Christophe Claret's first foray into the seedy world of wristworn gambling was the Blackjack 21 that let deep-pocketed watch aficionados pretend to squander away even more of their fortunes. That was followed by a Baccarat model, and now the company is introducing an even more complicated model that lets up to three players enjoy a quick game of Texas Hold'em Poker.
Christophe Claret actually intended to release this particular model first back in 2011, but the mechanisms required to orchestrate the 52 cards needed for a legit game of Poker required an additional two years of development and refinement. So in addition to cramming an actual working watch inside this piece's 45-millimeter wide case, there's a mechanical card dealer in there too with various components ensuring the results are always random.
To ensure that the three players huddled around the tiny watch can't see each other's cards, Christophe Claret has employed a series of strategically angled shutters keeping other hands out of view. The game plays out through a series of button pushes, and is accented with a series of gongs that are triggered during specific parts of a round. And with an impressive 72 hours of power reserve, you can keep gambling for days without having to worry about giving the Poker a wind.
Only 80 pieces will be produced, 20 in each of four different finishes and colors, and you can probably safely expect it to come with a price tag similar to its predecessor—somewhere in the $200,000 neighborhood. Imagine the weekend you'd have in Vegas for that much money. [Christophe Claret]