Art and watches are often admired by collectors, however there are not many “art watches” out there – MUSE have successfully managed to merge the two.
A very young brand, formed in 2016, had the ambition to merge watchmaking tradition with contemporary art, offering high quality products at the fairest price.
All of MUSE watches use modern artistic shapes to tell the time, the concept of design being inspired by more spiritual roots and personal aspirations of the founders.
One of the brand’s art watch creations is the Stella-S, the almost divine concept of which is explained below:
In ancient Egypt, lotus flowers symbolized rebirth. In Indian Hinduism, the throne of the deities is nothing else than a lotus flower in bloom. A wink to the blossoming of the soul. Wherever you are, STELLA-S invites you to blossom in beauty…
Muse Stella-S 37 Onyx-Titanium
Face & case
The case is 37mm and made from titanium; with a highly polished finish. With both round and angular edges, the shape of the case somehow gives the dial an oval appearance – it is however round; the sapphire crystal being a perfect circle too. The lugs are short, made possible by the strap being recessed into the top and bottom of the case.
Appearing quite deep, the rehaut is black, with long white 5 minute markers, probably exaggerating the depth of the dial, which is also black, but made from onyx.
Time is indicated by 2 sandblasted rhodium plated discs, which are in the shape of lotus flowers and rotate above the dial. Acting as hands, the lower disc has one of the ends of its “petals” filled solid, which indicates the hour and the upper disc has the same shape on the end of one of its “petals”, but open, to indicate minutes. There is a third indicator in the centre – a small 7 pointed flower/star rotates constantly as a sweeping seconds hand would.
As the time changes, so does the appearance of the dial – every minute that passes results in a different look.
The screw down crown is small, but actually protrudes out quite far, which makes for easy time adjustment. There is also a delicate flower engraved onto the end of the crown, which is also the brand’s logo.
Turning the watch over, the screw down case back has a large frame, with quite a few engravings, including the brand name and logo and limited edition number.
The movement can be seen through the crystal viewing movement, including a modified rotor, in black rhodium, with part of the brand’s logo detailed in the centre, as well as the caliber name.
Muse Stella-S 37 Onyx-Titanium Case Back
Movement
Powered by a Swiss automatic movement, the MU 01-A1 is based the ETA 2776. This is a movement which went out of production in 1982, but MUSE reworked several hundred kits and equipped it with a 21,600 (3Hz) oscillator so as to extend the power reserve, which is up to 48 hours.
The rotor is embellished with black rhodium, with unique finishes – “côtes circulaires”, graining, diamond-cut edge and a sunny finish out from the centre.
Muse Stella-S 37 Onyx-Titanium Crown
Strap
The strap is 18mm and in black hand-stitched satin with a tan leather lining. I do believe there could be other strap options, as the strap is pictured elsewhere with a tan leather strap.
A simple pin buckle is used to secure – highly polished and with the “Muse” logo engraved across the centre..
Muse Stella-S 37 Onyx-Titanium Strap and Buckle
Other stuff
MUSE – Swiss Art Watches ® is a registered trademark of Swiss watches. Based in St Cergue, Vaud, the brand was created by two experienced watchmaking engineers in 2016. The concept and unique designs that highlight the philosophy, bonded by the passionate artistic sense and the expectation of quality the two creators have.
MUSE have replaced traditional hands with finely crafted patterns that evolve over time and create compositions in perpetual movement. This is all part of their plan to show that it is possible to live at a more natural rhythm and of the present moment.
The logo, nor the name of the brand appear anywhere on the dial – a conscious decision in order to preserve the purity of design.
All pieces were imagined, designed, assembled and tested between St Cergue and La Chaux-de-Fonds, made possible with the help of dozens of passionate craftsmen, helping bring their ideas to life.
Muse Stella-S 37 Onyx-Titanium on the Wrist
Our verdict
There is no denying that the MUSE Stella-S is a beautiful watch. It is simple and contemporary, in just black with a touch of silver, but also a statement piece at the same time – what is apparent, is that design led the concept.
Although I would probably class the Stella-S as a unisex watch, I think the flower based design and satin strap will push the piece towards a feminine audience, however this is my personal view and straps can easily be changed. At 37mm, it’s also a bit smaller than I would usually go for, but it is very comfortable on the wrist and being titanium, is lightweight too.
I expect owners will look forward to setting the time – as the minute and hour discs spin, it’s like a dancing display as the flower petals cross each other – the event subconsciously reminds me of ballet for some reason.
At 2,980 CHF, it’s at a very attainable price point and with only 100 pieces being made, presents an opportunity to get your hands on a limited edition Swiss-made watch at a reasonable price. MUSE also offer the potential to order a watch with bespoke features, such as swapping the crown side, engravings, or even colours. (Additional costs would obviously apply).
I am actually a big fan of the 44mm geometric based MUSE watches and understand from one of the owners, that the brand is working on some new designs and colours – I’m really interested to see what comes next from the Art Watch brand!
Thanks for the valuable Review of the watch