When I first think about Quinting, I usually think of elegant luxury watchmaking that epitomizes Japanese technical innovation and Swiss precision and reliability. That sentiment is thanks to impressive dials/movements that Quinting timepieces boast. Famous for producing 100% transparent watches, the brand has managed to blur the line between what is the movement and what is the dial of a watch. And at the same time, they have managed to make each watch completely see-through! Their high complexity means they are not only special watches, but also that they are likely to stay special: the unique dial all but guarantees that their timepieces will not be counterfeited.

Simple in appearance but highly technical in execution, Quinting watches have a certain presence as a result. So I was a little surprised to discover Quinting’s Moonlight Circuit Collection, which brings their watches in the world of Formula One. Made for car enthusiasts, the limited edition collection is made of hand-decorated pieces that represent each the official Formula One circuits around the world.

Not necessarily known immediately for sport watches, the brand’s association with motorsports wasn’t obvious to me at the start. That is, until I did a little more digging and a little more thinking.

Digging first: as it turns out, one of the five talented engineers that brought us the world’s first 100% transparent movement comes from the world of motorsports. As a result, the manufacture has stayed connected to the sport, launching special editions for the Ferrari Challenge and the 24 Hours of Mans. This year, the brand even partnered with Formula One and the Monaco Grand Prix. And with the new Moonlight Circuit Collection, Quinting has now reproduced each racing circuit on one of its dials, Monaco included.

As for the thinking, it eventually hit me that their unique transparent watches are not just technical marvels, but they are also completely blank slates. As a result, the brand is free to decorate the space that is usually taken up by hour, minute, and second hands, day/date windows and indices, with anything they choose.

Capitalizing on that freedom, the Moonlight Circuit Collection - which builds on their original Moonlight timepiece – features one Formula One racing circuit per watch. The effect is achieved through 9 layers of sapphire, four of which are painted. As with the first Moonlight model, the Earth is in the middle of the watch, with the addition of the home-city of the circuit at the center. Around the Earth we see a real-time rotating moon, also making this watch a true moon phase. At the back we find the racing circuit graphic in red and a small Formula One racecar rotating around at the speed of a minute.

So in the end, it’s not much of a surprise that Quinting had joined forces with the king of motorsports, Formula One. Having worked for years and having invested millions to produce the world’s first completely see-through watch, it was only a matter of time before the decision was made to take their designs - and partnerships - to the next level, and fill that blank slate.