I've Been Hit by the KAAOS Hammer!

In a good way ; )

In the blog formerly known as Tempus Fugit, I have written a bunch about Stepan Sarpaneva. From the time I first pushed my bloggy-wog out into the world, he has always been generous with his time, patient and more than accommodating. His Sarpaneva moon-phase watches have no equal, and I still hold out hope that I can convince him to do a Kalevala themed watch some day ; )

Now a bit about me, I am not fabulously wealthy. I do not see a watch that I fancy, and capriciously grab for my credit card, as much as I might want to. I make considered choices, and I save until I am able to make the purchase. And truth be told, I have not really seen much of anything that has turned my crank. 

Until now.

Courtesy of S.U.F Helsinki

This is the KAAOS KUURA. And to quote that other great commentator on watches, Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld -

I know, that sounds like a lot of hyperbolic spouting from the most cynical commentator in Watch Town, but I stand by my statement.

Not unlike when chocolate's hyper-collision with peanut butter gave us the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, the KAAOS field watches have filled a hole in my watch loving self that I did not know existed. I have always loved Stepan Sarpaneva's iconography, in particular his now eponymous moon -

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

And his watches are beyond beautiful. But going back to economics, while his Sarpaneva watches are absolutely worth every Euro (or Finn Marka), they are not necessarily within everyone's reach. Nor should they be ; ) 

But with that said, it is a wonderful thing when something you have obsessed about - a Sarpaneva moon phase watch - is suddenly within your means!

But more importantly, while the Sarpaneva moon and a moon phase indicator are nods to his namesake brand, the KAAOS remains true to the S.U.F ethos and identity. This is not a show-pony. It is a true field watch, something you could wear pretty much anywhere at any time.

Courtesy of S.U.F Helsinki

The KAAOS is available in 3 different dial colors with further options for the moon phase indication color. Purple (Kaarki) above. Black (Hiili) below -

Courtesy of S.U.F Helsinki

And my personal favorite, the white dialed Kuura with blue moon phase indicator -

Courtesy of S.U.F Helsinki

The blue indicator and hands on the white face reminds me of the Finnish flag, and takes me back to four of the happier years my wife and I spent overseas when we lived in Turku and Helsinki in the 90s.

If you are as intrigued as me, here are the pertinents, straight from downtown Helsinki -

TECHNICAL SPECS

Movement
Modified Swiss Soprod A10 Calibre, 11.5 lines, 28800 vph (4 Hz) - in-house phases of the moon complication
Mechanical Automatic winding
Hours, Minutes,Seconds and Phases of the Moon ( 29.5 days )
25 jewels
42 Hours power reserve
Rhodium plated, Perlage & Côtes de Genève Finishing
Every movement has been thoroughly checked, correctly oiled and regulated at our Helsinki Gable factory workshop

Case
Outokumpu Stainless Steel from Finland (SUPRA 316L/4435)
Case size: 38.7 mm
Case thickness: 9.4 mm
Lug to lug length: 46.4 mm
Water-resistant to 10 ATM
Open caseback

Dial
Frosted silver dial
Stepan Sarpaneva Scandi-noir typeform numerals in grey print
‘Railroad’ minutes track in grey print
Painted Superluminova indexes
Three color options for the moon phase indicator, hand painted with Superluminova: White, Blue or Orange
Polished Blued steel hands with Superluminova
Blued steel Lollipop design seconds hand with Superluminova

Strap
Leather: Black - Nordic elk
18mm Sarpaneva stainless steel pin buckle
Delivered with one additional Grassbay strap. Included custom engraved buckle. Made in partnership with our good friends at The Erika's Originals MN™ Strap
Lug width: 20 mm

$5,038.26
With taxes (24%)

$4,063.11 

without taxes.

A Few Minutes With the Black Badger - James Thompson

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs

As a now world-renowned contrarian, I appreciate the people out there who chart their own 

course. For the most part, the thinking in the watch business is beyond antiquated. To paraphrase from Michael Lewis and Moneyball, more often than not the decision making paradigm is governed by picking the option that is least likely to fail, rather than the one that might just be crazy enough to work.  In essence, the potential pain and associated anxiety of looking bad drives most of the folks in Watch Town down the path of least resistance. Well, as the advertising revenues of Tempus Fugit will bear out, I am a fan of anyone who is ready to tilt at the occasional windmill or two.

And now, without further adieu, a few minutes with the Black Badger himself, James Thompson - 

Courtesy of James Thompson

Henki (James Henderson) - What was your first watch? Was it a gift? Is there a story behind it?

James Thompson (Black Badger) - Hmmm when I was about 10 I got a Swatch Radar from my parents for Christmas. I recall being a little offended that I got a “small” one while my older brother got a large one. No wonder I bought a bigass Bell & Ross BRO1 as my first “real” watch around 2008. A tank that i absolutely adore.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Henki - When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

James Thompson - A pilot. Top Gun was the first VHS tape we got growing up, and my brother and I would watch it every single day when we got home from elementary school. My mom still knows all the dialogue from overhearing it hundreds of times. I didn’t discover art or design until after high school


Henki - Where did you go to school? What did you study?

James Thompson - I bounced around a bit with what I thought I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I studied advertising production as I have a massive love for good tv commercials. I did a masters degree in industrial design between the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver and HDK design school in Göteborg Sweden where I live now.


Henki - How did you acquire your "nom de lume" - Black Badger? 

 
James Thompson - Honestly? I thought it sounded cool and kinda SpecOps. I think I read too many Tom Clancy novels. I didn’t take it very seriously in the early days but now that I am where I am, the name kinda fits. I'm trying my hardest not to fit in.


Henki - How did you get involved in the watch business?

James Thompson - I was messing around with custom watch straps with Carl Evans of GasGasBones in the UK. This got me in friendly with Bell & Ross and Graham watches. Those were my first awkward steps in the industry. I’d say Stepan Sarpaneva has been the biggest mentor for me along the way though. He’s not a scary as most think, ha ha!

Courtesy of James Thompson

Henki - And while we're trying to get to know who the Black Badger (the designer) is, what exactly is Black Badger the business?

James Thompson - Meh who knows. Call it a materials orphanage and we can go away friends here!

Henki - In some ways, for some people, it seems like you came out of nowhere. Could you shed a little light on your journey from Canadian art student transplant to global watch sensation?

Courtesy of David Svensson

James Thompson - I think it really was just a case of the right place at the right time. I’m kinda like the Forrest Gump of design. And by keeping to my own aesthetic and not trend-chasing, it’s let me establish a rather strong visual identity in a relatively short timeframe.


Henki - Now as a fellow Northern Youth who found himself in Scandinavia, I have to ask - was this a plan, an happy accident, or something else?

James Thompson - Ha ha I was in the process of flunking out of my design school in Vancouver and was really looking for a totally different direction. We had a Swedish exchange student with us and I just loved the way Scandinavia approaches design. Much more holistic and thought-out, rather than just cool sexy shapes. I dig that way of working.


Henki - What is the best part about the work you do with watch brands?

James Thompson - I truly love pushing established brands out of their comfort zone. It tends to rivitalize the brands themselves, lets the maybe shake some dust off. And hey if it all goes to shit they can just blame it on me. Ha ha!

Henki - I realize that I might be in the minority here - but I thought that the Tag Heuer Coffee collaboration was the Witches Britches!  

Were you surprised by the reception?

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

James Thompson - That’s my wife’s favorite piece I’ve ever done actually. Both the visual look and the story behind it. The fact that it’s made from coffee isn’t super earth-shattering but the appearance and the detail of the dial I think is super interesting. Some people just thought we were taking the piss and joking around. Not at all the case. Introducing unconventional materials into modern watchmaking is what pays my rent, so no I don’t play around. Especially when it’s someone else’s brand I’m guest-starring with. But some of the online comments were just idiotic. People like to take shots at George Bamford and I really don’t tolerate that in a public setting. Purists won’t like what we do, and that’s fine. They weren’t invited to the revolution anyways.


Henki - If you weren't doing this, what do you think you might be doing?

James Thompson - In another life I would have been a chef I think. I get super inspired by all these fantastically creative people who travel the world and create amazing recipes from local and exciting ingredients. I mean have you heard Anthony Bourdain go off about a certain cut of meat, or Jose Andres making a Michelin-Starred dessert using Doritos and broccoli or something insanely unexpected. Pure alchemy and I love it.


Henki - What advice do you have for the next Black Badger out there?

James Thompson  - My weather-control device is almost complete...

Lunations

From Sarpaneva -

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

This is the latest creation from Stepan Sarpaneva.  It represents a fairly big step in what has already been an impressive career.  

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

The movement?

• Sarpaneva in-house Moonment® calibre, 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
• Mechanical manual-winding
• 20 jewels
• 60-hour power reserve

The case is as follows -

• High-grade Outokumpu Supra 316L/4435 stainless steel case, available also in 18K red gold

For those of you unfamiliar, Outokumpo is steel manufacturer based in Helsinki, but born in Kuusjärvi, and if the company's website is to believed, Outokumpo was a hill where copper was found, bringing into creation, the company.  The name, apparently, means "Strange Hill".  I kinda' dig that!

• 42 mm in diameter, 9,8 mm in thickness
• Front and back sapphire crystals with multi anti-reflective coating on the inside
• Two-part crown at 4 o’clock with signature Sarpaneva moon face motif
• Water-resistant to 5 ATM

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

The Dial?

• Two-part stainless steel skeleton dial in various DLC-coated finishes
• Indexes in various Swiss Super-Luminova® emission colours
• Two-tone hands in Rhodium, Flame Blue, Red Gold or Pitch Black with optional Swiss Super-Luminova® coating on the backside (Mondaine® pat. pend.)
• Laser-machined and hand-finished optical fibre moon face relief, moon illumination powered by RC Tritec’s Lumicast®

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

All secured with a leather strap.

Back to Basics - the 180

This is the latest from Sarpaneva's sister brand, S.U.F, may I introduce you to the 180.

Courtesy of Sarpaneva/S.U.F Watches

Now as a point of transparency, I am a Stepan Sarpaneva fan.  I like his unique take on things, I like that he speaks his mind (when he speaks), and I truly appreciate his aesthetic sense.  It would be easy to say that it is all in the DNA, and when you come from a famous artistic family that would be an easy conclusion to make.  But dig into his work, or just spend some time shooting the shit and you will come to understand pretty quickly that Mr Sarpaneva is a one-off.  And thank goodness for that!

Now while I write about this stuff, and get to see beautiful things, it is safe to say that as a social worker/English teacher the Sarpaneva collection is something that I will have to admire from afar.  And that is why I was so excited when he came out with the S.U.F collection.  And I'm even more excited about this new series - the 180.  Something cool, "Sarpanevaesque", and priced within reach!  
And it's something new - a field watch.

Courtesy of S.U.F

The case measures 38.7mm and is machined from Finnish steel.  The movement is an automatic Soprod A10.  The 180 is limited to 50 pieces in each color version.  The  price is 2200 euros without taxes (2728 euros including 24% VAT).

While there is nothing wrong with pilot's watches, I have never fantasized about throwing on a bomber jacket, goggles and jumping in a biplane.

shamelessly borrowed from the worldwide infoweb

It's just not me.  But a field watch?  Now that's something that appeals.

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

You can have it in a cobalt blue, white and a black dial.  

And my personal favorite?  RED!  But not just any red, this is referred to as cranberry-red “Karpalo” -

Courtesy of S.U.F

While bright red not be everyone's jam, let me give you a personal bit of Henki lore -

Back in the 90s, Wendy and I lived first in Turku, then Helsinki Finland.  Winter was, let's just say, not my thing.  I like ice hockey, I enjoy making a snowman.  But beyond that? It was a challenge to adapt to.  Without realizing it, I took to wearing fairly bright colors during the winter months, and bought an Omega Speedmaster in bright yellow (Schumacher).  I can honestly say that up to that point I was not too fussed about color and full truth be told?  I did not want to stand out.  Was it my own way of keeping a "summer" feeling during a dark couple of months?  Quite possible, or maybe it was my little way of being contrary.  At any rate, had the S.U.F 180 cranberry-red “Karpalo”been around back then?  I would have bought it for sure.

But enough about me, here is the rest of the 180 story straight from the source in Helsinki:

S.U.F performs a flawless about-turn with ‘180’, marching into utilitarian field-watch territory

Sometimes, we all need to stop. To turn 180 degrees and realize how far we’ve come, but also remind ourselves where we’re going. Even S.U.F – a watchmaker driven by the Finnish people’s stoic, honest-to-goodness determination – needs perspective.

The new ‘180’ is precisely that: a stripped-back field watch, whose minimal utility draws on S.U.F’s past while signposting the future. All the while providing new recruits with an unfettered way into the world of ‘proper watches’.

Long-devoted fans of S.U.F will sense echoes of its early model, the Komentaja. But true to form, 180 goes back while moving things on; reimagining classic features with a contemporary cool.

The ‘railway’ minutes track for a start, circling numerals whose Scandi-noir typeform is unique to S.U.F.’s founder Stepan Sarpaneva - the master watchmaker with iconic Finnish design in his blood. 

The traditional ‘lollipop’ seconds hand too, sweeping across a gleaming dial in far-from-traditional colourways. For 180’s launch, these include cranberry-red “Karpalo” -

Courtesy of S.U.F

Liquorice-black “Salmiakki” -

Courtesy of S.U.F

 Cobalt-blue “Taivas” -

Courtesy of S.U.F

And “Kuura”, in a crisp frosty white that Helsinki residents know all too well.

Courtesy of S.U.F

Wherein lies the rub, since the 180 could arguably be the most ‘Finnish’ S.U.F yet. Its high-grade stainless-steel case is machined from domestically forged metal, impregnated with chrome mined near the coast. The straps’ leather even comes from Nordic Elk.

And of course, it’s all painstakingly hand-assembled in the heart of the Finnish capital, at the SarpanevaUhrenFabrik workshop.

Whose postal code also happens to be ‘180’.

7 Days with the Minase Divido

So a quick point, although I announced the start of the 7 day review of this watch in Part 3 of my Minase visit report -

A Grand Day Out - Minase 3

The review actually started last Tuesday, February 27th.

Courtesy of Minase

So it is time to sum up and wrap up what it has been like to wear the Minase Divido for one week.  I was given the watch at the factory, and then had it sized in Tokyo.  And a big "Arigato Gozaimasu" goes out to Ysuyoshi Hoshino who was kind enough to hustle over from the Minase HQ in Kashiwa, Chiba-Ken to Tokyo to do the adjusting!  Needless to say, I think Seiko would have said "take it to a watch maker" ; )

As you may recall, I was first introduced to this particular Divido the day before during the tour of the Minase factory.  It was, as you see above, somewhat disassembled.  

This was to enable one of Minase's watch makers the opportunity to demonstrate the how the pieces fit together, and to give some visual understanding about why some of the design choices were made.

Minase started out in the watch business doing OEM work, making cases and bracelets for some other more well-known brands.  And in the process of doing this, decided that they could perhaps build a better watch themselves.  The case of the Divido is unique, but also somewhat traditional.  It is the only piece in the current Minase collection that is round.

The case is a very balanced, very sensible 40.5 mm in diameter.  It is round, but with lugs that extend out slightly to create a bit of depth and structure (both visibly and physically).  

The size was perfect for me, with the lug horns just reaching the edge of my wrist.  

The case is the beneficiary of Minase's incomparable Sallaz polishing technique.  The results speak for themselves.

The watch is water resistant to 5 ATM or 50 meters.  This is achieved without a screw down crown or a more traditional case design.  

So as you can see from the exploded view of the Divido, you will note that the case contains several elements that help comprise what Minase refers to as their "case within a case".  You will notice from the bottom piece to the top there are several layers, or "stages" of the watch.  

The bottom of the watch is pretty straight forward.  It acts both as the case back and the "anchor" to the "interior case" with comprises the movement, the dial, and the index ring.  This achieves a great level of depth and creates a very interesting visual effect.  Essentially, the center of the watch almost "floating" in the "outer case".

This is a little easier to conceptualize with a light glowing through the case back -

The watch is very legible owing in no small part to the "layering effect" that is achieved through the case in case concept.  Another important note - while you can see the light from the phone glowing through the back, this is not a watch that utilizes lume with the exception of a small bit on the hands. 

Yes, that is me with a flashlight in my mouth

And I think I get this.  This is a watch to be worn and admired in normal light conditions.  And in fairness, there are plenty of watches that eschew lume completely.  But I also know that a lot of watch collectors are very, very partial to lume and will only buy a watch with heavy amounts on the dial.  And fair enough.  For the record, I personally have found no shortcomings from this, but if copious lume is a deal breaker for you, this might not be for you.

The one thing that I thought I would be put off with was the "open" date window showing the date as well as yesterday and tomorrow.  But the date for today lines up perfectly both with the arrow and the 3 o'clock marker.  It was a pleasure to look at the watch, and it was always easy to get the date and time with a glance.  The only challenge was my wandering eye admiring the case within case and the deep blue of the dial.

This is the inner case on the bench, so not locked in and 100% aligned, but it gives you a sense of the depth and hence, the legibility of the watch face.  The outer chapter ring is a stand-alone stainless steel piece that provides the hour indications.  

Courtesy of Minase

 So again, this sets Minase apart.  It would be easy to simply slap a dial in there, but the goal was to create something unique and special.  Just to give you an idea, here are the constituent parts that help make up the whole of the inner case of the Divido -

Oh, and it bears mentioning - all of those seemingly unimportant parts that you might not be able to see 100%?

Sallaz polishing.  While a few better known brands might simply use Sallaz polishing for their cases, Minase feels that every part that is potentially visible and is important. 

Courtesy of Minase

I have appropriated a photo from Minase to show the crown in better detail that what I was able to manage...

as you can see ; )  On the plus side, this does help highlight the floating effect of the case in case design.  The crown is sort of a hybrid of those found on a traditional big crown pilot watch.  The crown itself is tactile and solid, engages smoothly in all positions.  Now without crown guards, it appears to sit out a bit more prominently than it actually does.  Having said that, it is out there and can snag on sweaters, etc. as any other prominent crown could do.

I am borrowing a shot I took at the factory of the same model, but with a rubber strap (i.e. easier to photograph).

Minase refers to the movement as the KT 7001.  Look closely and you will see Swiss Made on the rotor.  This is not anything that Minase is trying to hide.  When deciding what movement to use, Minase didn't dwell on keeping it 100% down-home 日本 (Japan).  They start with a Swiss ebauche from the folks at ETA (2824-2) in this model, and then put their touch on it -

In terms of timekeeping, it was flawless.  No noticeable deviations.  I had asked about this, a Swiss movement in an otherwise Japanese watch (one that in many ways is more Japanese than some other bigger operations who do a lot of their manufacturing "off shore", and the answer was simple.  They wanted the best.  Minase's case has a very complex design and assembly.  And this was not done just for the sake of complexity.  It was (and continues to be) done in the interest of longevity.  Even the lug pieces can be replaced in a Minase watch.  So the belief is that the best, most reliable movement available should be used to ensure that it will be solid right out of the gate, and will be able to be serviced well into the future.

The bracelet is perhaps the most impressive that I have encountered in a watch at this price point.  

The links are tight, but very movable when the watch is worn, ensuring a very comfortable fit on the wrist.

The bracelet is secured with a twin button clasp, but it is not a butterfly on the underside, but rather a single side.  This is what creates the slight gap between the bracelet end and the clasp.  

This is not evident when worn normally (i.e. watch face up) but when the watch is face down with the wrist and clasp "sunny side up", the natural pull of the watch downwards accentuates the space.  This is also a very clever design choice because it allows for the free movement of that section of the bracelet ensuring that the actual link piece can move, not pinch.

The bracelet was incredibly comfortable and did not pull on my very hairy wrist.  Because the bracelet uses alternating sized links, the fit and feel of the bracelet is quite good.

Also interesting to relate, there are no visible screw heads or pin and collars on the side of the bracelet as you would see in other bracelets -

The links are removed by removing the screws on the underside of the links themselves.  This is not intended to be a "do-it-yourself" touch, but rather a more elegant solution.  Minase would strongly encourage you (assuming that you are not a trained watch maker) to have the bracelet adjusted by a trained watch maker.

Overall, this is a very, very impressive watch.

But this is where we get to the question - is this the watch for you?

Minase is not now, (nor do I expect it ever will be) a manufacturer of the size and scale of Seiko.  And frankly, I do not get the impression that they ever want to be.  So the first question you have to ask yourself - do you identify with the brand, or the watch?  Then secondly, if you do identify with the brand, what type of brand do you appreciate - is it a massive commercial concern, or is it a small, local concern staffed by local craftspeople who have been apprenticed by the company from a young age?

If we are simply talking about performance, I would put the Divido up against anything from Grand Seiko, or frankly just about anything else at its price point.

If we are talking about the emotional content, the stuff that hits you with a visceral gut bomb?   The intangible stuff that makes you feel things without you necessarily understanding why?  Well, then the Minase Divido ticks those boxes as well.

When you consider brands like GoS, ochs und junior, Sarpaneva and other esoteric brands that still manage to captivate us?  That's about more than just a watch, and a financial calculation.  That is about passion, about feeling, about romance.  And the Divido well and truly belongs in that category.

Should you buy the Divido?  I have to be honest, it is not for everyone.  Not everyone will "get" the design philosophy.  Not everyone will feel safe buying a relatively unknown, small production, (let's face it) micro brand.  Some purists will not be able to get their heads around a Japanese watch with a Swiss ebauche.  Well, fair enough.  Some people like vanilla ice cream...

And some of us like pistachio ; )

But in all seriousness, this is not a watch for everyone.  Minase is not design by committee for the masses.  And that's okay.  On a personal note, I will be very, very sorry to see it go back to Japan.  It has been a real joy to wear.

Here are the pertinents, straight from Minase -

Specs:

Case

Stainless steel 316L. Domed box type sapphire crystal (non reflective coating), flat sapphire crystal on the back.

Water resistant up to 50 meters (5 ATM).
Diameter - 40.5 mm. Thickness: 12.0 mm. Weight: 100 / 150 g.

Movement
KT 7001/1 by MINASE with hand-made polishing and "perlage" on plates and bridges.

Dial 

"Case in Case" structure: the essential feature of HiZ concept and exclusive development where individual components are assembled to become a 3- dimensional dial. Together with the movement and the hands, this structure
becomes an independent entity assembled inside the case.

Functions
Hours, minutes and central second hands. Date at 4.
 

Strap
Rubber (EPDM) with stainless steel deployment clasp or in a solid stainless steel execution featuring MORE concept. The patented design feature individual links that are screwed individually instead of the traditional pin-system

Clasp
Deployment buckle with steel side pushers.

What I Like

So recently an anonymous comment came through with the tell-tale poor grammar combined with incredibly sophisticated vocabulary that led me to the inescapable conclusion that it either came from someone working in the marketing/pr department of a well-know watch brand, or from their likely intoxicated CEO.  Behind all of the bluster, rancor and (I can only assume) frustration, there actually was a valid point that I wanted to explore and expand upon.  The anonymous correspondent's critiques could be boiled down to a simple statement -


"You are very good at telling us what you don't like or disagree with, but what do you actually like?"

And to anonymous I would have to say, that is a very fair question.  So for those of you convinced that I am a profoundly contrary person, here are 5 things/people in the watch and luxury industry that I like, a lot!

1.  The Rolex Awards for Enterprise -
There is something profoundly wonderful about the Awards for Enterprise.  In their own words:

H ANNIVERSARY

ANYONE
CAN CHANGE
EVERYTHING

For four decades, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise have supported individuals with original ideas who are determined to make the world a better place. Over 100 men and women have been singled out for their spirit of enterprise.

Check them out here -

http://www.rolexawards.com/40


2.  Gavox
Michael Happe is doing something fantastic from his base in Belgium.  Without a lot of nonsense or bullshit, he has quietly been designing and making wonderful watches.  And he has been doing it in a slow, steady, self-sustaining manner.  His two most recent pieces, the Avidiver -

Courtesy of Gavox

and the Aurora -

Courtesy of Gavox

are different, interesting, and objects of great desire among those who have seen them.  Michael and a handful of other guys and girls out there represent the REAL spirit of the micro brand movement.  Let's hope they keep going!

3.  The Korona K0 from Sarpaneva 

Sometimes pictures speak louder than mere words, so here you go -

Courtesy of Sarpaneva

4.   The Scott Bag from the folks at Bleu de chauffe - 

Courtesy of Bleu de chauffe

Simple, beautiful - and yes, I want this!

5.  Benoît Mintiens -

Courtesy of Ressence

Yes, he is the man behind Ressence, and that in and of itself is a pretty serious calling card.  But having worked in the watch business for 10 years, and having covered it for 6, I can say without fear of contradiction that he is, without a doubt one of the very nicest people I have ever encountered, and I sincerely hope some of his kindness, positivity, and sincere approach rub off on some of his colleagues.