How to Read Time with the Since 4.6 B.Y.R.S.
Time never stops. But you can, to truly grasp its value. This timepiece offers a different interpretation of time. It does not rely on an internal mechanism beating the seconds; instead, it seeks the very marks of time within nature itself.
When Watchmaking Expertise Meets the Science of Time
Designing a timepiece that does not tick the seconds but instead captures the movement of the sun: a feat of engineering rarely attempted in the history of watchmaking. The Since 4.6 Billion Years by Augé translates into horological language an astronomical phenomenon observed since the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago.
As the Earth rotates, it gives us the illusion that the sun moves across the horizon. In reality, we observe the sun advancing 15 degrees per hour, regardless of season or location, and doing so with unwavering regularity.
Knowing this, we needed a fixed reference to measure the sun’s apparent motion. Once again, nature provided the answer: at the heart of our planet, a molten outer core of iron and nickel is in constant motion. These currents of liquid metal generate, through the dynamo effect, the Earth’s magnetic field, an invisible architecture that has shielded our planet for billions of years.
From this primal force emerge the magnetic poles, whose position shifts slowly over time yet remains stable enough to serve as a universal reference. It is upon this natural constant, forged by the most fundamental physics, that the Since 4.6 Billion Years bases its reading of time.
All that remained was to add a hand: that of a compass, measuring the angle between the sun’s position and the magnetic poles to indicate the time on the watch’s engraved bezel.
Obstacles Do Not Stop the Pioneer. They Shape His Path.
How can solar time be aligned with legal time, including across time zones? The solution: a rotating bezel, engraved with Roman numerals, allowing solar time to be synchronized with legal time, wherever one may be. Without it, the timepiece would remain a fixed sundial.
Does the watch function in both hemispheres, given the shifting behavior of the Earth’s magnetic field? Augé equips the Since 4.6 Billion Years with an exceptional compass, crafted by the Finnish specialist Suunto. This “global” compass works seamlessly across both hemispheres.
How to read the time with the watch
With the watch on your wrist, held perfectly horizontal, align the silver Augé logo (at 12 o’clock on the dial) with the sun. The compass rotates, stabilizes, and its pointers then indicate the time on the bezel.
On the bezel, engraved symbols of the sun and crescent moon distinguish the daytime hours (measured by the watch) from the nighttime hours (beyond its scope).
Behind this minimalist ritual lies a rare synthesis of watchmaking craftsmanship, astronomical physics, and micromechanics. The Since 4.6 Billion Years does not pursue atomic precision; it offers instead an experience, a new understanding of time itself.
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