Like all kollokium Projekts and Variants, a little cosmetic change goes a long way, but it also requires much more prep work than meets the eye. Projekt 02 FFF&F edition proved that it can be done. A flat, two-dimensional image transfigured into a true topographical dial, consisting of 67 stacked dial plates. Each is painted by hand with a lacquer infused with Super-LumiNova. Variant B went a step further by introducing a vertical color gradient that darkens from top to bottom. Variant C is the culmination of two years of testing and trying to find the best way of achieving the desired visual effect and level of execution. Like a Hypsometric map, the idea was to highlight and dramaticize the three-dimensional nature of the topographical dial by having each level painted in a slightly different tone. The highest peaks of the dial, representing the twelve hour markers, are hand-painted in a bright, cool white tone, then each successive lower layer gets darker and bluer. Across sixty-seven dial plate and nine vertical layers, the dial shifts from white to deep turquoise. The process to perfect the gradient of luminescent paint was no easy feat. Besides the usual headache of finding the right grain sizes, opacity and consistency, creating a transitioning gradient that maintains a uniform tone or hue took more trials than we’d like to remember. But the end result is totally worth the effort. And just like in Variant “B”, a compromise had to be found between achieving a near-perfect transition of blue tones and a solid performance of the luminescent pigments. It won’t glow like a torch, but it definitely glows, especially the Lichtblock elements on the hour and minute hands. Case & Strap Monobloc die-cast 316L steel case cylindrical sapphire glass box with rounded edges Diameter: 39.5 mm Height without sapphire crystal: 5.90 mm; Height with sapphire crystal: 12.40 mm Solid case back Valve-shaped crown Water-resistant to 5ATM (50m) Turquoise blue elastic textile single-piece strap with “hook” buckle in die-cast steel Dial Topographical dial with 67 dial plates Rhodium finish with sandblasted edges. Dial plates hand-painted with 9 shades of white to deep turquoise blue lacquer with blue emission Super-LumiNova Turquoise hour and minute hands with applied Lichtblock elements in white, blue emission Super-LumiNova White seconds hand Movement La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement Diameter: 26mm Height: 4.45 mm Frequency: 4Hz / 28’800vph 24 jewels Uni-directional unsigned winding rotor Power reserve: approximately 68 hours