Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
LW "The One" Review
I have been poisoned by LW after one of my bro showed me "The One" over lunch one day. Had heard of Linde Werdelin mostly online in blogs, web banners as well as the huge online campaign "the perfect V" - you can search on youtube, 1-2 years ago where it was a series of cartoons drawn by a french cartoonist.
Impressions I had then was that LW was an adventurous and exciting brand yet with an understated tone of luxury. What caught my attention was the "hybrid" concept of having a mechanical watch with the option of adding on a digital "instrument" for the outdoors...diving or mountain climbing. Then again, what I heard and seen of LW watches were online until I saw "The One". I have to admit I bought it from impulse and did not do much research about LW nor on the watch. What struck me was the design of the case (which had four screws) as well as the strap design (which has 2 screws on each side). It reminded me of an AP RO, Hublot Big Bang, or an IWC Ingenieur. It has all the elements of some of the iconic design I ever wanted in a watch without sacrificing it's own distinct identity of its design philosophy.
Was surprised that the watch had so much presence on the wrist yet wasn't over the top with the blink factor (polished finished). It was elegant, clean in looks, humble and had the making of a modern classic. What's interesting is that all LW watches have the same case dimensions (this is to fit the instrument - which is one of their proposition).
The One comes in SS with a combination of matt and polished finish. It's design is similar to The Elemental which was a generation earlier.
The feel of the watch worn with the textile strap that it came with felt comfortable but one thing was that the strap was a little too short for my large wrist.
Wore this baby to my office (colleagues are mostly into the mainstream Rollies, Pams, IWCs) and got quite a few compliments from them which surprised me. Of course when it came to the brand...they weren't aware of Linde Werdelin. I had to explain to them the story of 2 danish friends who started this watch company...in the end I just told them to do their own research on the internet if they were interested. I personally like it when people appreciate a watch for the design rather than look at the brand first before passing on an opinion. Besides there's not much information on LW offline as compared to online. - So...I consider LW a "social-network" brand, which grew and continues to form it's fan base online.
Another thing I like is the unique strap changing...has pros and cons. Pros...easy to change and more likely to avoid scratches to the case. Cons...hard to use OEM straps since each LW strap has a unique "bracket" for you to screw-in the strap to the case.
Which means that you have not much choice but to buy it from LW, which means pricing is controlled. In addition, without a pure price policy, you need to do some homework before committing to a new strap. Warning: It cost around the price of an FM or AP strap.
Note: All pictures in this article are from the Linde Werdelin website and are for references purpose with no intention to be used except for illustrations and not for promotional usage.
Impressions I had then was that LW was an adventurous and exciting brand yet with an understated tone of luxury. What caught my attention was the "hybrid" concept of having a mechanical watch with the option of adding on a digital "instrument" for the outdoors...diving or mountain climbing. Then again, what I heard and seen of LW watches were online until I saw "The One". I have to admit I bought it from impulse and did not do much research about LW nor on the watch. What struck me was the design of the case (which had four screws) as well as the strap design (which has 2 screws on each side). It reminded me of an AP RO, Hublot Big Bang, or an IWC Ingenieur. It has all the elements of some of the iconic design I ever wanted in a watch without sacrificing it's own distinct identity of its design philosophy.
Was surprised that the watch had so much presence on the wrist yet wasn't over the top with the blink factor (polished finished). It was elegant, clean in looks, humble and had the making of a modern classic. What's interesting is that all LW watches have the same case dimensions (this is to fit the instrument - which is one of their proposition).
The One comes in SS with a combination of matt and polished finish. It's design is similar to The Elemental which was a generation earlier.
The feel of the watch worn with the textile strap that it came with felt comfortable but one thing was that the strap was a little too short for my large wrist.
Wore this baby to my office (colleagues are mostly into the mainstream Rollies, Pams, IWCs) and got quite a few compliments from them which surprised me. Of course when it came to the brand...they weren't aware of Linde Werdelin. I had to explain to them the story of 2 danish friends who started this watch company...in the end I just told them to do their own research on the internet if they were interested. I personally like it when people appreciate a watch for the design rather than look at the brand first before passing on an opinion. Besides there's not much information on LW offline as compared to online. - So...I consider LW a "social-network" brand, which grew and continues to form it's fan base online.
Another thing I like is the unique strap changing...has pros and cons. Pros...easy to change and more likely to avoid scratches to the case. Cons...hard to use OEM straps since each LW strap has a unique "bracket" for you to screw-in the strap to the case.
Which means that you have not much choice but to buy it from LW, which means pricing is controlled. In addition, without a pure price policy, you need to do some homework before committing to a new strap. Warning: It cost around the price of an FM or AP strap.
Note: All pictures in this article are from the Linde Werdelin website and are for references purpose with no intention to be used except for illustrations and not for promotional usage.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pierre Kunz Retrograde G017 FHR GD
Big date, retrograde time-zone, day/night indicator.
97 hours and 20 minutes.
A wrist shot of my PK G017 FHR GD
The direct voyage from the earth to the moon described by Jules Verne remains a masterpiece featuring all the charm of the first steps towards an improbable achievement. Pierre Kunz has chosen this as his whimsical reference for the year 2007 with a play on graphic trends.
In a 44 mm or 41 mm diameter case, Pierre Kunz has placed a grande date at 6 o’clock. the innovative grande date is positioned behind an eye-shaped sector, which reveals the subtle mechanism of the two wheels through a tinted aperture.
Note: If you study the eye-shaped sector, there are actually 3 eyes. (1: Which is the blue tinted aperture, 2: the tenth numeric, 3: the single digit numeric). Also only for this tinted blue version, it reminds us of the turkish eye charm "nazar" which protects against the "evil eye".
The sun-brushed dial, decorated simply with organic metal pointers, sets the solar or lunar mode.
A cleverly positioned sector at 11 o’clock shows daybreak in cartoon style and, when the sun sets, the moon with its thousand craters and metamorphosed stars makes its appearance on the scene.
The four-colour system permits a faithful reproduction of the original drawing by Pierre Kunz, highlighting the paradox between the technical aspect of watchmaking and the candid impression made by the sketch.
A time-zone inspired by sundials gives the dial a touch of sophistication. Once again, the outcome is a marvellously balanced, symmetrical and playful dial.
Note: It also resembles the Omega sign - (
, 
, 
) which in the New Testament book of Revelation, God is declared to be the "alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last". Therefore, I have this feeling that reminds me of being blessed by God.
A dial in constant motion and rich in complication. Pierre Kunz loves to play on his watchmaking art and creativity.
Technical references:
Fluted Empire-style case with a 41mm ø or 44mm ø in 18 carat white or 5N red gold and platinum. White, black and chocolate dial with brown, black or blue transparent zone.
Hands: blued, silvered or 5N gilded.
Functions: grande date at 6 o’clock, retrograde time-zone and day/night indicator at 11 o’clock.
Automatic movement. Pushpiece crown to facilitate setting the time-zone.
Water-resistance: 30 metres.
Power-reserve: 42 hours
Strap: matching in hand-stitched alligator skin.
** All technical write ups are from the Pierre Kunz website.
In summary, a watch which represents the spirit of challenge with a strong philosophical concept with the 18K white gold doing justice to a timeless complication. Listed Price: Est. $40K (not including the rising gold prices) ;)
97 hours and 20 minutes.
A wrist shot of my PK G017 FHR GD
The direct voyage from the earth to the moon described by Jules Verne remains a masterpiece featuring all the charm of the first steps towards an improbable achievement. Pierre Kunz has chosen this as his whimsical reference for the year 2007 with a play on graphic trends.
The story that inspired the voyage to the moon by NASA
He focuses on new designs and enlivens his dials with resolutely ground-breaking apertures, characters and patterns.In a 44 mm or 41 mm diameter case, Pierre Kunz has placed a grande date at 6 o’clock. the innovative grande date is positioned behind an eye-shaped sector, which reveals the subtle mechanism of the two wheels through a tinted aperture.
Close up to show the 3 nazars and the omega sundial inspired design
Note: If you study the eye-shaped sector, there are actually 3 eyes. (1: Which is the blue tinted aperture, 2: the tenth numeric, 3: the single digit numeric). Also only for this tinted blue version, it reminds us of the turkish eye charm "nazar" which protects against the "evil eye".
The nazar design I was talking about
The sun-brushed dial, decorated simply with organic metal pointers, sets the solar or lunar mode.
A cleverly positioned sector at 11 o’clock shows daybreak in cartoon style and, when the sun sets, the moon with its thousand craters and metamorphosed stars makes its appearance on the scene.
The four-colour system permits a faithful reproduction of the original drawing by Pierre Kunz, highlighting the paradox between the technical aspect of watchmaking and the candid impression made by the sketch.
A time-zone inspired by sundials gives the dial a touch of sophistication. Once again, the outcome is a marvellously balanced, symmetrical and playful dial.
Note: It also resembles the Omega sign - (
, 
, 
) which in the New Testament book of Revelation, God is declared to be the "alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last". Therefore, I have this feeling that reminds me of being blessed by God.A dial in constant motion and rich in complication. Pierre Kunz loves to play on his watchmaking art and creativity.
Technical references:
Fluted Empire-style case with a 41mm ø or 44mm ø in 18 carat white or 5N red gold and platinum. White, black and chocolate dial with brown, black or blue transparent zone.
Hands: blued, silvered or 5N gilded.
Functions: grande date at 6 o’clock, retrograde time-zone and day/night indicator at 11 o’clock.
Automatic movement. Pushpiece crown to facilitate setting the time-zone.
Water-resistance: 30 metres.
Power-reserve: 42 hours
Strap: matching in hand-stitched alligator skin.
** All technical write ups are from the Pierre Kunz website.
In summary, a watch which represents the spirit of challenge with a strong philosophical concept with the 18K white gold doing justice to a timeless complication. Listed Price: Est. $40K (not including the rising gold prices) ;)
Change of Direction
After a long period of hibernation...I hope that I will start my blogging habits again. Starting from this year I hope to bring to you my collection of watches and the stories behind them. I don't think I'am capable of writing long reviews since I have not been blogging actively. Forgive me yah? Happy 2011! May this year be blessed with success, health, wealth and good horological pieces!
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