Winner of the prestigious GPHG2025 in the artistic crafts category, the Voutilainen 28 GML SOUYOU is a masterpiece that unites the extraordinary Japanese lacquer art of Mr. Tatsuo Kitamura with the Voutilainen workshop’s dedication to longevity, precision and classical watchmaking tradition. This timepiece offers a perfect balance of aesthetic and mechanical excellence, harmoniously blending Eastern and Western influences.

The mesmerizing dial draws inspiration from the motto, “SOUYOU” — a coined word that is reflected in the striking contrast between blue, green, gold and red colours. “SOU” evokes, in the outer part of the dial, the sea represented by the deep, clear blue-green hues, while ‘YOU’, with its shades of gold and red in the center, signifies a natural organic form symbolizing solar energy. Created using the Urushi lacquering technique, it requires over a thousand hours of meticulous work. This extraordinary creation incorporates raw materials such as “Urushi” (tree sap), “Kinpun” (various gold powders), “Kirigane” (cut gold sheets), and “Kirigai” (cut shell from New Zealand abalone and the great green turban).

Perfect for world travellers, this unique piece displays hours, minutes, and a central second time zone via a disc that completes a full 24-hour rotation, designed to indicate the home time. Subtly integrated into the gold motif on a red background, the second time zone pointer is easy to read at first glance. Meanwhile, the central hour hand can be easily adjusted to the local time of the destination with a simple push on the crown.