At SIHH last week, Christophe Claret showed off its latest limited-edition timepiece inspired by one of the world’s most venomous snakes. In the Maestro Mamba, the sinuous body of a snake slithers around the open movement, over-and-under the hours and minutes hand, to the side of the MEMO function, and next to the balance spring.
As you can see, the architecture of the Maestro makes perfect sense for a serpent to make its home. The strap is authentic green Mamba skin, sourced from the African jungle, while the jewels are taken from the world’s largest tsavorite mine in Mozambique, where the owner of the mine had to hunt Mambas off his property. The Maestro originally made its debut in 2017, where it was noted for its specific MEMO complication and seven-day power reserve. Located at 3 and 4 o’clock, the MEMO complication functions as a sort of reminder of a single daily task. Whether it’s as simple as picking up the dry cleaning or more important, like submitting an invoice, the MEMO capability places the simplicity of a notification reminder on your smartphone onto your wrist. The date is located at 5 o’clock and it uses two cones — one for the tens on the upper cone and a second for the units — to display each day.
The 42-mm watch comes in two black PVD-treated titanium versions fitted with either green Mamba or orange Pantherophis — a non-venomous snake found in North and Central America — snakeskin straps. Both sets are limited to 28 total pieces and will sell for CHF 96,000.
