The Terra Australis: Uniquely Australian, unequivocally world class

A premium Swiss-made watch, encased in a lightweight new material created in Australia exclusively for Bausele

Until now, the vast majority of ‘Australian’ watches have been made from Chinese materials. And rarely could they be considered ‘premium’. All that has been changed by Bausele, the Australian watch company.

The new Bausele Terra Australis is the first premium watch to combine precision Swiss engineering with styling inspired by Australia. It is strikingly encased in Bauselite, a proprietary material created by a ground-breaking collaboration between Bausele and South Australia’s Flinders University.

Ground-breaking collaboration

Bauselite is the result of three years of intensive research and development between Bausele and Flinders University’s Centre for NanoScale Science & Technology, resulting in the creation of a jointly-owned company to produce the material for commercial use. It is the first time that world-class watch components have been manufactured in Australia.

Bauselite is a lightweight material that is similar to ceramic, but it enables more accurate modelling and suffers less shrinkage than common ceramics used in watch manufacture. The manufacturing process is also more environmentally friendly because it yields less wastage.

“This is more than a simple collaboration where they create the material and sell it to us. We are pushing it to the next level with the creation of a company together.” - Christophe Hoppe, Founder, Bausele Australia

“The new material and method of production solved a number of issues specific to using ceramics in watches.” - Dr Jonathan Campbell, Flinders University Centre for Nanoscale Science and Technology

Design ethic

At first glance, it is the fascinating design of the Terra Australis that sets this elegantly masculine timepiece apart - from the innovative five-arm structure that holds the watch face securely in place, to the watch face itself which displays time in unusual but highly intuitive fashion.

For the wearer, the addition of Bauselite to the structure results in a watch of 46mm diameter that – amazingly - weighs less than 150 grams.

The Terra Australis is driven by the highly-regarded Swiss-made Soprod A10 Automatic movement to ensure reliability and precision. High-quality rubber and kangaroo leather straps are built to last in all climate conditions.

Bausele Australia founder and design director Christophe Hoppe drew inspiration from statement jewellery, evident in detailing like the five distinctive arms that evoke the claw setting used in diamond jewellery.

“The Terra Australis is the timepiece I always wanted to make. It would have been easier to design such a watch and have it manufactured offshore, but I wanted to create something that was both innovative and uniquely Australian.” - Christophe Hoppe

A characteristic unique to the Bausele range of watches, and shared by the Terra Australis, is the incorporation of natural Australian elements into the crown – such as Bondi sand or, in the case of the Terra Australis, red dust from the Kimberley region. This way, the wearer carries a piece of Australia with them wherever they go.