The Voutilainen 28GML Souyou is a unique-piece travel-time watch made by Kari Voutilainen’s workshop in Môtiers with a lacquer dial by the Japanese Kitamura Studio. The 39 mm case and crown are made in-house from platinum, with anti-reflective sapphire crystals on the front and back. The dial was lacquered by Tatsuo Kitamura using the urushi technique, combining tree-sap lacquer with kinpun gold powders, kirigane cut gold leaf and kirigai cut shell from New Zealand abalone and green turban shell. Voutilainen states that the dial took more than a thousand hours of work. The in-house movement has a diameter of 30 mm, 211 components and 27 jewels, German silver plates and bridges, and a free-sprung balance of 13.5 mm running at 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz). It uses Voutilainen’s escapement with two escape wheels and direct impulse, and its power reserve is 65 hours. Functions are hours, minutes and a second time zone on a central 24-hour disc.

The name Souyou is a coined word. SOU refers to the outer zone of the dial, rendered in deep blue-green shell to evoke the sea, while YOU is the gold and red centre, an organic form symbolising solar energy. The main hour hand can be moved independently to local time with a push of the crown, while the 24-hour disc keeps home time. The watch is fitted with a hand-sewn strap. It was presented in 2025 as a one-piece series, and the GPHG listed its price as CHF 290,000 including VAT. The collaboration with Kitamura continues a partnership that previously produced the urushi-dial Ji-Ku, winner of the GPHG Artistic Crafts prize in 2022.

The 28GML Souyou won the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize at the 2025 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, giving Voutilainen and Kitamura a second win in that category. The Hour Glass, in its review of the winners, presented it as an example of high decorative craft paired with mechanical quality and described Voutilainen as one of the most respected independent makers for artistic craftsmanship. SENATUS featured it among the 2025 GPHG nominees. As a single piece, it has drawn little owner or forum commentary, and no critical reviews were found. The watch is a unique piece and is not in series production as of October 2026.