Roland Iten has revealed its latest mechanical belt buckle called the R18 Superdriver, and it is claimed to be designed exclusively designed for supercar owners. In case you are not familiar with the name Roland Iten, he’s a pioneer in fine mechanics who made a name for himself by creating ultra-precision mechanical luxury items for gentlemen. Born in 1961 in Zug’s Swiss town, Iten started designing mechanical belt buckles in 1998 and has 40 patents to his name. The traditional design of the belt buckle dates back to the 15th century and hasn’t changed much, which is very impractical and takes a lot of effort to make adjustments. The highlight of Roland Iten’s highly-technical belt buckles that are inspired by Swiss luxury mechanical watches is the complicated fastening system that can be loosened or tightened with just one hand. With the R18 Superdriver, Iten’s mechanical buckle design has further evolved into something even more technical. The new buckle technology works using a completely new sliding wheel system and “is completely self-cleaning, requiring no lubrication.” A total of four fresh patents have been filed to cover the innovative new design.
However, the new R18 Superdriver even more special is its design, which can be personalized according to the buyer’s supercar. Roland Iten is a known car enthusiast, and he even studied car design. The engineering genius partnered with Bugatti in the past to create mechanical belt buckles inspired by the Veyron. But the R18 Superdriver adopts a lot more bespoke approach. Clients can get their supercar’s design replicated onto their Roland Iten belt buckles. Iten says the first few pieces of this collection have been customized for Bugatti Chiron owners, but the R18 can be customized for any modern or classic supercar. It is achieved by “giving each R18 SUPERDRIVER buckle a distinctive “face” that can be discretely incorporated into its hood and grill, using baguette and/or brilliant-cut diamonds for the headlights.” The buyers can even get the buckle to match the color of their supercar. The pricing starts at 39,500 Swiss Francs (about $44,000).