The Parmigiani Ovale Pantographe solves a basic watchmaking problem in a wonderfully over-engineered way. In order for the hands to reach their respective markers on this elegantly elliptical dial, they extend and contract like accordions as they travel around it. Inspiration was taken from a 19th-century pocket watch.
Urwerk seems to break all the "rules" of watch design and aesthetics and yet, somehow, the result is captivating. The UR 105 is perhaps the brand's most representative model, with a bizarre case and hands that themselves display the hours while pointing to the current minute along a track.
