Watch Paparazzi

Royal Yang Di-pertuan Agong Of Malaysia Sultan Muhammad V spotted wearing Hyt

Sultan Muhammad V, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, was recently photographed wearing what is arguably one of the most technically unconventional watches money can buy — the HYT H4 Metropolis, reference 512-TD-45-GF-RN, limited to a production run of just 100 pieces worldwide.

HYT, the Neuchâtel-based manufacture founded in 2012, built its entire identity around fluidic timekeeping. The H4 Metropolis houses a proprietary bellows-and-capillary system in which two immiscible fluids — one fluorescent green, one transparent — are pushed through a curved tube around the dial by a pair of micro-bellows driven by the mechanical movement. The meniscus between the two liquids marks the current hour, progressing forward before snapping back at the 6 o'clock retrograde reset. The movement powering this system is a manually wound calibre with approximately 65 hours of power reserve, developed in close collaboration with specialist movement maker Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi (APRP). The case of reference 512-TD-45-GF-RN measures 45mm, crafted in titanium with DLC treatment, giving it a substantial yet wearable presence on the wrist.

The H4 Metropolis took the HYT concept and pushed it into architectural territory. Where the original H1 was the proof of concept, the H4 introduced a skeletonized dial architecture inspired by urban infrastructure — suspended bridges and structural frameworks — exposing the movement's mechanical complexity while framing the fluid tube as the centrepiece. Within the independent watchmaking community, HYT occupies a rare position: genuinely patented technology that no other manufacturer can replicate, making each reference a collector category unto itself.

Sultan Muhammad V, who served as Malaysia's 15th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, has long been associated with a sophisticated international lifestyle. His choice of the HYT H4 Metropolis over more conventional luxury references suggests a deliberate collector's eye — one drawn to technical provenance and exclusivity rather than brand recognition alone.

On the market, the HYT H4 Metropolis ref. 512-TD-45-GF-RN carried a UK list price of approximately £70,000 at time of sale. With HYT having entered financial restructuring in recent years and production now severely limited, grey-market values for significant references have held firm among collectors who recognise the scarcity and irreplicable technology these pieces represent.