Trilobe’s smaller Une Folle Journée still asks a lot of its crystal

I like watching the rings on the Une Folle Journée, and I also think the enormous dome would take some getting used to on my wrist. The Gen Two's smaller diameter gives the display a tighter frame, but the side view still looks very tall. It's a watch I find interesting before I find it wearable. This gets 78 out of 120 bezel clicks.

The current titanium Gen Two comes in Blue, Black and Dune. The manufacturer confirms the revised 40.3 mm platform, although the exact first announcement day isn't established by the undated product page. Its news metadata and recent coverage don't all point to the same day, so this is coverage of the current model rather than a claim that it first appeared yesterday.

Reading the rings

Hours, minutes and seconds sit on separate rotating rings. The open space between them is a large part of the attraction. I like being able to look into a watch without having a conventional set of hands and indices floating in front of every component.

The blue version is the one I would choose from the photographs. The rings have enough contrast with the silver-colored structure that I can follow their separate shapes. Dune makes the machinery feel warmer, but the blue gives me a clearer sense of depth.

I would still want to read the time repeatedly at a normal viewing distance before deciding whether the novelty stayed enjoyable. A display that is fascinating in a macro image has to work when I glance down at my wrist, too. That isn't something I can settle from the manufacturer's images.

The height is part of the purchase decision

Trilobe lists a 40.3 mm titanium case, a rubber strap and 5 bar water resistance. Its technical table gives total thickness as 18.5 mm. The dome is visibly a major part of that height, so quoting the diameter alone would leave out the dimension I'd most want to check.

The self-winding X-Nihilo movement drives the ring display. The current technical table states a 42-hour reserve, while other descriptions have circulated different figures. I haven't measured it, and I would have the maker confirm the exact delivered specification rather than smooth those numbers into one confident claim.

The listed price checked November 13 is €23,500 excluding tax. A verified US-dollar price and current US delivery arrangement remain unknown. The source's oddly labeled lug-to-lug field also isn't a measurement I would rely on for fit without clarification.

I'd enjoy seeing the rings move in person. Before considering ownership, I'd need to know whether that dome felt like an enjoyable part of the watch or something I was constantly trying to keep clear of a cuff.