Ever imagined a stone that can hold its colour in the dark for millions of years?
That is the idea behind ROTORIS Manifesta. The dial is a thin slice of natural stone, so the colour you see was made long before the watch was. Through a small opening at six o’clock, the movement beats in plain view. Put the two together, and the watch becomes something to look into.
Inside the ROTORIS Manifesta Automatic Watch
The wonder of an automatic movement is that it can wind itself. A weighted rotor swings with every wrist motion and tightens the mainspring, so you never have to replace a battery. Manifesta runs on a Japanese Miyota 82S0, which holds about 40 hours of power. Leave the watch on a table over the weekend? It stops. Wear it again on Monday? The movement starts running as you wear it.
Then look at the dial. Anyone who has held a polished stone up to a window knows how much depth it hides. Stone is an unforgiving dial material. You have to slice it thin and polish it flat without cracking. Here is how to tell what you are looking at:
- Follow the veins. The natural patterns start to drift and branch.
- Tilt it. The polished stone shifts colour as the light moves.
- Line the two up. Put two Manifestas with the same stone side by side. The patterns will never match, making every dial unique.
- Expect the flecks. Lapis lazuli carries golden pyrite, and pietersite swirls black with veins of white and gold.
The Open-Heart Movement and Exhibition Caseback
What happens when you cut a small window into a watch dial? You get to see part of the mechanism that keeps time.
At six o’clock, Manifesta reveals the balance wheel oscillating inside the Miyota 82S0 movement. The opening gives the dial a point of movement, a small mechanical detail against the stone’s stillness. You can read the time at a glance, but look a little longer, and watch the mechanics unfold beneath the dial.
Turn the watch over, and the exhibition caseback brings another picture of the movement. The rotor, custom-designed by ROTORIS, is visible from this side and moves as the watch is worn. With the stone dial, open-heart aperture, and transparent caseback, the ROTORIS Manifesta Watch gives you more than one reason to look twice.
What’s New in Annual Production 2026-27?
The first Manifesta edition ran to 100 pieces per dial, and every piece was allocated. The Annual Production 2026–27 introduces the next production run, with changes to the case sizes, crown position, and available dial variants.
- Two Case Sizes to Choose From: Manifesta now comes in 36mm and 40mm.
- The Crown Moves to Two O’Clock: The crown has shifted from three o’clock to two o’clock.
- New Stone Dials Join the Collection: Lapis lazuli and imperial jade join pietersite, while mother-of-pearl returns from the first edition with a guilloché pattern.
- Lab-Grown Diamonds Add Another Detail: Selected variants now feature lab-grown diamonds graded VS to VVS.
- 18K Solid Gold Details: The nameplate and the open-heart bridge are crafted in solid 18K gold, complementing the natural dials.
How to Access the ROTORIS Manifesta Collection
Interested in a particular dial? The first step is the ROTORIS Registry. Completing a profile allows you to register your interest in Manifesta and indicate the collection you are considering. It does not reserve a watch or guarantee an allocation.
The process is worth understanding before choosing a favourite. With natural stone, the appeal lies partly in the fact that the material never looks exactly the same twice. With a limited production run, the number of watches available is set from the outset.
The stone has been here for millions of years. The interesting part is what happens when it finds its way to your wrist.
