionals, the brand offers watches made-up of interchangeable parts. In addition, there are limited-production watch head ‘capsules’ plus a full range of separates (bracelets and carrures) allowing owners to effectively build and transform their timepiece.

At the heart of the project, however, is an intent to offer accurate, mechanical timekeeping. And, while the possibilities for customisation are endless – new components being released every few months – a strong creative direction ensures a clear brand identity.

Co-founder of Hegid, Emeric Delalandre, refers to the customisation system – that has been named EVOL – as “a dressing complication for mechanical timepieces that enables them to be transformed in a few seconds.”

“The Celeste is a great example of the possibilities offered by Hegid’s EVOL invention,” he says. “[The watch] can be transformed into a dress watch or tool watch without losing its quality and refinement. Then it becomes interesting for the customers and for retailers who will always have new and exciting case designs to contact collectors about.”

The target age for Hegid is the 25-50 category where the ‘Swiss calibre in a French design’ is proving quite a selling point. Capitalising on this ‘cool’ and design-centred audience, Hegid’s artistic director Jérôme Coste approached Hervet Manufacturier to collaborate on a watch based around the theme of Space-Time.

The perfect partners to fulfil the brief, Hervet Manufacturier was co-founded by Cédric Hervet, the former artistic director of electronic music duo Daft Punk, and his cousin, award-winning furniture maker Nicolas.

The result is a retro-futuristic-looking timepiece available in white-gold and yellow-gold limited editions of 12-pieces each and a 99-piece, steel limited-edition. A 40mm, multi-faceted, octagonal case frames a black dial with radar-come-spider-web dial arrangement featuring hour, minutes and second hands. The gold editions also have diamond-set hour markers.

The watch is supplied on a black, quilted, Nappa leather strap. Powering the piece is a Swiss-made automatic movement.

The three interchangeable elements allow for other Hegid accessories to be added. As this is a limited, numbered edition, however, the capsules, cases and straps of the Celeste collection are not available to buy separately.

According to Delalandre, the experience of making Celeste may well lead to other partnerships in the future. “The collaboration was born three years ago, it took time to develop the Space-Time watch and launch it at the right moment.” he says.

“The Hegid x Hervet collaboration goes beyond a simple collection: we have had a collaborative boutique next to Place Vendôme in Paris for a few months now. Based on the successful launch of Celeste, other creative collaboration timepieces might follow.”

Due for delivery in October, the Celeste White Gold, Yellow Gold and Steel models can be pre-ordered now at hegid.com, priced at €25,000, €23,000 and €3,600 respectively.