Valbray is a small, independent fake watch brand started back in 2009 with the goal of incorporating camera mechanics into wristwatches. The Valbray signature is the Oculus, a system of blades that open and close like a camera lens' diaphragm to conceal and reveal complications underneath. The latest addition to the collection is the Oculus Minotaurus, named for the monster that lived in the Cretan Labyrinth of Greco-Roman mythology. Under the diaphragm sits a maze that you can solve with a tiny ball that lives between the dial and the crystal ?the maze is a very unique feature and much harder to solve than you would think.
The Minotaurus we got to see at Baselworld was just a prototype and the diaphragm system didn't work perfectly, but the example here gets the idea across perfectly. By turning the bezel a quarter turn, over 80 moving pieces concealed in the bezel turn the 16 blades, moving them in and out. Each blade is only .01mm thick and coated in three anti-friction coatings to ensure smooth movment. When they're closed, the fake watch looks like a simple three-hander. But turn the bezel and the diaphragm opens to reveal the labyrinth below.
In case you have forgotten, the myth of the Minotaur revolves around a half-bull, half-man monster trapped in the maze of Knossos below Crete. The king would throw prisoners into the labyrinth, including the maze's engineer Daedalus and his son Icarus, leaving them to fend for themselves and to avoid being eaten by the Minotaur. Eventually the Minotaur was defeated by Theseus, the son of the Athenian king with some help from the Cretan king Minos's daughter Arianne.
The 43mm Valbray case was already deep to accommodate having complications hidden under the diaphragm blades when they are closed, meaning it lent itself particularly well to something like the hidden labyrinth. You can see how tall the walls of the maze are and the visual effect is really astounding in person ?this is one of the deeper looking dials we've seen. Moving around the labyrinth is a white ceramic marble; navigating the labyrinth with the Minotaurus on the wrist is extremely difficult and a fun challenge.
Simple open hour and minute hands are easy to read, against both the closed diaphragm and the open labyrinth, and the bright red seconds hand adds a little color to the dial. Accents in either 18k white or red gold, to match the gold bezel, adorn either side of the black PVD steel case. The case is waterproof to 5 ATM, which is limited by the many moving components in the bezel system. The original Valbray case was 46mm and the Oculus bezel system had to be further miniaturized to fit in the smaller 43mm case, but it makes a fake watch like the Minotaurus much more wearable.
The movement is not really the focus here, but it is an automatic caliber with a 4 Hz balance, 21 jewels, and 42 hours of power reserve. It is a basic workhorse movement and you cannot see it through the solid caseback, which features a Minotaur engraving. What you do not get in a haute horology movement you get in the form of the complex bezel and case mechanics.
The Valbray Oculus Minotaurus is available with either a white gold or red gold bezel, each limited to only 77 numbered pieces, a reference to the seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls sacrificed to the Minotaur each year in the myth. The price is $13,800 for both colors. For more, visit Valbray online.
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