Things I'd Love To See In 2021 - A Mechanical Mach 2000

Growing up a Northern Youth, I found Sundays were typically spent daydreaming. I would imagine leaving my small Ohio town and seeing the world. I would pour over books about Japan, Finland and Sweden, and imagine what it might be like to visit, or even live in such places. 22 years later, I can answer those questions. But I still wonder about things not yet seen, or things that went away that I wish would come back.  

This past year Swatch miracled many of us with a reissue of Keith Haring Swatches in partnership with Disney. But having spent some time in France, and Besançon in particular, I keep hoping for one specific watch to come back in a mechanical or self-winding format, and that would be Roger Tallon's iconic creation, the Mach 2000 from Lip -

Photo kindly shared by a collector who prefers to remain anonymous

This is an example of the "original" version. It sports 
the red, yellow and blue color code that is now synonymous with the Mach 2000. Under the hood is a manual winding Valjoux movement.

Now point of full disclosure, although I have visited the Lip HQ and factory in Besançon, I do not have any "inside info" on any possible reiteration of the Mach 2000. The team at Lip play their cards very, very close to their vest and as far as I know, the hope for a new mechanical/automatic Mach 2000 is probably just my own late winter Sunday daydream. But wouldn't it be cool?

Now I realize that we are living in different times than the 1970s, and the cost of a Valjoux chronograph is far loftier (when allowing for inflation to current prices) than it was back when the Mach 2000 made its debut, but my hope is that the team at Lip will find a way to bring back a mechanical/automatic Mach 2000 and offer it at a price that stays true to the ethos of Lip - great watches at a fair price.  Here's hoping that 2021 will flip the script on 2020 and we'll have some positive surprises!

For now, there is still a great option that in many ways perhaps out-Tallons the original -

Monsieur Tallon was, at his heart, a modernist.  And when we go back to the birth of the Mach 2000, a quartz movement was like water from the moon. A Valjoux chronograph made a great deal more fiscal sense. But I suspect that being a modernist, he would have been interested in the latest technology.

Sorta' funny how things change! In many ways, I suspect that the current model is what he would have designed and what Lip would have made if it would not have been so shockingly cost prohibitive. That's just my take on it, but there you go.  

At any rate it's Sunday, and I'm going to return to my daydreaming ; )

Enjoy your watches!

Some Urushi Goodness

From Minase -

Courtesy of Minase

As previously mentioned, I worked for Minase to help bring them to North America. As of the turn of the year, I am no longer an official team member, but absolutely an unofficial brand evangelist! And therefore, after nearly 2 years, I can put on my enthusiast's hat and write from the heart.

The Divido is a huge favorite, particularly in North America. In many ways it sums up the thesis behind Minase's watches, extremely well executed design combined with painstakingly extensive hand finishing. And as with the other dials (particularly the blue/purple), the Urushi dial is the crowning touch to an already impressive time machine. And as much as the blue/purple dialed Divido was a rare find, the Urushi dialed Divido is a true unicorn, selling out in the blink of an eye. 

But don't worry, the folks in Akita-ken are hard at work to make some more! For now the replenishment pieces are available for pre-order.

Here are the pertinents -

Model : Divido Deep Blue Urushi Silver Maki-e dial

Case : Stainless steel 316L. Domed box type sapphire crystal (non reflective coating) on top, see-through sapphire case back. Water resistant up to 50 meters (5 Bar).

Dimensions : 40.5 mm. Thickness : 12,0 mm.

Lug to lug: 48 mm

Weight total : 150 g.

Movement : KT7001/1, power reserve 38 hours, Swiss ebauches, customized by MINASE with hand-made polishing and « perlage » on plates and bridges. Minase customized rotor, treated in black or.

Face : Deep blue, Urushi sprinkled in silver Maki-e

Hands : polished, luminous material on hours’ and minutes’

Functions : Hours, minutes and central second hands. Date at 3.

Bracelet : 316L stainless steel with deployment buckle. MORE concept.

The Chronoswiss Opus Chronograph Flag

From Chronoswiss -

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

This one dropped today.  A slightly different livery from the predecessor.  

The case is of stainless steel and measures 41 mm in diameter. The movement is listed as the Caliber C.741S.

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

Here are the pertinents -

CASE

Material:
Stainless steel

Number of parts:
23

Case back:
Screw-down case back with satin finish and sapphire crystal

Diameter:
41 mm

Height:
12.7 mm

Band width:
21 mm

Finish:
Partly polished, partly with satin finish

Bezel:
Polished screw-down bezel with side knurling and full thread. Curved, non-reflecting sapphire crystal.

MOVEMENT

Movement:
Caliber C. 741 S, automatic, skeletonized

Frequency:
4 Hz ( 28800 A/h )

Power reserve:
Approx. 46 h

Number of jewels:
25

Finish:
Skeletonized and CVD-plated blue rotor with Côtes de Genève, ball bearing; polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws; bridges and base plate with perlage

Rotor:
Skeletonized and rhodium-plated blue rotor with Côtes de Genève and ball bearing

DIAL

Dial material:
Skeletonized, galvanic blue and silver

Displays:
Central hours and minutes, small seconds, central chronograph seconds, 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter, analog date

Design of hands:
Lacquered and curved; minute hand bent by hand

Shape of hands:
"Breguet Losange"

The Scafograf 300

From Eberhard -

Courtesy of Eberhard

This is a new take on Eberhard's Scafograf 300, and I'm digging it.

The case is of stainless steel and measures 43 mm in diameter with a listed water resistance of 300 meters.

Here are the pertinents, straight from Eberhard -

STEEL

AUTOMATIC 

MECHANICAL SELF-WINDING, DIVING WATCH

SAPPHIRE GLASS, CONVEX, ANTI-REFLECTING

SCREW-IN CROWN, WATER-RESISTANT, PERSONALIZED “E”

SCREWED-IN CASEBACK PERSONALIZED WITH AN ENGRAVED STARFISH

LEATHER STRAP WITH A VINTAGE LOOK 

OPTIONAL:
INTEGRATED BLACK RUBBER STRAP PERSONALIZED WITH THE “E” SHIELD

STEEL BRACELET CHASSIS® 

DEPLOYMENT DÉCLIC® – PATENTED

The Reality Distortion Field Comes to Biel/Bienne

"Hey, I'm a reasonable guy. But I've just experienced some very unreasonable things."

Jack Burton as played by Kurt Russell - Big Trouble in Little China

Courtesy of the FH

Many business journalists and psychologies have mused about what many early employees at Apple Computer referred to as the Reality Distortion Field that seemed to envelope Steve Jobs. Well, it would seem that this is not exclusive to the computer business in Silicon Valley. According to the FHS, everything is "Jim Dandy" and trending upwards! And in other news, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy have all signed on as new Hublot brand ambassadors...

Per those bold prognosticators in Biel/Bienne (just don't ask them for a weather report, or you will be wearing your swimming trunks and sun screen during a blizzard), here is the "happy" analysis -

"Swiss watch exports suffered from a negative base effect and one business day fewer in January, posting an 11.0% fall, to 1.6 billion francs. The result for the month will nonetheless have only a limited effect on the upward trend seen since last summer and a return to significant growth is expected over the next few months."

I can only assume that they can't understand their own graph, or that the words significant and growth possibly don't actually mean what they are implying. Now as the math department at Oberlin High School will attest, numeracy was not my strong suit, but I am fairly certain that when the graph line on the chart keeps heading south, it in fact means that you are NOT improving, but rather doing quite the opposite, and upward trend typically means that the graph line would be heading, well, upward.

Moonphase Monday - The Lunar Chronograph

From Chronoswiss - 

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

Here are the pertinents -

Case

Material:
Stainless steel

Number of parts:
38

Case back:
Screw-down case back with satin finish and sapphire crystal

Diameter:
41 mm

Height:
14.8 mm

Band width:
21 mm

Finish:
Partly polished, partly with satin finish

Bezel:
Polished screw-down bezel with side knurling and full thread. Curved, non-reflecting sapphire crystal.

Movement

Movement:
Caliber C. 755, automatic

Frequency:
4 Hz (28,800 A/h)

Power reserve:
Approx. 46 hours

Number of jewels:
25

Finish:
Polished pallet lever, escape wheel and screws; bridges and plates with perlage

Rotor:
Skeletonized and rhodium-plated rotor with Côtes de Genève and ball bearing

Dial

Dial material:
Guilloché-decorated, galvanic blue

Displays:
Central hours and minutes, small seconds, central chronograph seconds, 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter, analog date, moon phase

Design of hands:
Lacquered white, minute hand bent by hand

Shape of hands:
"Breguet Losange"

It's Hard Not To Be Romantic About Watches - The Kontiki Bronze Diver

Courtesy of Eterna

I realize that the world of watch fans can be pretty tribal - Paneristis, Speedmasters, Doxaholics.

Watches are pretty personal, and it goes without saying that not unlike the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts chooses your house for you, in many instances you don't choose your watch, your watch chooses you. And the sorting hat (in tandem with Seregin's of San Francisco back in 2001) chose the Kontiki for me.

The version then was the 50th Anniversary Super Kontiki and it was soooo drip! (according to the young people awaiting sneaker drops in front of Bodega, drip = good). Regular readers will recall that career "trauma" and the realities of living in the most expensive city at the time compelled me to let it go. Regular readers will also recall that a very dear friend gifted me with a 1973 model -

And it remains a valued, trusted companion -

So it is safe to say that I am a committed ; )

But back to today's topic, the Eterna Kontiki Bronze Diver -

Courtesy of Eterna

While the current output of new models from Eterna is not nearly as robust as it once was, hope springs eternal for a comeback, and the Bronze Diver is as good a "spokeskontiki" as you will find ; )
The case is of bronze and measures 44 mm in diameter. The movement is Eterna's manufacture EMC 3902A.

To quote that other great commentator on watches -
Rakim (William Michael Griffin Jr.) of Eric B and Rakim from Follow the Leader:
"Am I eternal or an eternalist?"

It is, quite simply, the shit that killed Elvis!

And safe to say, I'm an Eternalist!"

Should, like me, you be so inclined?  Here are the pertinents -

Ref: 1291.78.51.1430

 

MOVEMENT
Calibre Maison Eterna EMC 3902A, power reserve 65h, 28’800 v.p.h, 30 jewels, 1 ball bearing

 

CASE
All brushed bronze, rotating bezel with green ceramic ring, case back secured with screw, sapphire crystal opening in stainless steel
 

CRYSTAL
Scratch-resistant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal
 

DIMENSIONS
∅ 44 mm / 14.05 mm
DIAL
Green, matt structured
 

STRAP & CLASP
Brown waterproof leather strap, bronze pin buckle
 

FUNCTIONS
Hour, minute, seconds

Swatch X MoMA

If you still have some of your allowance money left after the Keith Haring drop, here is what's next from Swatch -

Courtesy of SWATCH

In collaboration with the MoMA, this collection of 6 different MoMA master works can be yours as individual stand-alone pieces, or in a very impressive folio collection -

Courtesy of Swatch

Courtesy of Swatch

Courtesy of Swatch

Courtesy of Swatch

Here's the straight skinny, straight from the source in Biel/Bienne -

Swatch announces the launch of special edition designs with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as part of its Museum Journey series. The watches will be available at Swatch stores worldwide and swatch.com as well as global MoMA Design Stores and store.moma.org, starting on March 4, 2021.

The assortment features six unique creations inspired by artworks in MoMA’s Collection, including The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh, Hope, II (1907-1908) by Gustav Klimt, The Dream (1910) by Henri Rousseau, Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1 (1914) by Piet Mondrian, The City and Design, The Wonders of Life on Earth, Isamu Kurita (1966) by Tadanori Yokoo, and New York (1968) by Tadanori Yokoo. These watches can be purchased individually or as a collector’s edition. Swatch and MoMA developed a special box for the collector’s edition inspired by the Blade Stair, a prominent architectural feature of MoMA.

You heard it here first ; )

The MOTION Automatic 24

This is one of the first offerings of a new brand from France, SYE -

Courtesy of SYE

After a successful crowdfunding effort, the SYE MOTION Automatic 24 is now ready to meet the general public.  Assembled in Besançon, and shipped around the world.

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40.55 mm in diameter.  The movement is the Miyota 8217, which provides hours, minutes, seconds and a 24 hour indicator.

Courtesy of SYE

But for me, one of the most intriguing aspects is the strap system which allows for a quick strap change with the use of a casebook tool.  The look is not entirely dissimilar to the original Omega Dynamic.

Courtesy of SYE

Here are the pertinents -

CASE
Material: stainless steel 316L
Construction: 5-part case construction
Crystal: scratch-resistant & AR coated sapphire
Caseback: Fastback™ system
Water resistance: 50 meters (5 ATM)


DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 40,5mm
Width (incl crown): 43,5mm
Thickness : 13,4mm
Weight: 100g (3,53 oz) approx.


DIAL
Colors: Silver or Smoky grey brushed steel dial
Functions: hour, minute, second, date, 24h sub-dial
Hands: diamond shape with Superluminova™ coating


STRAP
Fastback™ Premium strap among 10 variations
Lining: full grain Italian calf in SYE blue
Stitches: constrasting stitches
Buckle: brushed stainless steel deployment buckle
Length: 120/80mm (long/short strap)


MOVEMENT
Type: automatic mechanical movement
Caliber: Miyota 8217
Jewels: 21 jewels
Frequency: 21 600 alternances / hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Warranty: 2 years

The Bubble Diablo

From Corum -

Courtesy of Corum

And no, gentle reader, it is not lost on me that I am still bezel deep in a review of another Corum Bubble ;  )

But this little buzzer was released earlier this month and it is, well, a bit special, and is limited to 88 pieces.

At 47 mm in diameter, it is not insignificant. But the weight will not be too oppressive owing to the fact that the case is of titanium (assuming that the DLC treatment doesn't add significantly - yes, I'm kidding).

But wait - there's more! Yes, Corum makes chronographs, and they have made Bubble Chronographs, but this appears to be a single button (crown) chronograph with a rather beguiling set of sub dials that serve as eyes of a sort, and the date window where the mouth might be.

The movement is the CO 771, a self-winding chronograph with hours, minutes, seconds and date with a power reserve of 55 hours.

The case, as previously mentioned is of DLC treated titanium measuring 47 mm in diameter, with a thickness of 20.45 mm. You can certainly paddle about in the pool with this one as the water resistance is rated to 100 meters.

Don't Let The Tail Wag The Dog - Or What Bobby Hundreds Could Teach Watch Town

Now what do I, your old pal Henki, and streetwear designer Bobby Hundreds (Bobby Kim) have in common? At first blush, precious little.  Bobby Hundreds is the design half of the The Hundreds, a wildly successful men's streetwear company born out of a passionate interest shared by two young law students. 

I finished reading Mr. Hundred's recounting of his life and experience building his brand, This is not a T-Shirt -

Courtesy of The Hundreds

There are a great many life and business lessons sprinkled throughout, but there were a few that really resonated with me. It is about branding, identity, and not letting the tail wag the dog. He retells the story of when The Gap changed their logo and the backlash that ensued via social media comments and discussion forums. Gap then seemingly gave in to the mob and asked for the detractors to contribute their own logo ideas & designs. To quote directly -

"I remember watching "Gapgate" unfold.  It bummed me out.  Gap shouldn't have ceded to vocal Facebook groups.  It should have remained in control of its brand, even if it had to fake it.  Gap should have dictated what Gap was..."

THIS IS NOT A T-SHIRT, pg. 274, Bobby Hundreds, copyright 2019 by Bobby Kim.

And this is a lesson that several micro (and a few macro) brands have learned the hard way. While there is a very real need for customer engagement and a sense of community, those are two parts of a brand, but they are not the brand itself. So for aspiring brands out there (or even established ones), your brand is just that - yours! Yes, you need followers, you need a community of "true believers", but ultimately, it is up to you to define, declare and defend just what your brand is, and what it stands for. Listen to your followers, seek their opinion and engage with them - but ultimately? The buck stops with you. 

Don't let the tail wag the dog.

Moonphase Monday - The Lunascape in Sunburst Blue

With MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Here are the pertinents -

Case

Stainless steel case with 6-screwed exhibition back
Diameter 40 mm
Height 12.0 mm

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Movement

ETA 2836-2 with MeisterSinger moon phase module
Automatic
25 jewels
28800 Semioscillations per h – 4 Hz
Power reserve 38 h

Glass

Domed sapphire glass

New & Improved - The BR 03-92 Golden Heritage

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

After an upgrade and spa treatment, the former favorite the BR S Golden Heritage has a truly worthy successor.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement: 

mechanical automatic.

Functions: 

hours, minutes, seconds. Date.

Case: 

satin-brushed steel. 42 mm diameter.
Brown dial. Golden appliqué index and numerals. Golden hands.

Crystal: 

anti-reflective sapphire.

Water-resistance: 

100 m.

Strap: 

gold calfskin with a hot stamped finish and black heavy-duty synthetic fabric straps.
Satin-brushed steel pin buckle.

 

The Astroscope Edition

From MeisterSinger - 

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Limited to 100 pieces, here are the pertinents -

Model
Edition Astroscope / limited 100 pieces

Movement 

Sellita SW 220-1, automatic, power reserve 38 h, 

Day and Date Disc

Case 

Stainless steel, Diameter 40 mm, 6 screws exhibition back, 5 bar, sapphire glass

Variants 

Edition in 2021:
black - orange with orange leather strap

RRP 

1.990 Euro

Availability 

February 15

The Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel

From Hermès -

Courtesy of Hermès

Here are the pertinents -

CASE

Shape/dimensions: Round, 39.5 mm diameter
Material: Beadblasted grade 5 titanium caseband and case-back 950 platinum bezel
750 white gold crown and pusher
Crystal: Sapphire crystal and case-back with anti-glare treatment Water-resistance: 3 bar

DIAL

Anthracite, silver-toned transferred Arabic numerals. Mother-of-pearl moon against an aventurine glass sky. Sandblasted rhodium-plated or blue-lacquered baton-type hands.

MOVEMENT

Type: Mechanical self-winding movement, crafted in Switzerland. Manufacture ultra-thin H1950 movement Module: Agenhor
Diameter: 30 mm (13 1⁄4’’’)
Thickness: 2.6 mm (movement) + 1.4 mm (module) 

Power Reserve: 42 hours
Jeweling: 29 jewels (movement) + 3 jewels (module) 

Frequency: 21’600 vibrations per hour / 3H 

Decoration: Bridges hand-bevelled and adorned
with ‘sprinkling of Hs’
Distinctive feature: Micro-rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, moon phases, second time zone, day/night indication, perpetual calendar

STRAP

Matt graphite alligator
950 platinum 17 mm (≈ 7.36 g) pin buckle

Raketa - If I Had To Pick Only One

Now as a quick point of clarification, I did do some freelance work for Raketa previously and as such felt that it was not appropriate to post anything other than "just the facts".  But as they are now a former client, I can finally opine sincerely about my personal feelings. And spoiler alert - they are all positive! 

I did purchase one of the Polar anniversary watches last year, and spoiler alert number 2?  I paid full price. I do like this anniversary take on the Polar very, very much and I truly enjoy wearing it, and it will definitely remain in the Henki personal collection. But the one that I now have my eye on now that I am a "civilian" would be this one -

Courtesy of Raketa

Now a perhaps not so well known Henki factoid - I was obsessed with the Soviet Union for years (late 70s right up until 91/92). And not obsessed in a "spy vs spy"/us vs them dynamic. No, I simply found the differences rather intriguing. I often wondered, what were Soviets really like? I watched Gorky Park endlessly and was gutted when I found out that a lot of it was filmed in Helsinki, Finland. I had unwittingly walked past what stood in for the Moscow Militia headquarters on more than one class break between teaching at the Finnish Parliament building and Nokia ; )  

As a Northern Youth growing up in a tiny, fairly provincial Ohio town, I often imagined traveling to the USSR, and possibly Poland, and other Warsaw Pact countries.  I was perhaps the counter to the main protagonist from Gorky Park - Chief Inspector Arkady Renko:

"I always wanted to meet an American. You are so, so different. Forgive me for staring."

At any rate, I sometimes wonder what watch might Renko have worn?

Courtesy of Raketa

I suspect it might have been this one, the Big Zero.

Hours, minutes and seconds - unapologetically basic, but not simple. 

As most readers will know, Raketa makes their own movements, making them a manufacturer. And when we get down to bang for the buck (or Ruble), it represents a very great value for a (comparatively) very reasonable price. More than that, I honestly think that this is one of the few brands that takes the charm of the past, and successfully reanimates it in a modern, high quality timekeeper.  

I do not think that there is a Raketa retail partner yet in North America, but you can order direct from the source in St. Petersburg. And this, my personal favorite Raketa retails for 750€ within the EU, and 625€ for those of us in North America.

MANUFACTURE 

Manufacture 

Raketa Watch Factory (Saint-Petersburg) 

Brand 

Raketa 

MOVEMENT 

Calibre 

2615 

Functions 

Automatic 

Number of jewels 

24 

Testing positions 

4 

Average rate (s/d) 

-10+20 

Average running time (h) 

40 

Frequency/hour 

18.000 / 2.5Hz 

Stopper of self-winding unit activated during manual winding 

Yes 

Decoration 

Laser engraving 

CASE 

Material 

Stainless steel 

Size 

38,8 mm 

Front glass 

Sapphire 

Back glass 

Mineral 

Rotating bezel 

No 

Water resistance 

10 ATM 

Brand 

Raketa 

Gender 

Unisex 

STRAP 

Material 

Genuine leather 

Width 

20 mm