Summary
- The Armoury and Naoya Hida & Co. unveil the Type 4A‑2 “Floating Feathers,” inspired by bird motifs and mid‑century decorative dialsx
- Features include a hand‑engraved Argentium silver dial, complete with 18k gold markers
The Armoury and Naoya Hida & Co. have unveiled their third collaborative timepiece, the Type 4A‑2 “Floating Feathers,” a sophisticated and elegantly delicate reference that draws inspiration from nature and mid‑20th century decorative dials.
Conceived by The Armoury’s Mark Cho and designer Elliot Hammer, the piece pays homage to the tradition of bird‑themed cloisonné dials, reinterpreted through Naoya Hida’s in‑house engraving expertise. The result is a poetic composition where three delicately engraved feathers float across a bead‑blasted Argentium silver dial, symbolizing both fragility and timelessness.
The dial is a showcase of artisanal craft: each feather is hand‑engraved by master engraver Keisuke Kano, with lifelike textures that shimmer against exposed silver. Surrounding the motif are 60 hand‑polished 18K yellow gold minute markers, individually assembled into a ring that frames the design like miniature jewels.
Time is indicated by sharply faceted solid gold hands, complemented by a blued steel seconds hand with a distinctive “caviar spoon” counterweight. The strongly domed sapphire crystal, treated with anti‑reflective coating on both sides, recalls vintage acrylic windshields, reinforcing the watch’s balance of heritage and modernity.
The “Floating Feathers” is built upon Naoya Hida’s Type 4 case, a 36mm form machined from 904L stainless steel. The case design is inspired by the refined proportions of the 1960s, notably featuring shapely lyre lugs and a compact 42.9mm lug-to-lug measurement. Powering the watch is the Caliber 3020CS, a hand-wound movement based on a heavily reworked ETA 7750 platform that has been converted to a time-only movement with center seconds.
Priced at $33,000 USD, the Reference Type 4A-2 is an exclusive release, with only 10 pieces scheduled for production in 2026 and deliveries set for 2027. Prospective owners must submit an application through a simple questionnaire available either in-store or online from May 17 – 20, 2026.