The Kalysta is the first collection of precious mechanical watches for ladies, and it also brings a brand-new complication developed by the manufacture.

Another well timed release, this time from Hysek. Well released not just because it’s Valentine’s Day today, but also because it’s a great time to announce a brand new collection just weeks before the next edition of Baselworld takes place.

In this case, the newcomer is Kalysta, the first collection of precious mechanical watches by the Swiss watchmaker.

The new collection relies on either a quartz option or an exclusive automatic calibre that is equally refined and elegant. Of the two, the Hysek complication HW61 jumping hours movement is the more interesting option, beating at a high frequency of 28’800 with about 39 hours of autonomy.

It also brings a new complication to the brand’s mechanical repetoire, designed and produced in-house, which offers a different way of reading the time. They’ve done away with traditional hands, and rather relies on the so called “mystery dial” to tell the time with minutes indicated by a marquise.

Despite the mechanical innovation in this watch, the brand itself follows the common refrain in the industry:

Bearing in mind that women are more sensitive to creative touches than to mechanical sophistication, the manufacture has thought first and foremost in terms of shape, diamonds, brilliance – and emotion.

They certainly have achieved that. To start with, the watch’s name itself means “the fairest”. The feminine collection consists of a series of five models in elegant rose gold or titanium, all of which come in a contemporary sized 39 mm case.

The “Exotic Tale” model is perhaps the most unique option, with a white powder-coated dial matched by a rose gold case, above which a butterfly hovers. At 12 o’clock we have the window displaying the jumping hours, and a marquise sapphire travels round the rose gold bezel to tell the time.

The “Heaven’s Tale” and “Night’s Tale” models share a similar mother-of-pearl back; the first is purple, while the second displays blue hues. Both offer the typical features of the Kalysta collection: a concentric rhodium-plated minute track, highlighting the 1, 5, 7 and 11 hour markers.

The Kalysta “Twinkling Tale” on the other hand, boasts a brilliant snow-set bezel set with a variety of diamonds and is paired with a rose gold case. On this model, the butterfly’s wings are spread, forming two skeletonised Dauphine hands.

The "Sparkling Tale” is the final addition to the collection, including a series of models featuring a titanium case, with dials and straps in black, ivory, blue or purple. Depending on the model, the bezel is set with between one and three rows of diamonds, to create an interesting wave effect.