For a number of years, Eric de Fay de la Roche wanted to place his expertise at the service of an artist whose work he admired. For his part, Enki Bilal had already been commissioned to illustrate the dials of two watches, though he was not responsible for the design itself. Eric de Fay de la Roche then suggested that he design a complete watch that would fully meet his expectations - a watch he would like to wear. The terms for the artist were simple: no technical constraints and the finest quality production.

... but a huge challenge for the watchmaker
Two years of complex work, in collaboration with the artist, were needed by the De Fay de la Roche company to produce this exceptional timepiece. In order to meet Enki Bilal's requirements, the boundaries of technology had to be pushed back without transgressing watchmaking tradition. Production of the HYPÉRION was moreover assigned to the best craftsmen in Swiss watchmaking - whether for the Dubois Depraz automatic movement, the hands, the case or the dial. The watch benefits from an original authentication process: blowing on the watch-glass reveals the distinctive HYPÉRION sign.

HYPÉRION, symbol of a sun god
Named by Enki Bilal with reference to Greek mythology, the watch has been produced in a limited series of 1000 signed and numbered timepieces. Each owner will receive it in an original presentation box with a silk-screen print by the artist, also signed and numbered. This collector's watch will be put on sale on 9 November 2001, on which date it will be presented officially to the International Watch Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, thereby taking its place alongside the greatest designs the world has ever known.


For additional information, contact:
GÉrard Sermier, HYPÉRION Press Service,
Tel. 41 (0)22 732 59 97 - Fax 41 (0)22 738 62 01
E-mail: [email protected]

Source: HypÉrion Press release, October 2001