The Racer Jumping Hour GMT by Russian Indie Watchmaker Anton Suhanov

Leading up to the release of Anton Suhanov’s first wristwatch, the Russian independent watchmaker posted teasers on the development, construction and finishing of components on Social Media. Revealing a certain level of complexity, with parts finished using traditional techniques, sparked speculation about what it could be. Would it be something very elegant and restrained? Would it be something extremely complex, in a similar vein to his table clocks? As it turns out, it would be something very different. The Anton Suhanov Racer Jumping Hour GMT is an automotive-inspired wristwatch with a few tricks up its sleeve.

Anton Suhanov is not a watchmaker by trade originally, but a chance encounter in 2007 led him down a new career path. He graduated in mechanical engineering and has a Master’s Degree from St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. That chance encounter was with none other than highly creative master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin, who invited Anton Suhanov to join his young company as a constructor. Gathering experience and knowledge for over a decade, Anton Suhanov founded his own manufacture in 2019 after winning a watchmaking competition in Basel three years earlier.

In November of 2019, he premiered his first creation, the PHAROS table clock. Inspired by the Pharos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the world, it is an incredible looking thing. Under a very large glass dome sits a triple-axis tourbillon escapement. Just as a lighthouse would, luminous paint on the balance wheel shines bright in dim light. After the release of the PHAROS, Anton Suhanov presented the LOTUS table clock. Following a similar philosophy, the LOTUS clock is again a triple-axis tourbillon and again visible under a glass dome. It is a true mechanical flower, with working metal petals opening up during the day and closing during the night. Time is displayed on the base of the clock, with the mechanical wonder happening on top of the long, flower-like stem.

And now there is a wristwatch, the Anton Suhanov Racer Jumping Hour GMT. One of the “secrets” of this watch is given away by its name. It is an automotive-inspired piece with a jumping hour mechanism and GMT indications, but there’s more to it than just that.

We begin with the rounded square-shaped case, which measures 39mm by 39mm across and 12.5mm in height. Functional screws on the corners hold down the bezel. On the right side of the case, there’s a relatively slim, double-knurled crown accompanied by a small conical pusher to adjust the GMT function. Flip the watch over, and the caseback is held in place with similar sets of screws as the bezel and adorned with a tread-like pattern on a polished, raised lip. It also reveals another automotive-inspired design element, which we’ll get to in a bit.

The dial for the Anton Suhanov Racer Jumping Hour GMT is arguably the main attraction, as it should be in a watch, of course. Made of 27 parts, it is made to look like the instrument cluster in the dashboard of a vintage car. What stands out are the two retrograde indications for the hours and minutes, left and right. Much like the speedometer or tachometer in a car, a red needle moves along the semi-circular track before jumping back at the full hour. The slightly domed central section is decorated with an arching guilloché hobnail pattern and plated in ruthenium.

The indications don’t end there because, in the top section, there is an aperture for the second time zone. Underneath that, visible through a slightly arched horizontal window, is the “retrograde” seconds indication, which is actually indicated by a white disc with three evenly spread red lines. As one exits the 20-second track, the next one enters, mimicking a retrograde display. The final indication is the date, in another aperture nestled between the hour and minute display. The jump of the hour, minute and GMT indication is synchronised, guaranteeing an enjoyable visual treat.

While power comes from an ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, the Anton Suhanov Racer Jumping Hour GMT relies mostly on the in-house developed module on top. The module is entirely developed, constructed and finished by Anton Suhanov and is made up of 172 parts. The movement and module are hidden from view, yet parts are decorated with hand-applied finishing, including frosting, bevelled edges, straight graining and more. The caseback “reveals” a full-faced winding rotor, simulating a car’s wheel in motion. Choosing the ETA 2824-2 as a base provides a frequency of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 38 hours.

The Anton Suhanov Racer Jumping Hour GMT comes on a racing-inspired black calfskin leather strap with contrasting stitching in red with a steel pin buckle. The watch is available directly from Anton Suhanov, in a limited run of 20 pieces. The price is set at EUR 14,600 (excl. taxes).

More information on Anton-Suhanov.com