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Kwanghun Hyun MMM1 Watch & Heartbeat 1 Camera

Recently whilst doing some research for a forthcoming article I discovered the immense talents of Kwanghun Hyun. This amazing craftsman is based in Seoul, South Korea and is a specialist metal work designer. After graduating from Hongik University in 2007 he has developed a range of products including the MMM1 watch and the unbelievable Heartbeat 1 Camera.

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Principally my website is dedicated to the sublime world of horology and the many incredible watches available on the market. Never the less it would be hard to write an editorial about Kwanghun Hyun without acknowledging his Pièce de résistance. The phenomenal Heartbeat Camera is the world’s first mechanical camera. This superb device incorporates a modified Swiss ETA (unitas) 6497 mechanical movement, which needs to be manually wound to control the timing of the camera.

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When I communicated recently with Kwanghun he explained the story behind the development of the wonderful MMM1 watch. Apparently this creation was his first foray into watchmaking. What he lacked in experience was certainly compensated for with passion and creativity. Reading books and viewing You Tube acquired most of his knowledge. Currently the watch is a portfolio piece and still at the prototype stage. Hopefully it will be cultivated into a more refined production model in the near future.

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The MMM1 measures a modest 38mm x 32mm x12.5mm excluding the lugs and crown. By present standards these are pretty diminutive proportions compared to many other watches available on the market. Realistically the timepieces’ classical dimensions would appeal to a broad unisex market. I would also envisage a watch of this size and shape would be fairly lightweight and comfortable to wear. This exquisite timepiece would be suitable to wear for all occasions especially more formal affairs.

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Aesthetically the MMM1 has a visually striking and bold appearance. The distinctive silhouette is composed of multiple layers giving the watch a three dimensional quality. I love the chunky rectangular dial with engraved Roman numerals and signed nameplate. Other interesting features include the delicate hour/minutes contrasting with the exposed mechanical movement. All elements of this fantastic watch have been hand finished and assembled by Kwanghun himself.

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Due to the nature of this test piece he doesn’t know the exact origins of the movement. He believes it to be either be a Shanghai 2L27 or 2L55 Caliber that oscillates a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour. Kwanghun has intimated that in future he would like to design other watches with more sophisticated mechanical movements. On that basis I will eagerly await his next projects with optimistic expectations.

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