The Kopf watch is the brainchild of German Polosin, a self-taught independent watchmaker who left Moscow for Bristol, England, where he runs Horological Underground. Conceived in 2016 and still in (limited) production today, the Kopf watch embodies the belief that a watch should be a form of mechanical sculpture. Its design feels more cybernetic than classical, combining an anthropomorphic ‘face’ with a hinged, jaw-like crown guard, hammered metal surfaces, and tritium-lit eyes.

While the Kopf’s aesthetic recalls science-fiction icons like The Iron Giant or Futurama’s Bender, its construction reflects a deeply traditional craft ethos.

In terms of style, German Polosin is far removed from the biker or heavy metal aesthetics one might expect from the creator of the Kopf watch.

Initial thoughts

It’s been more than six years since I first saw the Kopf while visiting German Polosin, the Russian [now English] independent watchmaker, who was still working in Moscow at the time. I was impressed that from the outset, the concept behind the Kopf watch was to express the art of metalworking.

In this respect, he shares similarities with another independent watchmaker, the Finn Stepan Sarpaneva, who drew inspiration from biker subculture for his own creations. Mr. Polosin conceives watches as mechanical sculptures, with their shape and finish reflecting their functionality: “I would love to see it finished like… a Beretta or a Desert Eagle.”

Kopf watch – the aesthetics of gunmetal.

The initial visual impression of the Kopf watch suggests an angular, bulky timepiece that will protrude from the wrist. However, this is not the case. The watch’s width of 34 mm and height of 13.2 mm make it quite wearable, and the 53 mm case length does not seem excessive thanks to the articulated lower jaw, which serves as a protective element for the winding crown (Kopf hardly needs protection, but still).

Mr Polosin wisely uses a simple and reliable ETA 2892 base movement, which will not cause future headaches with technical maintenance and also allows him to keep the price within reasonable limits, well below what is typical for a watch from an independent watchmaker.

Kopf watch. No digital scale markings, time is read intuitively – hours on the left, minutes on the right.

The origins of a species

The Kopf watch is often compared to the alien robot from The Iron Giant, the animated science fiction film released in 1999, as well as to Bender, the cynical robot from the animated television series Futurama, which debuted the same year.

For his design, Polosin did not choose a name that would be instantly recognisable as that of a sci-fi robot, but instead settled on the unusual, short, and harsh name Kopf, which sounds like metal striking metal. In German, this word means “head”, even though Mr Polosin originally conceived the watch as a skull watch, and even – by his own definition – as a conceptual skull watch. He does not dwell on this, saying: “It was conceived as a skull, but it turned out like a robot – this is normal.”

The Kopf watch is genuinely conceptual. Traditionally, skull watches evoke the vanity of all worldly things and the transience of human life; in short, everything associated with the vanitas style, a fashionable 16th-century phenomenon that undoubtedly inspired the creation of this genre in watchmaking. However, I would characterise Kopf as something much closer to futuristic steampunk.

In 2016, Polosin sketched Kopf’s design, which was intended for two quartz movements, to show his friends. He recalls that everyone said, “The idea is rubbish.”

Mr Polosin initiated the Kopf project in 2016, unaware that another Russian watchmaker, Konstantin Chaykin, was simultaneously developing a similar idea, the now-famous Joker watch, which would become Mr Chaykin’s star product at the 2017 Basel fair.

Mr Chaykin began developing it in November 2016 after realising he would not be able to complete his previous idea for a Game of Thrones-themed watch in time for Basel. In early 2017, Mr Chaykin started showing his colleagues the prototype.

This is how Mr Polosin learned about the watch, which, like his Kopf project, featured the same distinctive element: the time display through the eyes of an anthropomorphic dial. Apparently, this was a case of two watchmakers independently arriving at a similar idea.

Ready to abandon his concept, Mr Polosin went to Mr Chaykin with a ready-made plastic model of Kopf, produced on a 3D printer, saying, “I have such a project, but I wouldn’t want you to have any complaints about me using a similar design – what do you think?” As Mr Polosin recalls, Mr Chaykin replied, “Of course, it’s worth continuing.”

These early design sketches of Kopf show a gradual shift away from the traditional perception of the skull watch genre.

This unusual meeting did not sour the relationship between the two watchmakers; on the contrary, after that conversation, Mr Polosin moved his workshop to the Chaykin manufacture on a bend in the Moskva River, where he worked until 2019.

The analogy between the two designs is obvious, although on closer inspection, the Kopf concept is as far from the Joker as it is from a traditional vanitas-style skull watch.

Illustrations from Polosin’s patent for the Kopf design, registered in Russia in 2018.

A self-taught watchmaker

German Polosin entered the watchmaking industry as a collector and self-taught watchmaker in 2006, leaving behind a career as a banking IT specialist: “One day, I discovered my father’s abandoned, broken Raketa watch. I remembered from childhood how it broke after a month, and was thrown into a drawer. Many years later, I opened the watch case and saw that a screw had come loose from the bridge and was stuck in the wheels. Two minutes later, the watch started working. It was such a delight, such a contrast to virtual IT achievements.”

In 2006, he launched the website german242.com, which became the leading resource on the topic in the Russian-language segment of the internet, which he filled with information about collecting, vintage watches, and movements, noting that, “in 2006, it was not obvious why an independent watchmaker would even need a website”.

He also began restoring antique and modern collectible watches, as well as fulfilling custom orders, including ‘marriage’ projects building wristwatches with old pocket watch movements.

Time display module of the Kopf watch, developed by Polosin and produced in-house.

His portfolio includes some rather unusual commissions, such as upgrading a Jules Audemars Minute Repeater Tourbillon at the request of an owner who wanted a larger case. Unlike many other startups, especially those that have emerged in recent years, Mr Polosin’s passion for vintage watches and movements has not led him to a fixation on vintage style or a desire to replicate the achievements of the brilliant watchmakers of the past.

Mr Polosin explains, “I spent many years making watches based on vintage pocket movements, and they all turned out as classic as you might imagine. Several hundred classic watches with classic enamel dials and classic vintage hands, each one a one-off. It’s popular, and I still occasionally take on such commissions. It’s no surprise that, over time, my desire to move as far away from the classics as possible – into the realm of wild watches – has grown stronger.”

He adds: “The idea for a skull watch began as a joke, but it quickly went too far.” Learning from the watches he restored and serviced, and from the minds of previous generations of watchmakers, the Kopf watch suggests that Mr Polosin is a good apprentice: he is not simply repeating the achievements of the past.

Kopf watch.

Therefore, in the Kopf project, he aimed to move as far as possible from the prevailing preference for neoclassicism. Mr Polosin calls this approach “perpendicular design” and states:

“It was crucial to design a case that no one had ever made before. A dial that no other watch had. Hands that are not placed anywhere else. A pleasant bonus – if you follow the principle of perpendicular design, then somehow the product itself becomes harmonious and individual, acquires primacy (not being a derivative of something else).”

Building the robot

As is often the case with a startup business, the start was slow. The need to earn a living took up most of Mr Polosin’s time and energy, so the pre-production bronze prototype was not ready until November 2018. He tested it on his wrist until March 2019, while work continued on the first piece in stainless steel, which involved subtle but significant design changes.

Mr Polosin still occasionally wears the bronze pre-series Kopf prototype.

The list of upgrades included eliminating the polishing on all large surfaces of the case, retaining it only on the polished chamfers; replacing the flat faceplate with a pronounced relief version featuring a raised, brushed, wide outline and elaborate hand-hammering in the recessed area; and making minor adjustments to the shape of the large winding crown.

In addition to hammering, a mix of decorative techniques was employed, including longitudinal and circular brushing combined with intricate sandblasting, resulting in a textured finish that transitions from subtly grained to deeply coarse. Finally, he added a calligraphic logo to the Kopf nosepiece.

One of the intriguing features of the Kopf watch is its glowing eyes, which are comprised of tritium gas tubes that glow a faint green at all times (an will continue to do so for decades). The glowing eyes enhance the character of the dial, which can, unironically, be called a face.

In the inscriptions engraved on the case back and inside the Kopf eyes, Mr Polosin uses the exotic De Stencil font, proposed in 1917 by Dutch poster designer Vilmos Huszar. It has not been used for over a century – perhaps Kopf watches will give it a new lease on life.

In June 2019, the first stainless steel production model, Kopf No. 01, was completed. In September 2019, he finished work on No. 02, and the process continued at a steady pace of about one piece per month for next six years. By the end of 2025 he will have produced and delivered more than 60 of the planned 100 pieces of the Kopf First Serie to customers.

While the Kopf is recognisable from afar, it still requires close inspection. The extremely dense hand-hammering, which leaves no surface untouched, gives the design a particularly non-flat character.

Time to relocate

Around the time that production began in 2019, Mr Polosin sensed the increasing tightening of the political regime in Russia and realised that, among other consequences, this would negatively affect his career as an independent watchmaker and his private life. He decided to emigrate:

“When the British learned that I was leaving wealthy Moscow for the English provinces ‘for political reasons,’ they looked at me strangely and couldn’t understand what kind of political reasons I had, what kind of whim. Some strange Russian had arrived…”

He gradually moved his business from Moscow to England and helped other watchmakers who had collaborated with him to emigrate to Europe. The Moscow workshop closed in 2022, and that same year he founded the Horological Underground workshop in Bristol, where, in addition to offering repair and restoration services, he also manufactures components and carries out final finishing, assembly, and adjustment for Kopf watches.

The Kopf First Serie is still in production. What awaits us in the second episode is unknown to anyone, perhaps even to Mr Polosin himself.

Key facts and price

German Polosin Kopf Watch

Diameter: 53 × 34 mm (53 × 37 mm including “eyes”)
Height: 13.2 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystals: Sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: ETA 2892-A2 with in-house module
Functions: Hours, minutes
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 40 hours

Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet

Limited edition: 100 pieces
Availability: Direct from German Polosin
Price: £9,600 including UK VAT; export price is £8,000 excluding taxes.

For more, visit kopf.watch

The upcoming Phillips The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXI includes a diverse and spectacular selection of pocket watches spanning two centuries. From early 19th‑century enamel masterpieces crafted for the Chinese market to 20th‑century tourbillon chronometers that triumphed at observatory trials, the lots on offer demonstrate the technical and aesthetic evolution of the watch over the last two hundred years.

Lot 1086 – S. Smith and Son No. 1899-1 Tourbillon Chronometer with Kew Class A Certificate

Albert Pellaton-Favre constructed the first of two tourbillons in the auction, which was later retailed by S. Smith & Son. The other, by Patek Philippe, is the work of his son, Jämes-César Pellaton. Both are depicted in Reinhard Meis’s famous Das Tourbillon.

The English and Swiss disagreed on what constitutes a chronometer. The English argued that a chronometer must use a chronometer (detent) escapement, while the Swiss considered any watch a chronometer if performed well enough – which the English would call a “Half-Chronometer”. As the Willis enamel dial boasts, the first is a chronometer by both English and Swiss reckoning, with a spring detent escapement and “Especially Good” certificate from the Kew Observatory.

While S. Smith and Son retailed quite a number of tourbillons, including others with detent escapements, most were sourced locally, while the present lot uses a Swiss movement.

The London branch of Baume Frères ordered six tourbillon chronometers from Albert Pellaton-Favre of Le Locle, one of which held the record at Kew Observatory for about a decade, scoring 91.9 points out of 100 in 1892 – the modern Baume et Mercier company owns this watch today.

Baume & Co. also submitted this example to the Kew Observatory in 1899, where it posted a result of 85.7 in 1899, but then resold it to S. Smith and Son.

The estimate is relatively strong for a pocket watch, at HK$320,000 – 640,000 (US$41,000 – 82,100).

Lot 943 – Patek Philippe Tourbillon No. 197’585 “First Prize at 1924 Geneva Astronomical Observatory”

Patek Philippe, a dominant force at observatory trials for decades, was another patron of the Pellaton family, with this tourbillon made by Albert’s son, Jämes-César, in 1920. Master regleur J. Golay-Audemars of Patek Philippe adjusted this example in 1924 for trial at the Geneva Astronomical Observatory, where it took first place with 815 points in Class B.

Movements under 19”’ (43 mm) competed in Class A, while larger (and usually better performing) movements competed in Class B. This watch has an extremely large 21”’ (~47.3 mm) movement and a 60 mm case as a result.

To compare the two, the S. Smith & Son’s mean variation in rate across all periods (a measure of precision, not accuracy) was 0.3 seconds per day, while the Patek Philippe example varied by a mere 0.08 seconds per day. Furthermore, the mean deviation between positions was 0.39 vs 0.85 seconds per day (lower is better). Given that both watches were made to a similarly high standard in their respective periods, the difference largely highlights the technical progress that was made in the first part of the 20th-century.

The present lot is a rare example of an original Patek Philippe tourbillon with a period-correct up/down indicator. Most Patek Philippe tourbillon pocket watches with this feature had it added during the 1980’s or later, before being sold to VIP clients. Patek Philippe sold this example in 1926 and it remains in its original state.

Lot 1011 – Anonymous Swiss, “Hector’s Departure”

As one might expect for an auction taking place in Hong Kong, watches made for the southern Chinese market are strongly represented. Collectors’ tastes have become somewhat homogenised over time, even more so in the age of social media, but in the past the tastes of foreign markets were much more distinct from one region to another.

English watchmaker William Ilbery – along with his mentor, William Anthony – is credited with the origination of the calibre Chinoise. Since the Chinese market favoured centre seconds hands, Ilbery moved the fourth wheel (which carries the seconds hand) of his “Chinese Caliber” to the centre, and moved the “centre” wheel to the periphery of the movement, which drives indirectly drives the hour and minute hands. Today, this approach is found in the ETA 2824, and many, many other movements.

Ilbery offshored movement manufacturing to Fleurier, Switzerland, and later moved there himself. At one point, Fleurier produced nearly all movements bound for China, with the most famous firm being Bovet, or 播喴. This movement, which was made around 1820 and includes a quarter repeater, is unsigned but almost certainly from Fleurier.

The miniature enamel, however, is almost certainly the work of a Genevan artisan. The region was, and remains, a world-leader in the decorative arts. Proof of that can be found in the Patek Philippe Museum’s extensive collection of Chinese market watches and clocks.

As wealthy Europeans became infatuated with Eastern cultures, the same was true of their counterparts in China, who enjoyed Western motifs. The miniature enamel depicts a scene from Homer’s Ilaid – Hector, hero of Troy, bids farewell to his family before going off to battle against the Greeks, where he would be felled by Achilles. The scene is flanked by red flinqué enamel and pearls. Even the dust cover underneath is elaborately engraved and enamelled.

Lot 1092 – Ilbery, by Jean-Louis Richter

While Ilbery’s calibre Chinoise was ahead of its time, this ~1810 watch by Ilbery watch uses an antiquated fusee movement with small seconds, and a duplex escapement. Note this is a regular duplex, not the “crab tooth” duplex escapement used in some later Chinese market watches to affect a jumping seconds hand.

The miniature enamel painting is attributed Jean-Louis Richter of Geneva. Richter excelled at landscape painting on music, snuff, and singing bird boxes, but, on watches, he is known for his quaint “doll-like” faces and idyllic depictions of country life.

The estimate for this early Ilbery watch is HK$200,000 – 400,000 (US$25,600 – 51,300)

Lot 820 – Patek Philippe Ref. 866/54 “Lord Rivers and his friends – J.L. Agasse”

Possibly more than any other brand, Patek Philippe helped sustain Genevan enamel through the 20th century. Suzanne Rohr, who painted the current lot, is probably the most famous and prolific of the firm’s miniature enamel artisans, working for Patek Philippe from 1967 to 2016.

This example, rendered in 1975, replicates a work by Genevan landscape painter Jacques-Laurent Agasse from a century and a half earlier, depicting his patron, Lord Rivers of London. The original, part of the Pictet Collection in Geneva is just over a metre wide, which Rohr reproduced on the back of a 47 mm pocket watch.

Lot 821 Patek Philippe Ref. 866/48 “Guerriers Hawaiiens – John Webber”

Another example of the same reference reproduces English artist John Webber’s 1784 painting  “Guerriers Hawaiiens”. It is one of the few paintings that Marthe Bischoff produced for the firm.

Webber was the official artist on Captain Cook’s tragic third expedition, which proved to be his last. After returning to Europe, Webber turned some of his numerous sketches into paintings, the most famous being “The Death of Captain Cook”.

Lot 855 – Piaget Répétition à Minutes à Carillon

Rather than enamel, the most extravagant pocket watch in the auction focuses on gem setting. The front cover, front of the bow, and case band of the 58.5 mm hunter-style case are set with 246 baguette-cut diamonds (22.6 carats total) while 89 baguette emeralds (8.83 carats) adorn the reverse cover, the other side of the bow, as well as the time-setting button and repeater slide.

The engine-turned solid gold dial is further set with 60 baguette cut diamonds (2.17 carats) and 12 baguette emeralds to mark the hours (0.86 carats) as well as 12 brilliant-cut diamonds and mother of pearl insert.

Finally, the matching chain is set with 108 tiny brilliant-cut diamonds (1.80 carats) and 12 square-cut emeralds (1.02 carats). That amounts to 26.64 carats of diamonds and 10.71 of emeralds, surpassing even Patek Philippe’s emerald and diamond-set Grandmaster chime (20.54 and 7.87 carats, respectively).

Piaget debuted this watch, with its monumental display stand, in 1996, in anticipation of the Hong Kong handover the following year. Many watch brands released limited editions to commemorate the handover, which were popular with wealthy Hongkongers as evidenced by several examples in this auction.

Image – Phillips

The back is painstakingly engraved with a view of the Hong Kong skyline as viewed from Victoria Harbour. The two skyscrapers are Jardine House and Exchange Square, and the low wide building below is the General Post Office. If this engraving were made today, it would include even more skyscrapers – and a Ferris wheel.

Piaget used a relatively common repeater movement with imitation-Westminster chimes on four gongs, made by Constant Piguet (or possibly Eduard Jean-Richard) from a LeCoultre ebauche. This movement is likely from a Longines watch based on the styling, but it was completely refinished and hand engraved to match the decadence of the case.

Prince Watch Company – which is still an authorised Piaget retailer today – sold this watch the year after the handover for HK$5.98 million, making it a relative value buy today with an estimate of HK$700,000 – 1.4 million (US$89,700 – 179,000). The near half-kilogram of 18k gold used in the watch and stand alone would be worth around US$40,000, but its cultural value demands preservation.

Lot 890 – Parmigiani Fleurier Meccanica II

In terms of gem-set wonders, the Piaget’s only potential rival is the Meccanica II by Parmigiani Fleurier – built in the same town where the previous Chinese market watches were made nearly two centuries earlier. Parmigiani continues to build such watches today, like the La Rose Carrée from 2021.

As its name suggests, the Meccanica II was a follow up to the the Meccanica, another unique pocket watch with a nearly identical movement and crystal dial. The Meccanica II added 25.93 carats of baguette diamonds, and a seconds hand. Oddly, the Meccanica III shares almost nothing with the first two, being a white gold minute repeating split seconds chronograph with an onyx dial.

The movement, based on a LeCoultre ebauche from the turn of the century, is equipped with a perpetual calendar, fully visible though the sapphire dial. The back is enamelled with an abstract pattern, a common motif for Parmigiani watches. It would make for an ideal display piece, as it is paired with an enamelled stand made of gilt silver.

Like the previous, Prince Watch Company sold the Mecciana II in 1998. Compared to its original retail price of HK$3.34 million, the HK$700,000 – 1.4 million ($89,700 – 179,000) estimate is quite reasonable.

Preview and auction

The sale and preview exhibition will take place at Phillips Hong Kong in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Preview
Open daily November 15-23, 2025, from 10:00 am-7:00 pm

Auction
November 21 – 2:00 pm (Session I lots 801 – 901)
November 22 – 2:00 pm (Session II lots 902 – 1014)
November 23 – 2:00 pm (Session III lots 1015 – 1123)

(All times are local to Hong Kong, GMT+8.)

G/F WKCDA Tower
Cultural District
8 Austin Road West
Kowloon, Hong Kong

For the full catalogue, visit Phillips.com.

This was brought to you in partnership with Phillips.