Eugène Kim and the Vertixphere X1: Korea’s First Chapter in Haute Horlogerie

When collectors think of high-end independent watchmaking, their minds usually go to the Swiss Jura, to Finnish ateliers in the countryside, or to the futuristic orbits of brands like MB&F and De Bethune. Korea, despite its technological prowess and rich craft traditions, has largely been absent from that mental map—at least in the realm of classical haute horlogerie.

That has begun to change.

Over the last decade, names like Kwanghun Hyun and Minhoon Yoo have put Korean independent watchmaking on the radar with deeply personal, low-volume creations. But in 2025, a new name appeared with a very different kind of statement: Eugène Kim, a self-described “Korean Independent Watchmaker”, launched a watch called the Vertixphere X1under his own brand and website: eugenekim.co.kr.​

Instead of starting with modified ébauches or design-driven microbrand pieces, Kim opened with an in‑house movement, developed in collaboration with British independent watchmaker Tayeb Boussalia. The result—limited to just 30 pieces—has already been described by one international publication as “arguably Korea’s first true haute horlogerie watch.”​

This is the story of that watch, the brand behind it, and why the Vertixphere X1 matters far beyond the borders of Korea.

A New Name in a Quietly Growing Scene

Search “Eugene Kim” online and you will find many people: a vice president at Apple working on Apple Watch, journalists, translators, photographers. None of them are this Eugène Kim.

The watchmaker in question appears under:

• The Instagram handle @eugenekim_horlogerie, where he is explicitly described and tagged as a “Korean Independent Watchmaker”.
• The Korean/English website eugenekim.co.kr, which hosts a brand narrative and technical documentation for his debut watch.

Unlike many independent brands, there is no detailed public biography yet of Kim’s education, earlier career, or prior projects. The brand’s own material focuses less on the man’s résumé and more on the conceptual framework for his work.

On the site, the first chapter is titled “La Rencontre” (“The Encounter”) and introduces Kim this way:​

“Eugène Kim, Korean Independent Watchmaker…”

He is then paired with:

“Tayeb Boussalia, British Independent Watchmaker…”

From the outset, the brand positions itself as a dialogue, not a monologue—a series of “chapters” in which Kim collaborates with other independent creators to express different ideas about time.

Chapter 1 – La Rencontre: Watchmaking as Conversation

The opening project is structured as a narrative in four acts:​

1. Prologue – The Beginning of a Conversation
   Where curiosity meets craftsmanship. Kim frames watchmaking as an exploration, not just of timekeeping, but of “expressing a moment that would otherwise pass unnoticed.”
2. Dialogue – A Clash and Exchange for Senses
   The text speaks of two watchmakers “speaking different languages of time and space,” one from Korea, one from the UK. Their viewpoints “collide” and “possibilities emerge.”
3. Creation – Condensed into a Single Work
   The chaos of ideas is shaped into one piece: the Vertixphere X1. Here, the abstract conversation becomes metal, sapphire, titanium, and motion.
4. Reveal – Vertixphere X1
   The watch is presented not just as a product, but as a “statement of time”, the tangible outcome of Chapter 1.

The page closes with a promise:

“This journey is only the beginning. Chapter 2 will introduce a new conversation with another artist. Time is collaborative.”​

Before you even reach the spec sheet, it’s clear that Eugène Kim Horlogerie is not positioning itself as a typical microbrand. This is an attempt to enter the independent haute horlogerie conversation on its own terms—with a watch that can hold its own technically and conceptually.

The Vertixphere X1: A First Watch with Serious Intent

Click deeper into the site and you arrive at the dedicated page for the Vertixphere X1, the first and, so far, only model from Eugène Kim.​

Here, the tone shifts from poetic to precise.

The watch is built around an in‑house movement, calibre EKTB‑01, which the brand states has been developed jointly by EUGÈNE KIM × TAYEB BOUSSALIA. This alone sets it apart from the vast majority of new independent brands, which typically rely on off‑the‑shelf movements from Miyota, Sellita, or Seagull.

An English‑language write‑up in Oracle of Time, covering notable microbrand and independent releases for December 2025, calls the Vertixphere X1 a “specs monster with indie charm” and emphasizes that EKTB‑01 is indeed in‑house and architecturally ambitious.​

It is also extremely limited. Oracle of Time notes a production cap of 30 pieces, a number much more in line with artisanal independents than with design‑driven microbrands.​

Inside the EKTB‑01: Vertical Escapement, Retrograde Seconds, Six-Day Reserve

At the heart of the Vertixphere X1 is the movement EKTB‑01. The official technical description, combined with independent coverage, reveals a highly considered piece of mechanical architecture:

Core Specifications

• Type: Hand‑wound mechanical
• Name: Calibre EKTB‑01
• Development: In‑house, EUGÈNE KIM × TAYEB BOUSSALIA
• Jewels: 45
• Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
• Power Reserve: 144 hours / 6 days, via double barrel mainspring system
• Materials:
  • Mainplate and bridges in titanium
• Displays:
  • Off‑centered time display
  • Retrograde small seconds
  • Power reserve indicator (on the caseback side)​

Architectural Features

Two elements stand out immediately:

1. Vertically Mounted Balance–Escapement
   Rather than sitting flat in the traditional plane of the movement, the balance assembly in EKTB‑01 is mounted vertically, creating a kind of mechanical totem visible under the watch’s sapphire dome. This not only creates a striking visual focus, but also aligns the movement conceptually with other avant‑garde independents that use three‑dimensional architectures to dramatize time.
2. Retrograde Seconds with Off‑centered Time
   The small seconds hand is retrograde: it sweeps an arc, then snaps back to the start, rather than rotating continuously through 360 degrees. Time itself is indicated off‑center, on a dedicated sub‑dial or offset display rather than via central hands. Together, these choices reinforce the idea that the Vertixphere X1 isn’t just about reading time—it’s about watching time behave differently.

The movement is also open‑worked, revealing its titanium bridges and gear train through both the front and back of the watch. This is not skeletonization as a decorative afterthought; it’s an architectural decision that invites the wearer to read the movement as much as the time.

The Outside Matches the Inside: Titanium Case and Sapphire Dome

The case of the Vertixphere X1 is built to showcase EKTB‑01 rather than to compete with it.

From the official specs:​

• Case Material: Titanium Grade 23
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Thickness: 13.2 mm
• Water Resistance: 3 ATM (30 meters)
• Crystal: Sapphire dome
• Strap: Sailcloth strap with deployant buckle
• Hands: Steel blue, paired with the open‑worked dial

Oracle of Time adds a few practical observations:

• The full sapphire dome offers “excellent visibility” of the movement.​
• The watch is wound via a crown at 12 o’clock, reminiscent of some pocket‑watch inspired wristwatches, reinforcing the sense that this is an object meant to be cradled and observed as much as worn.​

Taken together, the technical and aesthetic decisions produce something that feels very much in line with modern independent high horology:

• Lightweight, hypoallergenic titanium for comfort.
• Relatively compact 40 mm diameter for true daily wear.
• A domed sapphire that prioritizes visual drama over stealth.
• Open‑worked construction that makes the mechanics the dial.

“Korea’s First Chapter in High-End Horology”?

Perhaps the most ambitious claim surrounding the Vertixphere X1 is not made by an external journalist, but by the brand itself.

In one of the Instagram captions associated with the watch, Eugène Kim Horlogerie states that becoming an owner of the Vertixphere X1 means “becoming part of history, Korea’s very first chapter in high-end horology.”​

Oracle of Time echoes this sentiment from an outside perspective, calling it “arguably Korea’s first true haute horlogerie watch.”​

Within Korea’s watch community, at least one commentator who attended the GPHG 2025events in Geneva mentioned that one reason for the trip was to see “the watch made in Korea under the name Eugene Kim… ‘Made in Korea’ 시계… 유진 김 @eugenekim8520 이란 이름으로 한국에서 제작한 시계”—a clear reference to this project’s symbolic importance.​

It is important to be precise here:

• Korean independent watchmaking did not begin with Eugène Kim. Makers like Kwanghun Hyun and Minhoon Yoo have already established international reputations for hand‑built mechanical artworks and highly finished wristwatches.​
• What distinguishes the Vertixphere X1, as far as current information goes, is that it is the first Korean-branded project publicly positioned as haute horlogerie built around a proprietary movement architecture, launched in a limited run specifically for global collectors.

In other words, it is less “Korea’s first independent watch” and more Korea’s first overt statement in the language of modern high horology—a watch that can sit in the same conceptual conversation as the experimental architectures of European independents, while rooted in a Korean maker’s name and narrative.

The Collaborative Model: EUGÈNE KIM × TAYEB BOUSSALIA

A key part of what makes this watch distinct is that it is explicitly a collaboration between two independent watchmakers:

• Eugène Kim – Korean Independent Watchmaker
• Tayeb Boussalia – British Independent Watchmaker, previously associated with the British brand Radcliffe.

Rather than hiding that collaboration, the brand centers it:

“Developed by EUGÈNE KIM × TAYEB BOUSSALIA.”​

This does two things at once:

1. It acknowledges that independent watchmaking is a network, not a solitary pursuit. Ideas move between ateliers; skills are shared.
2. It reinforces the “chapter” concept: each future project may feature a different counter‑voice, a different independent artisan or designer.

In a landscape where many brands try to claim total in‑house authorship even when they rely heavily on suppliers, there is something refreshingly honest about foregrounding the co‑creation of EKTB‑01—without diminishing the watch’s claim to independence.

Positioning in the Independent Landscape

Where, exactly, does the Vertixphere X1 sit in the broader independent watchmaking ecosystem?

Based on its architecture, production volume, and reception, several things are clear:

• It is not a microbrand in the usual sense. There is no off‑the‑shelf movement, no broad SKU lineup, no $500–$1,000 “value proposition.” Instead, there is one, highly specialized, in‑house‑movement watch, limited to 30 pieces.
• It is not a traditional Swiss independent, at least geographically, though its architecture (vertical escapement, retrograde displays, open‑working) places it aesthetically closer to the conceptual work of European independents than to design‑forward microbrands.
• It is explicitly Korean in origin and branding, yet collaborative in execution, pulling in British independent expertise via Tayeb Boussalia.

Oracle of Time includes it in a list of “Best Microbrand Watches to Buy for December 2025”, likely as a way of placing it in front of the microbrand audience rather than as a strict categorization. Within that article, however, the language used (“haute horlogerie,” “in-house EKTB-01,” “arguably Korea’s first true haute horlogerie watch”) makes it clear that the Vertixphere X1 is an outlier at the very top end of what that readership usually encounters.​

At the time of writing, no public price has been listed in the sources accessed, but the specification, materials, and production cap strongly suggest that this is a watch aimed at serious collectors of independent haute horlogerie, not microbrand bargain hunters.

Distribution and Access: How (and Whether) You Can Get One

Information about distribution is sparse but telling:

• Oracle of Time states that the Vertixphere X1 is “available to pre-order at Eugene Kim”and also mentions a retailer, Anders & Co. as a selling partner.​
• The eugenekim.co.kr website hosts the product and narrative pages but, in the publicly visible sections, does not list a checkout price or open e‑commerce cart for the watch.

This suggests a bespoke, inquiry‑based ordering process more akin to other independent ateliers than to web‑driven microbrands. With only 30 pieces slated for production, it is likely that most, if not all, will be allocated through direct communication with the brand or via a small number of specialist retailers.

For collectors, this aligns the Vertixphere X1 with the usual independent watchmaking experience:

• You reach out to the maker or their agent.
• You discuss availability, configuration, and timing.
• You become part of a very small group of owners, many of whom the maker will know by name.

Why the Vertixphere X1 is Important?

In the end, the significance of Eugène Kim and the Vertixphere X1 lies in three intersecting trajectories:

1. Korean Watchmaking Stepping into Haute Horlogerie
   Korea has long been respected for industrial precision and design, but in watches, it has rarely been present at the ultra‑high end of artisanal horology. With an in‑house, architecturally innovative movement and a production run of 30 pieces, the Vertixphere X1 signals that Korean names can now appear alongside established independent makers in conversations about haute horlogerie.
2. A Collaborative Model for Independent Watchmaking
   By framing his work in “chapters” and crediting Tayeb Boussalia as a full movement co‑creator, Kim highlights the collaborative reality of independent watchmaking rather than the solitary‑genius myth. This could be a template for future cross‑border indie projects.
3. A Fresh Voice in the Indie Canon
   Architecturally, EKTB‑01—with its vertical balance, retrograde seconds, six‑day reserve, and open‑worked titanium bridges—fits naturally into the family of contemporary independent watchmaking that values three‑dimensional movement design and mechanical theater as much as timekeeping. That this voice now comes from a Korean atelier expands the map of where collectors look for such work.

In a world where many brands revive old names or dress stock movements in clever dials, Eugène Kim Horlogerie starts on a much steeper path: an original movement, a complex architecture, and a narrative rooted in collaboration and national identity. The story is still in Chapter 1, but the opening is strong enough that the independent watch world is already watching for what comes next.