Masks have accompanied humanity since prehistoric times. One of the earliest known depictions of a masked human figure was discovered in the Trois Frères cave in France and dates back between 17'000 and 11'000 years. From ritual objects to theatrical alter egos, masks have always carried meaning: they conceal identity, distort emotion, and assign symbolic roles. Throughout history, they have been used to communicate power, mystery, status, or transformation.
In watchmaking, masks are rare. In the hands of Konstantin Chaykin, they become something else entirely.
With the Joker Iron Mask and Joker Golden Mask, Chaykin introduces two new characters into his Wristmons universe, reinterpreting the concept of a mask not as a means of concealment, but as an intellectual game. The dial becomes a living façade: it simultaneously obscures the mechanism behind a playful, ever-changing face, while revealing the technical complexity that animates it.
At first glance, the watches are unmistakably Wristmons. The familiar Joker display is present: two “eyes” indicating hours and minutes, and a smiling mouth displaying the day of the week. Yet unlike previous Jokers, the dial here is open and architectural. The mask is no longer a flat surface; it is a structure, layered and expressive, inviting the wearer to read time through both emotion and mechanics.
The mask-dial is composed of three functional elements. The eyes serve as hour and minute scales, animated by decorative pointers fitted with blued steel rings acting as pupils. The mouth, curved into a subtle smile, indicates the day of the week via a red-tipped pointer. These elements are framed by figurative components of the Joker indication module: bridges shaped like eyebrows, and a distinctive nose-like bridge set with a prominent ruby, recalling the central stones found in fine pocket watches of the early 20th century.
Everything visible on the dial is functional. There are no purely decorative additions. Non-figurative components—wheels, levers, springs—form a dense mechanical background that drives the Joker indication while reinforcing the impression of a mechanical face frozen between humor and seriousness.
The origin of this masked Wristmon dates back to 2020, when Chaykin first imagined an open, skeletonized Joker dial. The concept appeared publicly in 2021 with the unique Martian Tourbillon, created for the Only Watch charity auction. It evolved further in 2022 with the Joker 5 anniversary model. What was initially referred to as the “Joker Skeleton” would later mature into two distinct identities: the Joker Iron Mask and Joker Golden Mask, officially introduced in 2023. Final production began in 2025, following a delay caused by Chaykin’s focus on the exceptionally complex Stargazer Wristmon.
What truly defines these two models is the fusion of avant-garde design with traditional decorative techniques. The plates and bridges of the Joker indication module are finished using classic frosted surfaces, achieved through abrasive blasting. On the Joker Golden Mask, these elements are gold-plated, producing a warm glow reminiscent of late 18th- and early 19th-century pocket watches. The Joker Iron Mask, finished in rhodium, presents a cooler, monochromatic aesthetic, echoing the restrained metallic tones of 17th-century Puritan timepieces.
The detailing is meticulous. Star wheels, eccentrics, levers, and flat springs are carefully finished with longitudinal and circular graining, chamfering, and polishing. Accents of color punctuate the composition: blued steel rings, a red weekday pointer, and the central ruby stone anchoring the dial visually and symbolically.
Rather than reproducing historical decoration, Chaykin reinterprets it. These watches do not imitate the past; they translate it. The result is a contemporary mechanical mask that balances humor and rigor, tradition and experimentation.
With the Joker Iron Mask and Joker Golden Mask, Konstantin Chaykin demonstrates once again that high watchmaking can be playful without being trivial, expressive without sacrificing depth. These Wristmons are not merely timekeepers—they are characters, theatrical faces animated by gears, inviting their owners into a dialogue between history, mechanics, and imagination.
Both pieces are available on our website, click here for more information