Background
Fiona Kruger’s Mechanical Entropy watch is a very special piece near and dear to me.
I'm a collector and lover of obscure, unusual (by most standards) and avant-garde watches, and her watch might have topped my list of favourite watches in my ever-growing collection.
I found out about Fiona Kruger years ago from her first collection of Skull watches. Fiona derived inspiration for them from honouring Mexico’s 'Day of the Dead' holiday.
What drew me in was how unusually new and refreshing her take on horology is. While others were creating watches, she was creating pieces of art fitted for the wrist.
They also happened to tell the time.
Concept
Fast forward to 2018 when she introduced a whole new design and concept to horology with the Mechanical Entropy I.
The Mechanical Entropy is a watch that exploded from Fiona’s imagination and entered material reality with the help of legendary Swiss movement company, Agenhor.
The finished result is pure art on the wrist.
The inspiration for the watch is the concept of entropy, the idea that the Universe is moving from order to chaos. Fiona represents this concept with an explosion on the dial, captured as a still frame in time.
Ownership experience
Owning the Fiona Krüger Mechanical Entropy feels less like wearing a watch and more like wearing a concept brought to life.
What makes it so compelling is how it flips traditional watchmaking on its head. The movement isn’t hidden beneath the design - it is the design.
Everything is laid out like a frozen explosion. Components stretch and scatter across the case, yet still function perfectly.
It’s chaotic at first glance. Yet, the longer you look, the more you realise how intentional and precise it actually is.
That tension between disorder and control is the heart of this piece. It draws you in more and more as you can’t help but gasp: ‘Wow, this is stunning!’ to yourself.
Development process
What’s even more interesting is the watch development process.
Instead of designing a movement first and building a dial around it like most brands do, Krüger did the opposite.
She designed the visual concept of an explosion, then worked with Agenhor to engineer a completely new caliber to match that vision.
That’s incredibly rare in watchmaking and gives the watch a very raw, artistic feel.
Dial
The Chaos 1 movement is simple in function, just hours and minutes, but visually it’s anything but simple.
It has jagged bridges, off-center elements, and a layout that stretches across the entire case. On the wrist, it’s a statement piece in every sense.
The tonneau-shaped titanium case is surprisingly wearable despite its size. It acts almost like a frame for the movement.
Details like the crown at 12 o’clock, which is strategically placed there to not distract from the dial, give Feng shui to the finished product.
The absence of a traditional dial reinforces the idea that this isn’t trying to follow rules, it’s challenging them.
At its core, the Mechanical Entropy is about more than timekeeping. It’s a reflection on entropy itself, the idea that everything moves from order toward chaos.
Instead of presenting that as something bleak, the watch turns it into something expressive and almost celebratory. It captures a single moment of "explosion" and freezes it forever.
This is poetic considering what a mechanical watch is supposed to represent.
Commissioning a piece unique
When I commissioned Fiona to make me this watch, I spoke directly with her husband, Michael. He guided me from step A to Z.
I had a request to make this purchase even more special. The said request was that they deliver it to me in Geneva during my trip for the annual Watches and Wonders. Michael concurred.
When I got to my hotel from the Geneva airport, Michael had messaged me that they were in the lobby lounge. This is where I first met him and Fiona, and the moment was a bit surreal.
I had watched her video on YouTube with ‘WatchesTV’ hundreds of times over the years. They were about the processes Fiona took to bring her vision to life for this watch.
I had read the Hodinkee article written by Jack Forster on this watch (in 2018) more times than I could remember.
Giving them both a big hug, we sat down with my friend and confidant, Nic, and engaged in conversation about her watches. We spoke about the thought process and the end-to-end making of the watch.
It felt like at least two hours went by, but when I looked at the time, only fifty minutes had gone by. The conversation went so well that it could have been a full podcast episode.
Upon the conclusion of our conversation, they presented me with the watch.
It came in a custom wooden box, which bears the same golden explosion that is on the dial of the watch. They had commissioned Ian Hawthorn, an artisan of luxury watch boxes, to create this special box with an inner red velvet lining made for me.
What makes this watch even more special is that it is the first and only production model. It's numbered 001 outside of the original prototype from 2018.
It's likely the only production model that will ever exist. It's a piece unique, with me having the only one in the world (aside from the prototype).
The ultimate ‘YanWatch’, as people know this style of watches in the New York watch scene.
It's on a black and gold shark skin bespoke strap made specifically for this watch.
A one-of-a-kind watch for a piece-unique collector as I see myself to be.
Specifications
- Case Material: Titanium
- Bracelet Strap: Canvas
- Buckle: Pin Buckle
- Water Resistance: 30 M
- Size: 40 X 48 mm
- Thickness: 7.5 mm
- Movement: Manual-Winding Mechanical
- Power Reserve: 50 H, 21600 VPH
- Skeleton Movement: Yes
- Functions: Hours, Minutes
- Reference: FK-CH
- Launch Date: 2018
- Collection: Chaos Collection
Yandretti's original story was edited by Happy Horologists team to fit the magazine editorial criteria.
Dislaimer: We don't use AI for authoring any of our visual or written artwork. Everything you find in Happy Horologists Magazine is and will be human made.
