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Pushing the boundaries

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In the realm of watchmaking, nothing is too extraordinary, outlandish or creative when it comes to design and aesthetics.

Watchmakers who want to stand out through innovation are coming up with timepieces with ever more inventive movements that are as impressive in appearance and in performance.

'Watch aficionados in Hong Kong are very attracted to complex-looking timepieces. They are not afraid to invest in a very expensive timepiece as long as it is unique and the design is spectacular and innovative,' says Piano Chow, director of Enthrone Luxury, a luxury watch distributor in Hong Kong.

The 20-piece, limited-edition Urwerk UR-203 (HK$1,680,000) is a perfect example of a complicated timepiece with an interesting take on how to tell time.

Shaped like a futuristic spaceship from another galaxy, this masculine skeletal watch in black-coated platinum comes from a long line of avant garde timepieces created by two young Swiss watchmakers, Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, founders of the Urwerk brand.

The UR-203 features a revolving satellite complication, telescopic hands that show the minutes, and rotating mechanisms that indicate the hours. An 'oil change' indicator alerts wearers when the timepiece needs servicing and a 'horological odometer' - good for up to 150 years - keeps track of how many years the watch has been running.

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