One Size Fits All - Not Always! The Essence 43

From Formex -

Courtesy of Formex

Rounding out a really impressive re-brand, this new version of the Essence has all the awesome goodness of its predecessors, but returns to the 43 mm format with a new, restrained and (dare I say it) pretty fab logo.

Courtesy of Formex

As the previous iterations of the Essence, it features the patented case suspension system. And under the hood is a COSC chronometer movement.

Courtesy of Formex

It is available in five difference color options.

Courtesy of Formex

And the choice doesn't stop there. Not everyone wants a steel bracelet, well Formex has you covered with several different strap options including rubber and leather. Thanks to the Formex configurator you can make it the way you want it.

Courtesy of Formex

And best of all, a very affordable price - $1,390 US with bracelet and $1,280 with strap.

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 (self-winding) Automatic (Chronometer grade), officially certified by COSC. 26 jewels and glucydur balance wheel. Date display. Custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. 38 hours power reserve.

CASE
Diameter: 43mm
Height: 10.6mm
Lug width: 22mm
Lug-to-lug: 49mm
Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)
Weight: 80g (case only)

MATERIAL
Bezel: Stainless steel 316L
Case: Stainless steel 316L
Glass: Sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflection treatment

STRAP
Italian calf leather straps with curved spring bars, Quick Release function and carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented Micro-Adjustment System.
Black rubber strap with curved spring bars, Quick Release function and carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented Micro-Adjustment System.
Stainless steel bracelet with Quick Release and Micro-extension function.
All Essence straps and the bracelet can be changed by hand without the use of tools. The carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented fine adjustment system can be changed without tools and can be used for all Essence FortyThree & REEF leather and rubber straps marked "deployant".

DIAL
Blue, Black, Green, White, Brown Dégradé. Vertical brush finish with hand-sprayed gradient (Dégradé ). Horizontal lines that have been CNC-machined individually into the dial plate. Hand-applied Formex icon and hour markers.

The Curious Case Of Formex

I have been covering this beat (watches) for a minute or two. And I've seen a lot of hype, a lot of bombast and a lot of hyperbole. And that can sell watches. At least for a little while. Usually, invariably, Goliath wins. There have been a few outliers. Plucky little brands with compelling stories, but when you are fighting it out in the $900 - $2,000 price category more often than not you are the grease that lubricates the wheels of the bigger brands.

But for every rule, there is an exception. And that exception is, in fact, the exceptional Formex -

Courtesy of Formex

And for me, as an impartial observer, the Essence embodies, well, the essence of why Formex has quietly become one of the most sought after watch brands (both micro and macro) in recent memory.

Now I know what you're probably thinking - 

• Celebrity "Chums of the Brand"? 
• "Manufacture" movement?
• Shop at Home with "Value Pay" option?
• Official Watch Partner of an F1 Team?
• Readily available at retail partners near you?

The answer to all of those questions, as far as I can see, is no. The answer is not any one thing, but rather several small things that when taken on balance, 

have made Formex as sought after as it is.  

Think I'm full of it? Visit the Formex web shop and have a look at the availability of the Formex Essence. Out of 9 options, 7 are currently sold out. Think about that for a moment.

Courtesy of Formex

So what's the secret sauce? A great watch at a fair price? I'm sorry, but that is a bit too simplistic. No offense to Formex, but there are several brands that have trotted that idea out, and unfortunately it is not enough to move the needle. So how did Formex crack the code that so many other brands continue to be baffled by?

As mentioned above, a combination of things. Some that are quite familiar to me from my DOXA days.

• Accessible - and by that I don't only mean price point, but also that the people selling you the watch are accessible. From what I've heard from Formex owners, communication is strong between Formex and its customers, and customers to be. That creates a pretty strong bond.
• Quality - again, I've never owned or even handled a Formex, but the feedback out there is fairly unimpeachable.
• Innovation - and I don't mean watch cases made of "unobtainium", but rather watch cases that have an extra bit of intelligent design thrown in -

Courtesy of Formex

The Formex suspension system is just one example.  In their own words -

• absorbs shocks to protect the mechanical movement from heavy impacts
• adds to the comfort on the wrist by adapting to the wearer’s movements

Now this might seem like overkill, but as someone who has had to field the repair/after service woes of customers who might have not understood that a dive watch is not designed to "dive" off of a desk onto a tiled floor. Life happens, and a COSC verified movement will only be accurate if it is protected.

Perhaps the last big piece of the puzzle is being nimble. Formex is a family owned brand with access to everything they need to move not only quickly, but smartly.

So while the now unimpeachable success of Formex is an anomaly in the current reality that is seeing many brands both mighty and small getting "choked out", if the enthusiasm of its customers is anything to go by, they will still be standing tall when we emerge on the other side of this pandemic.

The Essence ThirtyNine Automatic in Green

From Formex -

Courtesy of Formex

So this is sort of a trippy post for me to write.  In many ways it is taking me back to November 2012 when I was still living in Santa Barbara and stumbled across the (then) new JEANRICHARD Terrascope - http://www.tempusfugit.watch/2012/11/jeanrichards-terrascope-revelling-in.html

All I'll need is a call from Paul Earhardt inviting me to Los Angeles to view it in person and then the eery similarities will be complete ; )

At the time, what struck me was finally, FINALLY!  Here was a watch that was NOT a dive watch, but of stainless steel and not perfectly round. It was heralded as the perfect ONLY watch.  Meaning if you were a collector of limited, modest means and could only afford only one really dope watch, this would be your baby. Sporty without being too "DIVE WATCHY", a good looking bracelet that matched so smoothly with the case lugs, it could at a glance appear to be integrated. And it came with a promise of "easily swappable" straps so that you could change the look of your watch quickly. 

In actual fact, not so much. I owned a Terrascope and it was a great watch, but the case and bracelet were both too thick, and heavy. The bracelet and straps required a special tool. The watch cost a not exactly reasonable amount of money, was equipped with either an ETA or Sellita mvt. (relatively standard grade)and retailed for $3,500 if memory serves.

So time moves forward, and now I am excited again! I am excited because, in fact, I think the folks at Formex can finally deliver on what so many brands have choked on previously - and deliver it at a reasonable price that the rest of us in the real world can realistically hope to afford without putting our retirement accounts at risk.

Courtesy of Formex

You will note the two buttons position at the end piece of the bracelet between the two lug horns.

They work like this -

And lucky for us, you can also get some pretty dope options for replacement straps -

I'm sold!  Oh, did I mention that it comes standard with a chronometer certified movement?  Oh, and one last thing, the price -

$1,390.00 US

*taxes, duties and shipping included

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 (self-winding) Automatic (Chronometer grade), officially certified by COSC. 26 jewels and glucydur balance wheel. Date display. Custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. 38 hours power reserve.

CASE

• Diameter: 39mm
• Height: 10mm
• Lug width: 20mm
• Lug-to-lug: 45mm
• Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)
• Weight: 65g (case only)

MATERIAL

• Bezel: Stainless steel 316L
• Case: Stainless steel 316L
• Glass: Sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflection treatment

STRAP

• Stainless steel bracelet, or Italian calf leather straps with curved spring bars, Quick Release function and carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented Micro-Adjustment System. 
• Stainless steel bracelet with Quick Release and Micro-extension function. 
• All Essence straps and the bracelet can be changed by hand without the use of tools. The carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented fine adjustment system can be changed without tools and can be used for all Essence ThirtyNine leather straps. 

DIAL

Vertical brush finish with horizontally cut lines which are CNC machined into the dial base one by one. BGW9 Super-LumiNova on hands and indexes. 

REFERENCE NUMBER

0333.1.6600.100

Essence and Essence Leggera Space Rock Automatic Chronometer COSC Limited Edition

From Formex -

Courtesy of Formex

This is the latest offering from Formex.  It is available in the stainless steel Essence (above), and the Essence Leggera (below) which is the much higher model with the case crafted from carbon fiber.

Courtesy of Formex

Beyond the super cool suspension system that Formex is now famous for, the dial is the big news here.  The dial itself is crafted by something called Muonionalusta.  And no, that is not a social disease ; )

Per Wikipedia -

The Muonionalusta meteorite (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmuo̯nionˌɑlustɑ], Swedish pronunciation: [mʉˈǒːnɪɔnalːɵsta])^[1] is a meteorite classified as fine octahedrite, type IVA (Of) which impacted in northern Scandinavia, west of the border between  Sweden and Finland, about one million years BCE.

The first fragment of the Muonionalusta meteorite was found in 1906 near the village of Kitkiöjärvi.^[2] Around forty pieces are known today, some being quite large. Other fragments have been found in a 25-by-15-kilometre (15.5 mi × 9.3 mi) area in the Pajala district of Norrbotten County, approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.

The meteorite was first described in 1910 by Professor A. G. Högbom, who named it after the nearby place Muonionalusta on the Muonio River. It was studied in 1948 by Professor Nils Göran David Malmqvist.^[3] The Muonionalusta meteorite, probably the oldest known meteorite (4.5653 ± 0.0001 billion years),^[4] marks the first occurrence of stishovite in an iron meteorite.

The name Muonionalusta has Finnish roots: it comes from the name of the Muonio River (+ possessive particle -(o)n-) and alusta, meaning "base, foundation, stand, mat, tray", thus probably "base of the Muonio".

So needless to say, it's a bit special.

This is currently available as a pre-order item directly from Formex.  Here are the pertinents direct from the source -

ESSENCE LEGGERA

MOVEMENT

Swiss Made STP1-11 (self-winding) Automatic (Chronometer grade), officially certified by COSC. 26 jewels. Date display. Custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. 44 hours power reserve. 

CASE

• Diameter: 43mm
• Height: 11mm
• Lug width: 22mm
• Lug-to-lug: 49mm
• Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)
• Weight: 50g (case only)

MATERIAL

• Bezel: Zirconium Oxide Ceramic
• Case: Injected Carbon Fiber Composite
• Glass: Sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflection treatment

ESSENCE

MOVEMENT

Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 (self-winding) Automatic (Chronometer grade), officially certified by COSC. 26 jewels and glucydur balance wheel. Date display. Custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. 38 hours power reserve. 

CASE

• Diameter: 43mm
• Height: 10mm
• Lug width: 22mm
• Lug-to-lug: 49mm
• Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)
• Weight: 80g (case only)

MATERIAL

• Bezel: Stainless steel 316L
• Case: Stainless steel 316L
• Glass: Sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflection treatment

The Sh&! that Killed Elvis!

From Formex -

Courtesy of Formex

This is the Essence. The model pictured above is their new CHRONOMETER DÉGRADÉ version. 

Now in fairness, there are a lot of stainless steel sport watches out there.  But this one is a bit special.  From the dial color and texture, to the depth of the date window (assuring older eyes like mine will be able to read it).  The movement is a certified chronometer.  

Courtesy of Formex

And all of that is cool, but there are two things that set this apart for me -

1.  The suspension system.  I am going to let Formex speak to that in their own words -

Since the beginning of Formex in 1999, the patented Case Suspension System has been an integral part of every single Formex timepiece. Its two main functions are:

• absorbs shocks to protect the mechanical movement from heavy impacts
• adds to the comfort on the wrist by adapting to the wearer’s movements

Modeled with high-performance bikes and racing cars in mind, the Formex patented case suspension system works by integrating four springs between the upper and lower watch case. The result is the ultimate shock absorption system designed to protect the mechanical movement and deliver unparalleled comfort to the wearer.

This patented case suspension system brings form and function together for Formex Swiss watches. It’s functional, it’s state of the art engineering and it’s unquestionably unique - all in one watch.

All too often, we get a mechanical watch that we are really excited about, but if we are honest with ourselves? It is really not comfortable. Now we can try all sorts of arguments, case shape, case materials, etc., but the truth is that it is a solid piece of metal on your wrist. With the Formex suspension system, the watch actually has some "give" to ensure a more adaptable, comfortable fit. It also acts as additional shock absorption.

Courtesy of Formex

2.  PRICE!  At $1,265 for with the bracelet, this is a "Screaming Jesus on a Ferris Wheel" deal!

It is available in some other compelling versions including blue, brown and silver (below)

Courtesy of Formex

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 (self-winding) Automatic (Chronometer grade), officially certified by COSC. 26 jewels and glucydur balance wheel. Date display. Custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. 38 hours power reserve. 

CASE

• Diameter: 43mm
• Height: 10mm
• Lug width: 22mm
• Lug-to-lug: 49mm
• Water resistance: 10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)
• Weight: 80g (case only)

MATERIAL

• Bezel: Stainless steel 316L
• Case: Stainless steel 316L
• Glass: Sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflection treatment

STRAP

• Italian calf leather straps with curved spring bars, Quick Release function and carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented Micro-Adjustment System. 
• Black rubber strap with curved spring bars, Quick Release function and carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented Micro-Adjustment System. 
• Stainless steel bracelet with Quick Release and Micro-extension function. 
• All Essence straps and the bracelet can be changed by hand without the use of tools. The carbon fiber composite folding clasp with patented fine adjustment system can be changed without tools and can be used for all Essence leather and rubber straps. 

DIAL

Vertical brush finish with horizontally cut lines which are CNC machined into the dial base one by one. BGW9 Super-LumiNova on hands and indexes. (NOTE the Degrade dial has horizontal lines).

The Essence

From Mondaine -

Courtesy of Mondaine

One of the truly neat releases this BaselWorld was the Essence from Mondaine.  This seemed to be a year for interesting surprises, and Mondaine had a few up their sleeves.  One that truly caught my attention was the Essence.  

On the surface, you might be forgiven for seeing yet another SBB themed dial.  But look a little closer.  This is not your standard pvd treated case.  In fact, it is not your standard case at all.  The case is constructed of a polyamide that BASF SE has provided to Mondaine.  This material is not simply just a plastic.  It is composed to a fair degree of renewable materials:

1. Watch Case Materials:

41%	Rizinus (castor plant)
30%	Glass
2%	Black Color pigments
27 %	Fossil based plastics

Per Mondaine, the most notable points of this case construction are:

• • High percentage of renewable resources (in comparison to other watch brands: over 70% less fossil based plastic in the case as 40% of the case content is made out of the Rizinus plant, 30% are glass reinforcement materials.)
• • High strength and rigidity
• • Very good impact strength
• • Outstanding resistance to chemicals
• • Unique surface appearance 

Courtesy of Mondaine

The strap is rubber (38% natural rubber).

Even the packaging is thoughtful -

Courtesy of Mondaine

The pouch that the watch is packaged in is made from recycled PET bottles.  And the pouch can later be "upcycled" for a different use ; )

The Essence is available with either a white or black dial, in either a 32 or 41 mm case diameter.  As I understand it, the suggested retail is $175.

Well done Mondaine!  Hopefully this is the start of even more good things.