A Brand Ambassador Will Fix EVERYTHING!

So that we are clear:

1.  Eterna by all accounts was in "not exactly great" financial condition just before BaselWorld.  Checks were written, suppliers paid, and FRESHLY minted Eterna CEO David Traxler assured one and all at BaselWorld that everything was just fine.

2.  Two short months later?  Mr. Traxler is out of both Eterna, and the brand he was originally hired to guide - Corum.

3.  It slowly emerges that A LOT OF MONEY has been lost at Eterna.  A LOT OF MONEY.

4.  As is inevitable, layoffs begin to happen, and other functions are absorbed into the sister company - Corum.


So of course, what better time to announce a new brand ambassador!

I am certainly not making any claims to be the smartest guy out there, but this is a PR move that lays bare the fundamental disconnect that has consistently dogged Eterna.  An absolute failure to recognize, understand and adapt to the reality of the situation they are in.  It also underscores a bit of a cavalier attitude towards their (now) departed employees.  I am sure it will give them a nice warm and fuzzy feeling reading about this new partnership as they wait in line at the unemployment office to fill out paperwork....

So, from the Bureau of Completely Misguided PR Moves -

Courtesy of Eterna

Fabio Scherer was announced as a "chum" of the brand towards the end of June.  So while several customers were left chasing their tails in an attempt to confirm that the bronze KonTiki watch that they had pre-ordered would actually be delivered, young Master Scherer was in La-Chaux-de-Fonds (NOT Grenchen, by the way) to be photographed in his newly updated driving gear, replete with the Eterna logo, wearing an Eterna KonTiki (which I would hope in all of the name that is good and correct WAS NOT one of the aforementioned bronze KonTikis).

A great deal of the press that circulated was about the importance of "timing".

I couldn't agree more...

The Prominente 135th

From Cuervo y Sobrinos -

Courtesy of Cuervo y Sobrinos

You don't turn 135 every year, and therefore something special was in order for the 135th anniversary of Cuervo y Sobrinos.


Reference 1025.1135, the watch is sold in a set that comes with either a roller ball or fountain pen.

The movement is Soprod's SW 300, the case is stainless steel measuring 32 mm wide and 43 mm in length.  

Hours, minutes and seconds, with a date window at 6 o'clock.


Just like back in the day ; )

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A Few Weeks with the Kronaby Carat

So, it seemed about time that you might get to hear about the Kronaby connected watches from someone other than a fashion or tech blogger, so here we go ; )

While fashion influencers were posting carefully curated outfit collections chronicling their "must haves" for London fashion week, many of the folks who write and read about watches were wondering just exactly how the Kronaby watch might work in real life.  

With BaselWorld approaching hope was renewed, but alas a few of us had our appointments rearranged on fairly short notice making press appointments virtually impossible.  Fortunately, I was able to lay hands to a Kronaby watch, wear it, and offer some feedback - and here it is.

This is the Kronaby Carat -

 
It measures 38 mm in diameter and despite its positioning as a watch for women, I have to be honest that even with my rather large, hairy wrists, it is a very good size.  I would really not want to go any larger.

The blue dial with the gold tone of the rose pvd is quite beguiling and it is a very good looking watch.  Interesting to relate that the color of the dial itself tends to shift and change a bit depending on the light.  

The case back is also treated in rose gold pvd, and the finish of the case, on the whole, is really quite good.

The strap is a very nice dark blue, and referred to in the Kronaby literature as vegetal tanned, which I presume means vegetable tanned.  It is comfortable and the perfect match to the watch, and is finished with a gold pvd buckle -

The physical portions of the watch - the case, dial, hands, etc., are first rate and of a class you would expect from a much more expensive watch.  A lot of this is down to the design, but it still needed to be produced, and in terms of the finished product, Kronaby did not disappoint.

Here are the pertinents, direct from Kronaby:

Case
38 mm, Stainless steel 316L, Rose gold tone PVD

Crystal
Double domed sapphire crystal with AR coating

Dial
Blue metal plated circular brush with applied indexes

Hands
Rose gold tone

Bracelet
18 mm dark blue Italian vegetal tanned leather strap, Rose gold tone buckle18

Water-Resistant
10 bar/100 metres

Movement
Kronaby connected movement BT002, 2-hand-bi-directional micro stepping motor, Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy (BLE), vibration motor, accelerometer

Battery
Battery Life up to two years (depending on use), CR3032 coin cell

App
Kronaby App working with (or later version) Android 5.0 and 
iOS 9  

The suggested retail price is 395,00 € 
It is important to note that the Kronaby collection is currently available in limited markets, and I will assume that the US price will be whatever the conversion rate bares, but we will see.

The additional connected functions of the watch itself are assigned to the crown, and the two push pieces (2 o'clock and 4 o'clock).  It bears mentioning that in terms of actual functions you are limited in terms of how many can be utilized without making an addition/adjustment via the Kronaby APP on your phone.  There are (at present) 9 functions to choose from, with only 3 that can be used at any given time (1 for the crown, 1 for the upper push piece, 1 for the lower push piece).  Now in fairness, the majority of functions that you might want are not necessarily dependent upon activation from your watch, and include the filtered notifications that trigger the watch to vibrate (one, two or three "buzzes") to get your attention.  The vibration is, perhaps, a bit too gentle.  I have missed more than a few notifications.  Having said that, here are the various notifications:

PEOPLE - this enables you to select different people from your contacts list and receive a buzz (or buzzes) when they are trying to reach you.

GET MOVING - this notifies you when you've been stationary for an hour.

CALENDAR - this notifies you when an appointment (via your calendar) is coming up.

ALARM - essentially like any other alarm function - watch vibrates at the appointed time.

It also gives you the option of various APP notifications:
Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Messenger, Twitter and WhatsApp.  As my students are WhatsApp addicts, I have opted to leave that one off ; )

And as I said, these are not dependent upon a button assignment so you can have them all at the same time.

But then we get to the features, and these are divided up into two sets.  One set operated via the crown, the other via the pushers.

Currently, the crown offers a choice of:

1.  Daily hundred - this essentially allows you to track your steps on the watch face.  IMPORTANT - you can still get that also get that information via the Activity section which gives you a running total - but this requires you to look at the APP on your phone rather than the watch itself.

2.  Date - essentially shows you the date (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.) 

3.  Second time - this is a second time zone.  This is the option that I chose as it is the most useful for me.

4.  Timer - essentially a count down.  

And then you have five other features to chose from that can be assigned to the pusher buttons:

1.  Find phone - I love this feature, hit the button, it connects to your phone which then sends a signal.  I have this one assigned to the bottom pusher.

2.  Music control - allows you to adjust the volume of you iTunes, etc.

3.  Camera - essentially a "shutter release" button on your watch.

4.  Remember this spot - remembers your location, great for finding your car, bike, etc. 

5.  Walk me home - allows you to set-up a friend or family member as a safety contact.  You press the pusher and your contact can see your location on a map.  Your location is updated each time you hit the pusher.  This can also be used as an emergency signal when you hold the pusher for 3 seconds.  This is a VERY useful feature.

As near as I can figure, Kronaby is using their own proprietary modules and utilizing (it would appear) a Swiss quartz movement.  

Overall, the watch was very comfortable to wear and it is quite good looking as well.  Interesting to relate that it took a few days for all of the features to "sync" completely, but at this point they all work well.

Now when I was at the launch, there was a bit of a different sense as to the total number of features the watch could offer at any given time. The impression that was given was that all of the functions were there to choose from, but there was not an understanding conveyed as to just how many features could be used at any given time, and the likely need to shift them around on your phone's APP should you wish to utilize something other than the three currently assigned at any given time.  This is something that the folks at Kronaby will want to make as clear as possible to customers to avoid potential complaints.  If you know that you are limited to 3 of the features at a given time, you will adapt your expectations accordingly.

I was also curious as to how good the customer support would be, and this was a bit of a curiously strange and not 100% satisfactory interaction.  But in fairness, Kronaby is pretty much brand new and it will take some time for all of the bugs to get worked out.  In fairness, the request was made over the weekend, and a response was received late morning Monday - not too bad in terms of time frame.  The actual instructions received were not really clear, and could have been better.  I understand that English might not have been the first language of the person who replied to me, but the easy solution to this is to have prepared (canned) responses that the customer service agent can simply cut and paste and drop into the reply.  This will also help solve the language gap.  Again, this is something that in time will be smoother.

Also, per the Kronaby site there is also a Reject Call function which I believe would be operated via the crown, but there is no mention of it in the APP that I could find, so I am not sure if it is, essentially, hardwired in?  If the website is anything to go by, pushing the crown when the phone rings automatically rejects the call, at least that is what I would deduce, so I will give it a try shorty.

One other curiosity - nowhere in the packaging that the watch came in, nor on the website, are there any DIRECTIONS about the need for the APP, where you would obtain the APP, etc.  And I realize that it would be easy to assume that people would simply understand the need to do this and visit the APP Store, but having manned the customer service lines for a watch brand in the past, I can tell you that you should never, ever assume anything.  Consider that at least in the US, it is likely that there will be a fair amount of direct, online sales.  Or perhaps a watch that is given as a gift.  Wouldn't it make sense to ensure that the person receiving the watch knows EXACTLY what they need to do?  And I make this point because the lack of this type of documentation indicates to me that Kronaby is missing a HUGE potential market - people over 50.  That particular age demographic might not seem sexy, but they are perhaps one of the best potential customer groups that Kronaby could have.  People who want the traditional look and feel of a watch, and would appreciate and make use of the connected features of the Kronaby watch.

So all in all?  A very nice watch at a good price point.  Kronaby already has a tough row to hoe as there are quite a few competitors already in the various market spaces.  Several brands are already out there that offer not dissimilar watches with very similar features at lower prices in more market segments.

Me personally?  I'd really like to see them succeed, but ultimately that will be up to them.  They are, unfortunately, a wee bit late to the dance.  But if they can tighten up and focus, and connect a bit better with people other than celebrity fashionistas?  Well they just might make it ; )


Enjoy your watches.
 





 

 

The Mighty Sinn

So a confession.   I have tried for YEARS to get a BaselWorld appointment with Sinn.  And this year, thanks to Bhanu of Watchuseek, I finally got to go beyond the "pvd rope"!

And yes, there were some pretty swell watches -

Courtesy of Rod Hess

 
An updated version of the U1 - 44 mm of German "submarine steel" is crafted to house the self winding movement.

For those of you spec obsessed, here are the pertinents on the U1's case, straight from SINN:
 Case

• Case made of German Submarine Steel
• Black Hard Coating on a TEGIMENT Technology basis
• Sapphire crystal glass in front, anti-reflective on both sides
• Case back screw-fastened
• Crown screwable
• Meet the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310
• Pressure-resistant up to 1,000 m diving depth (= 100 bar), certified by DNV GL
• According to the technical demands for the German diving norm DIN 8306
• Tested based on European diving equipment standards EN 250 / EN14143 and certified by DNV GL
• Low pressure resistant

And yes, it is a really cool watch, but Best in Show for me was this chronograph -

Courtesy of Rod Hess

 This is the 103 St Sa E, and it is the Shit That Killed Elvis!

Courtesy of Sinn

 This watch spoke to me.  And what it literally said, albeit in German, was that it wanted to move to Boston!

This is limited to 300 pieces, and I suspect will be sold out quickly as it was one of the most talked about watches for many of us.

So here is the complete set of information, and then, forget about this watch, you don't want it!  Forget that you saw this!  There are only 300 and you want James Henderson to get one...

Okay, that probably didn't work.  So if you get one, treasure it!  It is FANTASTIC!

103 St Sa E

Mechanical Movement

• • Valjoux 7750
  • Self-winding mechanism
  • 25 bearing jewels
  • 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour
  • Seconds stop function
  • Shock resistant as per DIN 8308
  • Anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309

Case

• • Case made of stainless steel, polished
  • Sapphire crystal glass in front, anti-reflective on both sides
  • Transparent case back made of sapphire crystal glass, anti-reflective on the interior
  • Case back screw-fastened
  • Crown screwable
  • Push-pieces screwable
  • Meet the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310
  • Pressure-resistant up to 20 bar
  • Low pressure resistant

Functions

• • Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
  • Date display
  • Day of the week display
  • Chronograph
  • Pilot’s bezel with minute ratcheting and luminous key mark

SINN Technologies

• • Captive bezel
  • Optionally: Ar-Dehumidifying Technology for enhanced freedom from fogging

Dimensions and Weight

• • Case diameter: 41 mm
  • Band lug width: 20 mm
  • Case thickness: 17 mm
  • Weight without strap: 88 gramme

Dial and Hands

• • Matte black dial
  • Numbers and indices coated with luminescent colour
  • Hour hand, minute hand and stopwatch second hand coated with luminescent colour
  • Ivory-coloured coating on the indices, numbers and hands

ENJOY YOUR WATCHES!

The EB02

From Emmanuel Bouchet -

Courtesy of Emmanuel Bouchet

The case measures 39 mm in diameter, with a height of 9.5 mm.  It is available in either 18K white, or rose gold.

Courtesy of Emmanuel Bouchet

One key point to this new offering is found on the two diamond set versions.  It utilizes a setting technique that does not require setting prongs and is unique to Emmanuel Bouchet.  The visual impact is quite striking, as the diamonds appear to float, suspended above the dial.

Courtesy of Emmanuel Bouchet

The level of finish work on the movement is a wonderful match to the dial and case.  Once again, no detail has been left to chance.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Case dimensions
Diameter: 39 mm
Height: 9.5 mm 

Material
2 versions - 18K white or rose gold with polished finish
 
Crystal
Crystal anti-reflective curved sapphire crystal glass-box
Case back sapphire-crystal glass
 

Crown
18K gold

Dial
Black lacquered, white Mother of Pearl dial or black lacquer
Option of 3 hand-set diamonds on Emmanuel Bouchet cones
 
Hands
Sand blasted and polished hands
 
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, day / night indicator
 
Indicators
Hours and minutes on a sapphire disc at 12 o’clock
Seconds on a sapphire disc at 7 o’clock
Day / night on a sapphire disc at 7 o’clock underneath the seconds disc 

Movement
Automatic
Swiss made caliber EB89F
Oscillating micro rotor
 
Movement dimensions
Diameter: 30 mm
Height: 4,25
Power reserve 45 hours
One barrel Variable inertia balance wheel

 

Place Vendome Tourbillon suspendu "Ici et Ailleurs"

From Czapek & Cie 


 

Courtesy of CZAPEK & Cie

When we think of brands born out of crowdfunding, they tend to hover below the $2,000 mark, and what got the most initial attention for CZAPEK & Cie was the success of their crowd funding.  But lest we forget, they do make watches.  The initial buzz had been positive to say the least.  A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to see some of the CZAPEK & Cie timekeepers in person, and let's just say that the hype is justified.

Courtesy of CZAPEK & Cie

The Place Vendome Tourbillon suspendu "Ici et Ailleurs"
is available in Platinum or 5N Rose Gold.  

The bullet points?  Hours and minutes at 12 o'clock, a tourbillon (1 minute) located at 8 o'clock, second time zone indicator at 4 o'clock, a day-night indicator is found at 6 o'clock, and lastly a power reserve indicator below the hour/minute indicator.

It is a pretty impressive construction, and unlike some of my more "silver tongued" colleagues, I am not going to feign perfect understanding of its assemblage, so I'm going to leave it to the people who put it together to provide the specifics -


FUNCTIONS Hours and minutes on separate dial located at 12 o'clock One-minute tourbillon located at 8 o'clock
Dragging second time zone on ring at 4 o'clock. 
Push-piece setting. Counter-clockwise rotation
Day/night indicator located at 6 o’clock. 
Counter-clockwise rotation
Power reserve: O centre disk, located at 12, 90° 
rotation, winding counter-clockwise

MOVEMENT
Caliber SXH2: haute horlogerie proprietary mechanical 
hand-wound movement developed by Chronode
and Czapek & Cie
Power reserve: 60 hours with one barrel spring
Frequency: 3 Hz – 21,600 VpH
Diameter: 34.8 mm – 15 1⁄2 lines
Height: 9.8 mm

FINISH
Front: anthracite sand-blasted plate, steel bridges with 
sandblasting, circular graining, and polish
Tourbillon: polished, chamfered and with flanks drawn. 
One blue screw marks the seconds
Case back: open ratchet with circular bevelling, sand-blasted bridges, blue screws, manual chamfering
CASE & BRACELET
5N Rose Gold or platinum Pt950 case
43.5 mm diameter
Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
on both sides
Sapphire crystal case back with anti-reflective treatment 
on both sides
Water-resistance: 30 meters (3 atm)
Alligator strap with 5N Rose Gold or platinum buckle

DIAL 
“Grand feu” Enamel ring, steel polished bridges and sand-blasted plate

HANDS
5N Rose Gold “ eur de lys” hands
 
“LUMIÈRES” EDITION LIMITED TO 25 NUMBERED PIECES
• 10 pieces in platinum Pt950 numbered 1/10 to 10/10 
• 15 pieces in 5N Rose Gold numbered 1/15 to 15/15

The Fastback

From Gorilla!

Courtesy of Gorilla

So after you've collectively worked for Omega, Audemars Piguet and IWC among others, what's the next logical step?  You create a brand new watch brand called Gorilla, of course!

Courtesy of Gorilla

I got to spend some time with the two men behind Gorilla, Lukas Gopp and Octavio Garcia during this year's Wine & Time event and then later during my "office hours" at the Ramada.  And they are both very interesting guys with impeccable backgrounds.  But I'm going to swim against the stream and focus on the watch itself.  

I think the first thing that truly struck me was the way that the different materials used for the case truly complemented each other.  All too often, brands both mighty and small spit out watches with cases that look more like the result of a fifth grade art class than an actual design.  Not so with the Gorilla Fastback.

Courtesy of Gorilla

I draw your attention to the layered effect of the case (above). The base of the case is titanium, upon which the main portion of the case (carbon) is anchored.  And that would have been sufficient.  But the Fastback's design was informed by childhoods spent working on cars and descending alpine passes on sleek road bicycles, so a few wonderfully fun but appropriate design elements were added.  The red layer is, in fact, anodized aluminum and is described as a charter line or "pinstripe".  It doesn't need to be there, but it looks REALLY cool and sets off both the carbon of the main case below it, and the ceramic bezel above it.  And while another brand might have looked for a matching crown, I really applaud the use of a bright titanium crown.  It stands out, but for the right reasons.

Courtesy of Gorilla

While the case design is a departure, Gorilla didn't stop there.  The dial and hands are a visual treat.  The dial is described as "multilayer", and it does display a true sense of depth and texture.  The time is told by integrating an hour disc with the more traditional minute and second hand.  

Courtesy of Gorilla

I think more than anything else, I truly appreciate the lack of pretension shown by the two gentlemen behind Gorilla.  BaselWorld is overpopulated by egos poured into suits droning on as if it was 10 years ago.  Spoiler alert, it's 2017 and things have changed, and the good old days are not showing any signs of a speedy return.  The future of the watch industry is not going to be shaped by the same aging guys hanging onto the glory days of the past while they drink the night away in the 3 Kings, regaling anyone within earshot about who they were and what they did.  No, the future is going to be driven by people like Messrs. Garcia and Gopp.  People who are focused on a truly unique design and identity, willing to put their idea out there, and offer a truly desirable watch at a realistic price.  No celebrity ambassadors, no red carpets, no bullshit.  Just a cool watch.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

FASTBACK SPECIFICATIONS

LAYERED CASE CONSTRUCTION: forged carbon case, anodised aluminium character line or “pinstripe”, ceramic bezel, titanium screw down-crown, titanium caseback.

MULTILAYER DIAL: unique hour disc, skeleton minute hand and contrasting old school automotive inspired typeface design, central dial segment with circular graining pattern, luminescent hands and numerals.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 110 Grams with strap and buckle, case diameter bezel 44mm, 48.5mm with crown protection, self-winding Miyota 8215, recto/verso AR sapphire crystal,
100 meters (10ATM) water resistant

COMMERCIAL INFORMATION: first 500 pieces will be numbered (NOT LIMITED, but identified as the very first
production pieces), delivered with an additional integrated rubber strap. Price 880$ (excl. Tax)

Wrapping Up My Visit With Horage

As is so often the case with BaselWorld, one gets overwhelmed by the frenetic pace and some things, regrettably, get pushed temporarily to the side.  But today is the day to catch you up on my visit with the Horage team.

With a view of the entire facility

It is safe to say that Horage has grown beyond the point of charming little upstart - start up. The "creation story" is of course compelling and it bundles the narrative of a close-knit group of friends coming together to make something wonderful.  That is Horage, through and through.  But the story of Horage is much more than a plucky David vs. Goliath tale.  It is, at its heart, a quest to build a better mousetrap.  

I am, at my basest level, a romantic.  It is, admittedly, a bit of a drawback when working with clients to try and get them to recognize and accept some unpleasant realities.  So in this follow-up to my visit to Horage, I am going to try and temper my idealized impressions (still intact, by the way) with some things that are actually based in REALITY.  In other words, why Horage as cool as it is, might just be the tip of the iceberg to something far more important to the watch making world.  And I'd like to introduce that idea by welcoming back yesterday's watch commentator, Benjamin Braddock from the 1967 film, The Graduate, with some slightly modified dialogue:

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. 

Benjamin: Yes, sir. 

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening? 

Benjamin: Yes, I am. 

Mr. McGuire: Silicon. 

Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?

Or in this case, more specifically, silicium.

While there is a LOT of cool stuff going on with the K1, perhaps the coolest is the use of silicium in that most challenging portion of all "basic" movements - the escapement.  More specifically, the anchor wheels, for example ; )

The author's world, officially rocked

And it bears mentioning at this point, that what started out as a movement for Horage has morphed and evolved into a real movement manufacturer (albeit small and growing) -

And while I still have haunting visions of this particular Horage Array -

the real story is so much bigger than just one (albeit very interesting) watch brand.  Because what the CMK1 movements are really doing, is shifting our understanding of just how a movement can be made better, using less money with fewer people.

So let's boil this down to a level where at least I can understand it -
the use of silicon in the anchor wheels does a few things which then have a wonderful positive domino effect on the performance of the movement as a whole:
1.  Silicon components have reduced drag/friction.  
2.  Reduced friction = smoother operation, and can help prolong the time period between service intervals.
3.  Less need to open the watch to service it ensures increased integrity and performance of the watch as a whole.

Oh, and one other nice thing?  That arch villain of mechanical watches, magnetism?  Well, silicon components are to magnetism as the X-Men are to Magneto -

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

The notion of using silicon (silicium) for watch parts is not exactly brand new.  But to use it in the manner that Horage did with the design and construction of the K1 is at once so simple and so obvious that you have to wonder why it took a small band of brothers and sisters put the idea into production and prove that it could be scalable?  And for those of you who are numbers obsessed, here is a very simple one to get your head around - 65.  As in 65 hours of power reserve!

So why hasn't the rest of the industry (i.e. the industrial part) grabbed onto some of these ideas that have been around in other industries for years, ideas used by the folks who design and make auto parts?  I think the simple answer is fear.   Remember that the man who suggested the idea of a luxury stainless steel watch for Audemars Piguet was not exactly applauded at first ; )

The industry is made up of individuals, but by its very nature it discourages individual innovation unless it's birthed by committee.  

"What if it doesn't work?"

"What if the boss doesn't like it?"

"What if the boss steals the idea for himself?"

And this is an industry that is not always noted for its out of the box thinking or bold, independent action.  Watch brands and their constituent departments exist in silos.  And this can and does discourage a great deal of initiative.

But not so at Horage/CMK1 -

This is the space where the Horage team works, and this type of collaborative environment is probably why they have been able to take an existing movement concept, and make it soooo much better.

So while my initial intent was to visit a cool watch company, I found quite a bit more, and moreover hope that maybe the industry I cover can learn something from a real innovator.

The Graduate's Club

It's like I was playing some kind of game, but the rules don't make any sense to me. They're being made up by all the wrong people. I mean no one makes them up. They seem to make themselves up. 
Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in the Graduate

I like NOMOS, have done so pretty much since jump street.  And while the last few years they have put out some nice pieces, I was waiting for a return to the heady days when they put out the  Wempe 100.  Some color, some whimsy, something DIFFERENT.

And NOMOS delivered on several counts this year, and for me at least proved to be one of the high points of BaselWorld.  But for today, I'm focusing on something for the entry level, something that is a very, very welcome addition - the Campus.

Courtesy of Nomos

And regular readers, fear not!  I had the steady camera of Rod Hess along to ensure that the images would live up to the watches.

Courtesy of Rod Hess

The Campus is available in 3 different versions:

The Club 38 Campus:

Courtesy of NOMOS

Case: stainless steel, bipartite; curved 
sapphire crystal glass and screwed steel 
back; diameter 38.5 mm; height 8.45 mm 

Dial: galvanized, white silver-plated
Roman and Arabic hour numerals and indexes 
with superluminova blue

Hands: rhodium-plated hour and minute hands with 
superluminova inlay; neon- orange seconds hand 

Water-resistant: to 10 atm (100 meters)  

Strap: anthracite velour leather, 
lug width
20 mm
 
Reference number: 735

The movement

α (Alpha)—in-house built NOMOS caliber
with manual winding

Diameter: 10 1⁄2 lines (23.3 mm)  

Movement height: 2.6 mm Power reserve: approx. 43 hours 

Characteristics: decentralized seconds, stop-seconds mechanism, 
Glashütte three-quarter plate, 17 rubies, Glashütte stopwork, 
Incabloc shock protection, balance spring from Nivarox 1A, 
adjusted in six positions, tempered blue screws, rhodium-plated 
movement surfaces with Glashütte ribbing and NOMOS perlage, 
ratchet and crown wheel with Glashütte sunburst decoration

$1,650


The Club 38 Campus Nacht:

Courtesy of NOMOS

Case: stainless steel, bipartite; curved 
sapphire crystal glass and screwed steel 
back; diameter 38.5 mm; height 8.45 mm 

Dial: galvanized, rhuthenium-plated; 
Roman and Arabic hour numerals and 
indexes with superluminova beige

Hands: rhodium-plated hour and minute 
hands with superluminova inlay; neon- 
orange seconds hand

Water-resistant: to 10 atm (100 meters)  

Strap: anthracite velour leather, lug width
20 mm
 
Reference number: 736

 

The movement
 
α (Alpha)—in-house built NOMOS caliber
with manual winding

Diameter: 10 1⁄2 lines (23.3 mm)  

Movement height: 2.6 mm  

Power reserve: approx. 43 hours 

Characteristics: decentralized seconds, 
stop-seconds mechanism, Glashütte 
three-quarter plate, 17 rubies, Glas-
hütte stopwork, Incabloc shock protec-
tion, balance spring from Nivarox 1A, 
adjusted in six positions, tempered blue 
screws, rhodium-plated movement 
surfaces with Glashütte ribbing and 
NOMOS perlage, ratchet and crown 
wheel with Glashütte sunburst decoration 

$1,650

And my personal favorite - 

The Club Campus:

Courtesy of NOMOS

Case: stainless steel, bipartite; curved 
sapphire crystal glass and screwed steel 
back; diameter 36 mm; height 8.17 mm 

Dial: galvanized, white silver-plated; Ro- 
man and Arabic hour numerals and in- 
dexes with superluminova gray 

Hands: rhodium-plated hour and minute 
hands with superluminova inlay; neon- 
orange seconds hand 

Water-resistant: to 10 atm (100 meters)  

Strap: gray velour leather, lug width
18 mm
 
Reference number: 708

The movement

α (Alpha)—in-house built NOMOS caliber
with manual winding

Diameter: 10 1⁄2 lines (23.3 mm)  

Movement height: 2.6 mm Power reserve: approx. 43 hours

Characteristics: decentralized seconds, 
stop-seconds mechanism, Glashütte 
three-quarter plate, 17 rubies, Glas- 
hütte stopwork, Incabloc shock protec- 
tion, balance spring from Nivarox 1A, 
adjusted in six positions, tempered blue 
screws, rhodium-plated movement 
surfaces with Glashütte ribbing and 
NOMOS perlage, ratchet and crown 
wheel with Glashütte sunburst decoration

And the price?  $1,500!!!

Each one has a solid case back so that it can be engraved - something I really love!

Courtesy of NOMOS

Now I'm not entirely sure who Max is, but I do appreciate the opportunity for sentimentality.  Ultimately, when you give someone a watch, or when they buy it to mark a milestone, shouldn't they want to add that little touch that underscores the connection, the feelings attached to it?

 
Interesting to relate, the 36 mm version is, in fact, plenty big, even on my paw, thanks to the design of the case and the length of the lugs -

 And no, Rod Hess (sadly) did not take this photo ; )

And about that California dial?  Well, NOMOS wouldn't be NOMOS if they did things the same way as everyone else.  Lower section, alternating with indices.  It is different, and it is clever.


More to come!