This is the most original watch on the planet. A marble sculpture that measures time, smells and... breathes!
Imagine a sculpture that not only looks at you but breathes, measures time without hands and releases scents created especially for you. The “Le Temps Retrouvé” timepiece by French brand Trilobe is more than a clock – it is a living, sensual installation that combines art, technology and poetry in one mesmerizing work. Discover watchmaking that transcends the boundaries of imagination.
On the surface, nothing is happening. The marble head remains motionless. But when you look closer, in addition to the craftsmanship, you will notice details that contradict the first impression: there is a slight movement, a pulse, something like breathing.
The structure seems to be alive, as if taken from the most dreamlike frames, but it is not a prop from a Hollywood production set, but a work of the French brand Trilobe. The monumental form, inspired by antiquity – Roman and Greek – resembles a classic bust. But that is not all: the eyes move delicately, the interior hides a ticking heart, and the whole thing can... take a breath.
Le Temps Retrouvé Trilobe / press materialsTrilobe is an independent, luxury watch brand founded in 2018 by Gauthier Massoneau. Its hallmark is the unusual mechanisms of wristwatches – without traditional hands. Time is read here using three rings that rotate around the dial: one shows the hours, another the minutes, and the third the seconds. This approach to watchmaking is both innovative and poetic – it focuses on experiencing transience in a more sensual and reflective way than standard watches. In the brand's new project, this philosophy is taken to a new level – physical, sensual, almost mystical.
Trilobe, however, does not want to pigeonhole his four-year work into a “clock” or “automaton”. It is something more – an intimate mechanical sculpture, a personal story about time. It is entitled Le Temps Retrouvé – “Time Rediscovered”, which refers to the work of Marcel Proust. It is meant to be a call to those who live in a hurry: “stop, immerse yourself in time, enter into a dialogue with it”.
Le Temps Retrouvé Trilobe / press materialsAt first glance, the design is impressive in its marble details, created by visual artist Stéphane Gérard. However, the most interesting part is hidden inside. The sculpture contains over 2,000 mechanical components – each one was carefully assembled by the creators in a process that took around 2,000 hours.
Le Temps Retrouvé Trilobe / press materialsThe mechanism, developed in collaboration with Manufacture Masur, is a true ode to technology – its design was created through hours of mapping the individual characteristics of the owner, meaning that no two products are the same.
Although the design itself is impressive, its functions are downright stunning. The eyes are not only an illusion of life – although it sounds terrifying, it is enough to look at the position of the eyeballs to calculate the minutes. Counting the hours also takes time. The rosettes on both temples are responsible for this. They have petals that open one by one every hour: the first 12 on one side of the head, the second 12 on the other.
Le Temps Retrouvé Trilobe / press materialsThe real magic happens only twice a day. At certain moments, the sculpture releases the scent of a perfume created by its owner in collaboration with an anonymous Parisian perfumer. Then, the space around it is filled with a subtle, personal aroma, making Le Temps Retrouvé appeal to all the senses.
