Horology Planet Exhibition Series — 12
In October 2026, Beijing becomes a meeting point for Chinese imperial aesthetics, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary design. Held at the National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing), the “Forbidden City Divine Craft” Chinese Imperial Aesthetics & Contemporary Creation Exhibition and the “Horology Planet” International Creative Exhibition bring together a range of creative works that explore the connections between Eastern cultural heritage and modern craftsmanship.
The exhibition is about more than the objects on display. It also asks how traditional art forms can continue to evolve, finding new relevance through modern materials, innovative design, and precision engineering. From decorative techniques rooted in imperial workshops to the intricacies of independent watchmaking, the works on show offer different perspectives on how the past can inform the present.
As part of this exhibition series, Horology Planet takes a closer look at the participating watch brands and the ideas behind their creations.
Mandetbrote: Rethinking the Way We Read Time
Most watches tell time in much the same way: hands rotate around a central axis, tracing familiar circles across the dial. Mandetbrote takes a less conventional approach. What if the hands didn't need to follow a circle at all?
The answer is a collection of mechanical displays built around moving tracks, articulated arms, and mechanisms that change shape as time passes. These watches do more than present the hours and minutes differently. They invite you to watch the mechanism at work.
One of the ideas behind the brand's Orbital collection comes from Tian Yuan Di Fang, a traditional Chinese cosmological concept that associates the circular heavens with the square earth. Mandetbrote brings this idea into watchmaking through the interplay of straight lines, curves, and mechanical movement. It's a distinctive way to connect an Eastern philosophical tradition with contemporary engineering, without relying on symbolism alone.
The original Orbital and the newer Orbital II explore this idea in different ways. Vortichron's TimeOrb takes a related approach, using three-dimensional forms to bring celestial motion to the wrist.
Orbital II — A New Route for Time
At first glance, the Mandetbrote Orbital II looks familiar enough to read as a watch, but its display quickly sets it apart. Instead of sweeping around a conventional circular dial, a telescopic hand travels along a proprietary rounded-square track. The result is a time display that changes character as it moves between straight sections and curved corners.
The geometry is central to the design. The straight sides evoke the order and symmetry of traditional Chinese architecture, while the rounded corners introduce a softer, more fluid movement. Together, they recall the relationship between the square and the circle in Tian Yuan Di Fang.
Making this work mechanically is no simple matter. Mandetbrote has extensively modified the Miyota 9015 automatic movement, adding a proprietary cam-and-lever transmission system to drive the telescopic hand. A differential compensation mechanism helps regulate its movement around the track, maintaining a steady progression along the straight sections while accommodating changes in speed through the corners.
The dial adds another layer to the concept. Natural aventurine glass gives it a deep, star-speckled appearance, turning the track into something resembling a path through the night sky. The effect also recalls jīnxīng bōlí, or gold-star glass, associated with decorative objects from the Qing imperial workshops. Rather than overwhelming the mechanical display, the shimmering surface gives it a setting that feels almost celestial.
A double-domed sapphire crystal with multiple layers of anti-reflective coating adds depth to the dial, while the 316L stainless steel case keeps the overall design grounded. Measuring 40 mm in diameter and 45.5 mm in length, the case has a thickness of 8.5 mm, increasing to 13.5 mm with the crystal.
Limited to 999 pieces, the Orbital II is an ambitious take on unconventional time display. Its appeal lies not simply in its unusual shape, but in the way its mechanism gives a traditional idea of cosmic order a new, tangible form.
Key Specifications
- Case Material: 316L stainless steel
- Dimensions: 40.0 mm diameter × 45.5 mm length
- Case Thickness: 8.5 mm (13.5 mm including the crystal)
- Movement: Miyota 9015 automatic movement with proprietary telescopic-track transmission modification
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Dial: Natural aventurine glass
- Crystal: Double-domed sapphire crystal with multi-layer anti-reflective coating
- Water Resistance: 50 meters
- Limited Edition: 999 pieces
- Reference Price: USD 579
Orbital — Time in Motion
The original Mandetbrote Orbital starts with a simple but intriguing idea: a minute hand doesn't necessarily have to rotate around the centre of a watch.
Inspired by subway split-flap clocks, industrial pulleys, and clock-tower pendulums, the design replaces the traditional hand with a two-part mechanical arm. As it travels along an elliptical track, the arm extends and folds, changing its shape throughout the hour. Reading the time becomes a matter of following both its position and its movement.
Sixty Super-LumiNova dots mark the minutes along the track. At the zero-minute position, the arm stands fully extended vertically. As the minutes pass, its two sections gradually fold toward one another, reaching a half-folded configuration at the 30-minute mark. It's an unconventional display, but one with a clear mechanical logic: the changing shape of the arm is part of the timekeeping itself.
The hours are displayed separately on a rotating disc at six o'clock, where a triangular indicator identifies the current hour. Keeping the hour and minute displays distinct makes the dial easier to navigate, even with the unusual mechanism at its centre.
Inside, a Miyota 9015 automatic movement powers Mandetbrote's proprietary track-display module. The double-domed sapphire crystal is designed to minimize optical distortion when viewed from different angles, while a concentric radial pattern adds texture to the dial without competing with the moving arm.
The 316L stainless steel case measures 41.2 mm across and 48 mm in length. Its thickness is 9.6 mm without the crystal and 13.0 mm with it. For those who prefer a darker, more technical look, the Orbital is also available with a black DLC-coated finish.
The model was reported to have been shortlisted in the Mechanical Exception category at the 2025 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). That recognition, together with its distinctive display and relatively accessible price, places the Orbital among the more interesting attempts to rethink mechanical timekeeping beyond conventional hand layouts.
Key Specifications
- Case Material: 316L stainless steel, with optional black DLC coating
- Dimensions: 41.2 mm diameter × 48 mm length
- Case Thickness: 9.6 mm (13.0 mm including the crystal)
- Movement: Miyota 9015 automatic movement with proprietary track-display module
- Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Dial: Concentric radial pattern, available in multiple colors
- Crystal: Double-domed sapphire crystal with multi-layer anti-reflective coating
- Water Resistance: 50 meters
- Limited Edition: 500 pieces
- Reference Price: USD 479
TimeOrb by Vortichron — A Little Universe on the Wrist
Three rotating spheres replace conventional hour hands, bringing a three-dimensional dimension to mechanical timekeeping.
Where Mandetbrote experiments with tracks and articulated mechanisms, Vortichron takes a more sculptural approach. Its TimeOrb draws on the movement of celestial bodies and the ingenuity of historical astronomical instruments, translating those ideas into a compact mechanical display.
The inspiration has deep roots. In traditional Chinese cosmology, observing the heavens was closely linked to the measurement of time. Armillary spheres and elaborate astronomical clocks were built to represent the movements and relationships of celestial bodies. TimeOrb revisits that fascination, not by reproducing an historical instrument, but by bringing a miniature mechanical universe to the wrist.
Three sculptural spheres move along a track across the dial, taking the place of conventional hour hands. Each sphere carries four numerals and rotates to reveal different numbers as it travels. Read alongside the fixed minute markers, their positions and visible numerals indicate the current hour. Instead of following a hand to a numbered scale, the wearer reads the display through the interplay of movement, orientation, and position.
The result is a dial with genuine depth. The spheres sit above the dial rather than remaining confined to a flat surface, giving the display the character of a small mechanical orrery. The case's architectural lines contrast with the rounded forms of the spheres, creating another visual reference to Tian Yuan Di Fang and its meeting of square and circular geometry.
TimeOrb is powered by the Miyota 8215 automatic movement, which measures just 3.90 mm thick and provides a 42-hour power reserve. A domed sapphire crystal with multiple layers of anti-reflective coating gives the display room to breathe, while the exhibition caseback reveals the rotor and gear train that drive the mechanism.
Swiss Super-LumiNova® helps keep the luminous elements visible in low-light conditions. The watch features a 316L stainless steel case and measures 41 mm in diameter, with a total height of 18.2 mm including the domed crystal. Weighing approximately 76–80 grams, it is available in Blue, Black, Green, and Midnight Black, paired with a premium calfskin leather strap and stainless steel pin buckle.
Limited to 500 pieces, TimeOrb offers a different take on the relationship between time and celestial motion. Its appeal comes from the way the spheres move, rotate, and reveal their numerals—a display that is as much about observing a mechanism as it is about reading a watch.
Key Specifications
- Case Material: 316L stainless steel
- Dimensions: 41 mm diameter × 18.2 mm total height, including the domed crystal
- Weight: Approximately 76–80 g
- Movement: Miyota 8215 automatic movement
- Movement Thickness: 3.90 mm
- Frequency: 21,600 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with multi-layer anti-reflective coating
- Luminous Material: Swiss Super-LumiNova®
- Caseback: Exhibition caseback
- Water Resistance: 5 ATM
- Strap: Premium calfskin leather, 18–20 mm, with stainless steel pin buckle
- Dial Colors: Blue / Black / Green / Midnight Black
- Limited Edition: 500 pieces
- Reference Price: USD 399
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Exhibition Guide
- Exhibition Name: “Forbidden City Divine Craft” Chinese Imperial Aesthetics & Contemporary Creation Exhibition, and the “Horology Planet” International Creative Exhibition
- Opening Date: October 23, 2026
- Exhibition Dates: October 23, 2026 – December 16, 2026
- Venue: 3rd Floor Art Space, Building D7, National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing), No. 3 Jinhang East Road, Shunyi District, Beijing
- Organizer: National Foreign Cultural Trade Base (Beijing)
- Academic Support: Research Group on Qing Dynasty Court Craftsmanship Inheritance Examples, The Palace Museum; Watchina
- Executive Curator: Horology Planet
