ZEUS

Note: All images of the watch show the prototype. The production version may feature slight changes. If you’d like to learn more about the differences, feel free to contact us.

God of the sky, Bringer of storms, arbiter of destiny; king of the gods

The story in the Watch

To understand the intricacies of the watch, you first have to meet its name-giver, ZEUS.

Zeus was the sixth child born to Rhea and Cronus. But Cronus, haunted by a prophecy that he would be overthrown by one of his own children, just as he had overthrown his own father Uranus, swallowed each child at birth. Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon were all taken by Cronus into his belly, one after the other.

When Rhea became pregnant once more, she could no longer bear to lose another child.

So she turned to her parents, Gaia and Uranus, for help. Together, they devised a plan to hide the newborn Zeus. On the morning after his birth, Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling cloth and handed it to Cronus, who, unsuspecting, swallowed it whole.

Meanwhile, the infant god was hidden away in a cave on the island of Crete, where he was cared for by nymphs, among them the divine goat Amalthea and the bee Melissa, who nourished him with milk and honey. Some say the cave was guarded by the Curetes, warrior spirits who clashed their shields to mask his cries.

There, in secrecy and safety, Zeus grew strong. When the time came, he returned to confront Cronus, force him to release his swallowed siblings, and take his place as king of the gods, fulfilling the prophecy and changing the fate of Olympus forever.

a masterpiece of a Dial

The centerpiece of the watch is the fully free-hand engraved, solid gold dial. It depicts two of Zeus’ most well-known symbols in action:

The golden eagle, soaring through a thunderstorm, while a lightning bolt strikes down through the center. In myth, the golden eagle Aetos Dios carries the lightning bolts for Zeus. The eagle is one of Zeus’ best-known companions, and in some stories, Zeus even takes the form of an eagle himself.

To complete the picture of the storm, the indices have been shaped like golden raindrops, falling toward the center of the dial.

Above the dial, finely hand-finished, alpha-style inspired hands cut through the storm with a sharp grace.

Creating the desired cloud texture on the dial, while keeping it thin enough not to affect the overall dimensions of the watch, was a significant challenge that took about eight months to master. The texture now plays with the light, revealing different shapes, shadows, and highlights every time you look at it. Due to the complexity of the engraving technique, each dial features its own unique storm cloud and lightning bolt. Combined with the individual numbering, this makes every watch essentially a unique piece.

Even though the texture itself was a challenge, the eagle appliqué still steals the show. It takes one to two full days to engrave, and if even one of the over 200 feathers is misplaced, the entire eagle must be redone from scratch.

the CASE

The case was designed with the phrase "Ecken und Kanten" (literally, corners and edges) in mind.

It's a nod to strong character, defined form, and the kind of presence that doesn’t aim to please everyone.

Just like Zeus himself, it doesn’t hide its strength, it embraces it.

In contrast to its rugged form, the fine hand-finishing brings balance, reminding us that even with his flaws, Zeus stands above all on Olympus.

The bold facets are finished by a master polliseur using one of the most demanding traditional techniques in case finishing, polissage lapidaire, revealing crisp lines and deep reflections that change with every movement of the wrist.

the Movement

The movement was designed to resemble a small honey pot, a reference to Zeus' childhood and one of the earliest stories that inspired this watch. In that later retelling, Zeus held a contest at his wedding where every creature was invited to present their finest food. The bee Melissa won with her nectar, and since then, honey has remained an important part of Greek culture.

The calibre MYTH-001 is based on the C101 calibre and was developed in collaboration with Chronode, led by Jean-François Mojon. Together, we adapted and refined the structure to meet the technical and aesthetic goals of ZEUS.

As with every other part of the watch, the movement is also finished by hand to the highest standards. The bridges feature traditional techniques such as anglage and hand engraving. The mainplate beneath the balance shows a fine perlage, while the ratchet wheels are bevelled. Jewels are set in miroir-polished sinks, and the balance wheel is adjusted with masselottes.

expanding the story

To give collectors the best possible experience, we created a set of artifacts that accompany the watch.

Each piece comes with a numbered book, featuring a short story that revisits the key myths of Zeus. The story is told through original writing and custom illustrations made exclusively for MANTEIO. In addition, the book documents every major step of the watch’s creation, from raw material to final assembly.

The book also doubles as an additional certificate of authenticity.

Even the leather chosen for the strap adds meaning to Zeus’ story. It is made from Chèvre leather, chosen in reference to Amalthea, the divine goat who nourished the infant god and whose hide, according to myth, was later used by Zeus to fashion the Aegis.

To complete the collection, each watch is presented on a hand-crafted stone column, made by a Swiss stonemason. The column follows the Doric order, the architectural style most commonly used in temples dedicated to Zeus.

Press Release

Technical Specifications

the CASE

Case Material: 316l Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 39 mm x 9.7 mm
Finishing: polissage lapidaire, satinnage, anglage, hand engraving on the crown and the caseback
Crystals: front and back, AR coated sapphire
Water resistance: 30m

The Strap

Strap Material: Chèvre leather
Width at lugs: 20 mm
Width at Buckle: 18 mm
Hand Stitched

The Buckle

Buckle Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Buckle Type: Pin Buckle
Finishing: polissage lapidaire, satinnage, anglage, hand engraving

the Dial, Hands & Appliques

Dial material: 18k 2N Gold
Dial decoration: satinnage, free-hand engraving
Hand material: 18k 2N Gold
Hand finishing: satinnage, anglage
Appliques material: 18k 2N Gold
Appliques finishing: hand-polished

Movement

MYTH-001: Manually wound mechanical movement with twin-barrels, exclusively developed for MANTEIO by Chronode, based on the C101
Dimensions: 31.10 mm x 3.98 mm
Frequency: 3 Hz
Power Reserve: 7 days, 168 h
Jewels: 29
Decoration: Ecor-blasting (resembeling frosting), anglage, perlage, hand engraving, satinnage, black polishing
Coating: 2N gold