Wrapping Up a Week with the Archimede 1950 - 4

Courtesy of Archimede

Tempus Fugit (Time Flies)!

Seven days have come and gone, and it's time to wrap-up this review, whether I like it or not...

When most of you gentle readers out there think about German watches, and German watch makers your mind might go to the rich and famous denizens of Glashütte, such as A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, and the wanna-be haute and (let's be honest,  somewhat snotty) Nomos. You might think of the former Swiss/German now German once more Hanhart. You could even drill down into obscure levels of minutiae bringing you to independent wunderkinds who make things so incredible you're surprised they haven't already been kidnapped by Richemont or LVMH ; )

But "The Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit" firmly believes in living in the real world, and more importantly? Telling you about really good, cool time machines that are more about substance than hyperbole. And with that in mind, I think I have found the perfect watch - at least perfect for me. 

So that's the spoiler alert out of the way, let's get down to it -

Archimede is one of a few watch brands that sail under the Ickler family flag. Archimede is headed up by Lisa Ickler who with her team are creating highly desirable watches that you can wear and enjoy without the worry of wearing a few months' of mortgage payments on your wrist.

Now every wrist watch needs, by necessity, a case to hold the movement, dial, and hands safely and securely on the wearer's arm. Okay, fair enough. There are a lot of watch case makers out there - some are better than others. But a truly great watch case will not only provide the basics expected, but it will be not only striking to look at, but even more importantly? It will be comfortable to wear. And the case of the Archimede 1950 - 4 is without a doubt one of the most comfortable I've ever worn. It makes it a lot easier to have a fantastic watch case when your family is one of the most well-respected case makers out there, and yes - BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Courtesy of Ickler

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40 mm in diameter, and 44 mm lug to lug. 

The thickness is 9.8 mm.

The display case back gives full view to the movement, Sellita's SW 261-1M.

The 1950 - 4 can be had with either a self-winding / automatic movement or a hand-winding mechanical. In addition, you can further customize your watch with a personalized case back, and / or customized rotor -

Courtesy of Archimede

Courtesy of Archimede

The watch comes with what Archimede describes as a light brown vintage leather strap, which is secured with an engraved buckle -

The 1950 - 4 offers three different dial colors - black, blue, and green. Each feature what Archimede describes as "old radium" lume.

Being a "Man of Oregon", I opted for the green dial. 
 

The domed crystal is the perfect finishing touch, pulling all of the elements of the 1950 - 4 together. 

Okay, so that's the descriptors, but how did the watch actually run?

This was my first time down the road with one of Sellita's mechanical movements, and I must say that I was truly impressed. The winding was incredibly smooth, and the time keeping was spot on.

As previously mentioned, the finishing on the case is wonderfully smooth. Not a single sharp end or brittle point. It was truly a pleasure to wear.

The dial's layout is clear, legible, and... fun! I found myself smiling each and every time I looked at it ; )

All in all? If you want a very well-made watch that is comfortable to wear that will not break your budget? Then the Archimede 1050-4 could be right up your alley-way. And as stated earlier, for me it is perfect. The dial color, hand-winding movement, and the "Goldilocks" case (not too big, not too small, but just right!) all make for a truly special time machine.

Here are the rest of the pertinents, straight from Archimede:

Movement	Swiss Hand Wound Movement SW 261-1M Swiss Automatic Movement SW 261
ICKLER Watch Case	High-quality ICKLER Watch Case, manufactured in Pforzheim / Germany. Brushed and polished, domed sapphire crystal, onion crown, water resistant 5 ATM, screw down case back with mineral crystal Measurements: diameter: 40mm, thickness: 9,8mm, lug-to-lug length: 44mm
Dial	Curved, green with luminous indices and numerals, small second at 6
Zeiger	Vintage luminous hands, curved
Strap	Light-brown Vintage leather strap, width 20mm (for wrist size 17,5- 21,5cm) (optional: deployant buckle)

The price for the 1950-4 is very reasonable, per Archimede - 

$1,193.40*

Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs

Seven Days with the Archimede 1950 - 4

Starts now -

Stay tuned!

A New Watch Material!

With the now "new and improved" tariffs in effect for Swiss goods, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce a new watch making material now in favor with several US brand representatives and agents largely dependent upon selling Swiss watches in the US. You're no doubt familiar with stainless steel, gold, platinum... allow me to introduce you to irony!

Courtesy of Black Adder Quotes - https://blackadderquotes.com/

I witnessed a curious thing happening on "Liberation Day" at the Geneva shows. Several well-fed, well-groomed, semi-closeted Make America Great enthusiasts got a particularly cold cup of coffee while roaming the halls of Geneva. The administration that they unfailingly supported had essentially jammed a rather nasty implement up their collective bank accounts without the benefit of a romantic word or lubricant. And it was a curious thing. Grown-assed men were literally pooping in their tighty (suddenly not-so-tidy) whities, lamenting how unfair it was! This was their livelihood for goodness sakes! How could this happen to them?!?

But another funny thing happened, a few weeks later it seemed that all was well! It was all just a bluff! Let unbridled enthusiasm, and even possible avarice reign! And these same folks who were sharing their misgivings about their choices last November on that April day were suddenly back on their soap boxes (via LinkedIn) extolling the virtues of the Presidential administration and flatly criticizing anyone who disagreed with them. 

Fast forward to this past Friday. It seems that the old adage about fool me once should be changed to fool me multiple times... they have yet again changed their collective tune for the third time - give me strength!

It is clear that these "summer soldiers" and "sunshine patriots" (thank you, Thomas Paine) didn't know that the discomfort they felt on Liberation Day was nothing compared to what they are feeling now that the US government has decided to make good on the not-insignificant tariffs for Switzerland, in particular as it applies to Swiss watches.

To be clear, this is not intended to be a political post, favoring one party over the other. But it does serve to underscore an important thing that a lot of these guys seem to have forgotten. This is a relationship business. This is why most folks in the business pre-2016 tended to keep their political views to themselves and not admonish people on LinkedIn for having opposing political views - and this happened and continues to happen on both sides, to be fair. Nobody has a monopoly on self-righteous indignation ; )

Even though it is transactional relationship business any relationship, even a transactional one, requires some level of sincerity. When you blow in the wind to suit what is expedient for your personal bank account? It's hard to have much respect. You should always have your own beliefs, you should not feel the need to have to please anyone but yourself, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you inhabit. But don't constantly modify these (oftentimes loudly stated) opinions to suit whatever situation is going to benefit your bank account only to change back with each new news cycle. It cheapens an already cheapened business. We don't have to agree on everything, but just be honest with yourselves, and be consistent. Because if you can't be honest with yourselves, how can we, your customers, expect you to be honest with us?

A New Look for Henki Time!

As is often the case, the answer to your problem is usually closer than it appears! 

When I relaunched "The Blog Formerly Known As Tempus Fugit", I was content to be a bit underground.

But after a lot of ruminating, I decided it was time to hoist my new flag and more firmly sail the harbors of Watch Town. And as my dear friend and sometimes Oberlin Watch design collaborator Armand Billard has so often done in the past, he has shaken two beautiful designs from his sleeves. One for the upcoming HYPE NYC, and the other for this watch news & opinion outlet that you have once again found your way to.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Children of all ages, I present you with HENKI TIME -

Stay tuned, the shit's about to get real ; )

The Hype Rides Again!

Very excited to share that the BaselWorld favorite of 2019 is coming back - like Return of the Jedi!

Yes, we've had a little "time off" and we will be flying a different banner, but the ethos of The Hype is alive and well and will be on full display during NYC's watch week(end) this October.

More details to come - watch this space!

In Search of a Place and Time that Likely Never Existed

 “Here's the story they don't want to tell: eight companies make 95 percent of the whiskey in America...And all those different brand names are just that. Brands. Perhaps no word sums up the death of truth in America better than the word brand.”

― Wright Thompson, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last

Regular readers will note that I have, over the years, tried in vain to reconnect with my father (who shuffled off his mortal coil some 16 years ago). These same regular readers will also note that I have held onto the idea of Mido as, I had hoped to be a communication device, a way to connect to him. And in truth this has probably been a fool's errand. Which, I suppose, makes me a fool on a fool's errand. With that said, I did something that - in truth? I will probably do again, and again in some variation. I tried to lay hands to a watch that would be like the Mido (if not identical, at least ring true in feeling) to the same Mido watch that he received the day before I made my grand appearance. That day was July 10. The watch pictured above is a "Franken" watch in the most craven of terms. It was, in fact, until recently not a watch at all. It was purchased some three years ago on Ebay (sorry, but their fawning and showering of money on "A Blog to Watch" does not even remotely guarantee you're getting what you paid for). In this happy instance? It arrived as advertised - a case, dial, crown and set of hands from a former watch maker. "Just add movement"! 

But alas, Betty Crocker was not a watch maker, and this attempt to reconnect to the old man was as fraught with misteps, misunderstandings, and frustration as my teens. 

I am by no stretch the most gifted watch writer out there. Ben Clymer, when he actually takes the time to write someting? Is beyond eloquent. Wei Koh - if he could pause on the name checking / dropping and stop looking for the $10,000 word?  A wonderful story teller. If and when The Rake can solve their distribution challenges? I'm all in.

But there is something that I maybe know a bit about. And that's longing. I have sat at the table, sharing stories about what led me here. Robert-Jan Broer coined a phrase (albeit trying to explain my blunt speech at a "recruitment event" held by Ebner to get ahold of large amounts of watch journalism content at bargain basement prices. A friendly note to Ebner about 10 years overdue - next time serve actual food, not stale bread with dubious smelling sandwich spread and tap water. This was during BaselWorld some years back. And I had looked around the room, looking for the person that didn't belong, and realized it was me. And I asked the question - "Why do we write about watches? Is it money? Presents from brands? Comped travel to fun destinations? Is that really why we got started in this?"

My point was - and continues to be - it had evolved into a business that traded on ego and appearance.

And in fact? Only Robert Jan and I gave actual answers!

He asked me -
"Do you mean, what was the trigger?"
In essence? What had gotten all of us interested in watches in the first place.

Now in fairness, I don't remember his answer as I was getting the "stink eye" from another now well-known and well established Dutch watch media mogul. But my answer was - "Mido".

So we're going to dive into my latest dive down the Mido rabbit hole over the coming week - so stay tuned.

The AQUASPHERE Ocean Fade

From Hanhart -

Courtesy of Hanhart

This is Hanhart's latest foray into divers -
The AQUASPHERE Ocean Fade, 42mm

It is priced at 1.590 € 

The case is stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter with an advertised water resistance of 30 ATM.

The movement is the Soprod SOP P024 - TOP Version.

The New Ice Blue Uruga

From Minase -

Courtesy of Minase

This new dial version is available is several sizes, and with a steel bracelet (above), rubber or leather strap.

For those of you just tuning in, here is some background on Minase -

https://www.henkitime.com/2018/03/a-grand-day-out-visiting-minase-factory.html

https://www.henkitime.com/2018/03/a-grand-day-out-part-2-minase.html

https://www.henkitime.com/2018/03/a-grand-day-out-minase-3.html

The current price of the Uruga is priced at $6,600 and ships directly from Minase International. 

100 years - 100 days - 100 watches

Laco is celebrating their centenary in style! A special edition watch that cannot be bought for any amount of money - but can be won!

Courtesy of Laco

Laco has created 100 pieces of what they have dubbed the "Frieda". Why Frieda, you ask?  

Per Laco -

Some watches carry more than a name – they carry a story. Our limited edition FRIEDA honors Frieda Lacher, co-founder of our manufacture and one of the defining figures in Laco’s history. Unlike most of our models, which are traditionally named after cities, this piece is a personal dedication. It embodies the spirit that still defines us today: courage, conviction, and true craftsmanship.

Courtesy of Laco

Red dial, pure design

The textured dial shows a delicate red tone – a subtle nod to Laco’s signature brand color. Large numerals and indices filled with Superluminova C1 guarantee optimal legibility, even in the dark. Black-framed hands with luminous fill round off the authentic pilot’s watch look.
 

A flat sapphire crystal protects the dial and brings out the striking red in full intensity, eye-catching yet unmistakably Laco.
 

Inside, the automatic Laco 2S movement (based on Miyota 82S0) keeps time reliably. With stop-seconds functionality, it offers precision for daily wear – and mechanical joy with every glance.

Courtesy of Laco

So just how do I (meaning you, gentle reader) win one of these wonderful time machines? You have to follow the Laco calendar, which will announce the various ways to win. To kick things off

Laco Online Shop

From July 19 to 26, 2025, we’re giving away the first three pieces of our strictly limited FRIEDA anniversary watch (100 units in total) among all orders placed in our online shop (laco.de and laco-watches.com). Participation is optional and, if desired, happens automatically during the checkout process – no extra steps required.Fingers crossed! 

There are terms and conditions that are disclosed on the site. 

Here is a link to the giveaway calendar. Be sure to check back each day to make sure you don't miss your chance(s)!

https://www.laco.de/en/laco-100

The team here at Henki Time wishes you all the best of luck, and here's hoping you are winners ; )

The Ocean Star Worldtimer

From Mido -

Courtesy of Mido

Okay, just to be clear right out the gate - this one is nice on many levels, but a wee bit disappointing. Disappointing because by adding an actual GMT functioning movement it would have been so much more.

                                                                        Courtesy of Mido


I love the aesthetics - in particular the original Mido logo which yes, they should revert to for all of their watch dials!

Courtesy of Mido

I realize that I might be in the minority, as it is a "tribute" watch and that yes, you can get the second timezone (after a fashion), but it is work, and in truth? The reason why the advancements were made to incorporate second time zone indicating functions into movements was because honestly? It's a pain to do the constant calculations. I realize that watches are more than mere function - I bang on about it constantly, but I also sometimes think selfishly about what I would want, and what I would want would be a fairly effortless glance down to capture the time at home, or my next destination. But then maybe that's just little me ; )

Mido didn't share all of the pertinents that they do with their "preferred" media partners, but from checking up on the big dogs that got the early drop, it appears that the asking price is 850 CHF (sans tax).

Anyway, here are the pertinents -

This One's Different! We'll Make It A Dive Watch...In Orange!

Courtesy of DOXA

How many times can you recreate (essentially) the same watch? That is clearly a question that the brain trust in Biel/Bienne is asking as DOXA offers up (yet) another tribute to Clive Cussler / Dirk Pitt. 

Priced at $2,990.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Technical data

MOVEMENT

Swiss mechanical automatic, self-winding
Power reserve 56 hours
Frequency 28,800 vph (4.0 Hz)
Decorated by DOXA

CASE

Stainless steel case
Diameter 45.00 mm x 47.00 mm
Height 11.95 mm
Screw-down crown
Water resistance 75 ATM / 750 meters / 2,460 feet
Stainless steel, screw down case back

INDICATIONS

Hours, minutes, seconds
Date

FEATURES

Sapphire crystal
Unidirectional rotating bezel (in feet)
Limited to 94 timepieces

BRACELET / STRAP

Stainless steel bracelet "Beads of Rice", folding clasp with ratcheting wetsuit extension
Lug width 21.00 mm
Additional NATO strap included in the box

DIAL

National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) logo stamped on the dial

The 24-hour Edition

 From MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

This is the latest from the brand that continues to encourage us to look at time differently - the 24-hour Edition, from MeisterSinger.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Limited to 100 pieces, the 24-hour Edition's case measures 40 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel. The movement is Sellita's SW 330. The suggested retail price is 3,190€ which includes tax / VAT.

Here are the pertinents -

Model	Edition 24H (ED-PM99-24H)
Movement	Sellita SW 330, Automatic, 56 hour power reserve
Case	Stainless steel, 6 screw case back, water-resistent to 5 bar, sapphire crystal
Diameter	40 mm
Dial	Sunburst steel blue with gold accents
Strap	Calf leather with crocodile embossing, cognac with white stitching
Specialty	Limited to 100 pieces
Origin	German watch brand, Swiss Made

(Re)Introducing Statera

It would seem that once again I have been asleep at the switch! So in fairness, this is not "new" news, but it is for me ; )

Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages - 

                            Statera!

Courtesy of Statera

One of their taglines is: 

            "Traditional watchmaking
                with a tropical twist"

And that seems a fitting motto! Statera is based in Maringá. And no, that is not a small community in Neuchatel! You would be forgiven for making assumptions based on the high level of finishing that is on display through the "ready to wear" collection, but Satera is proudly (rightfully so) Brazilian. And unlike so many brands that have an administrative office in their "home country", but use the Swiss elves in white label assemblers to produce their watches, the team at Statera is actually making actual watches!

Courtesy of Statera

Statera is notable for many reasons, but it is clear that the creation of enamel dials is a focal point. In their ready to wear they have two families:

The Opaque Collection - 

Bright Ivory - Courtesy of Statera

Royal Blue - Courtesy of Statera

Deep Black - Courtesy of Statera

Here are the pertinents for the Opaque Collection:

Case diameter: 37 and 39mm

Lug to lug length: 42,75 and 44,55 mm

Case depth: 9,9mm

Case finish: Polished + Satin (Finished by hand)

Strap width: 20 and 22mm

Strap: Handmade leather

Dial: Enamel Grand Feu

Movement: La joux perret G-100

Glass: Sapphire crystal with 5 layers of anti-reflective coating

Hands: Thermally treated by hand in house

Waterproof: 3ATM

Warranty: 2 years

The second collection is the Transparent Collection -

Forget Me Not - Courtesy of Statera

Caeruleum - Courtesy of Statera

And the pertinents -

Case diameter: 37 and 39mm

Lug to lug length: 42,75 and 44,55 mm

Case depth: 9,9mm

Case finish: Polished + Satin (Finished by hand)

Strap width: 20 and 22mm

Strap: Handmade leather

Dial: Enamel Grand Feu

Movement: La joux perret G-100

Glass: Sapphire crystal with 5 layers of anti-reflective coating

Hands: Thermally treated by hand in house

Waterproof: 3ATM

Warranty: 2 years

And as if making their own enamel dials and assembling in their atelier was not enough...

Their watch cases are also produced in Brazil! Per Statera -

The ST02 WatchCase

With over two decades of expertise in the art of habillage, Angelique Chappuis is the mind behind the conception of our watchcases and buckles. Working closely with the Statera team, Angelique transforms technical constraints into sculptural forms, guided by an obsessive attention to proportion, ergonomics, and the subtle harmony between sharp lines and soft transitions.

The cases, offered in 37 and 39mm, are machined and hand-finished in Brazil, where her design vision takes shape through our local craftsmanship. Each buckle follows the same ethos, serving as a natural extension of the case’s architecture.

The result is more than functional, it becomes a tactile bridge between the poetry of the dial and the rhythm of the movement, a frame where mechanics and emotion coexist.

So there you have it! But keep in mind, that is the "ready to wear"! Statera also offers a bespoke experience for the customer who wants to really let their creativity flow!