Steam Punk Watches A New Dimension of Time Telling

What is it with steam punk and watches, and I say everything. Steam punk is gears, steampunk is clocks and leather and rust and joints and levers mechanic, as if the object has a life of its own in a time far gone or a time yet to come.  I happened upon this website and the name alludes me simply because its title is in Chinese or Japanese or Korean (I think).  But where as I had trouble understanding the words, I had no trouble understanding the timepieces- they are steampunk all the way.

Steampunk is a curious genre in that it evokes a mysterious emotion, one cannot quite grasp. What exactly is it, well its interpretation cannot fit within the neat little description upon the pages of an Oxford Dictionary.  The genre has enabled watch makers to use old watch parts to create original timepieces.

The most famous steam punk luxury watch out there at the moment, unveiled in the latter part of 2010,  is Romain Jeromes Steam Punk watch.  One almost to expect a hiss of steam to erupt from the seconds hand "air vent"aperture.  The oxidised steel besel is almost a steam punk must have evoking the sense of metal exposed to harsh environments.  The dial resembles the steel girders of a giant structure. This image is achieved by the use of the four polished screw down pistons and the imposing Roman Numerals at the 12 and 6 'o'clock position.

Another watch company pushing the Steam Punk Genre is Retrowerk Watches.  Retrowerk watches combines German craftmanship, swiss movements and interesting application of the steam punk genre. I like to call it soft steam punk or part steam punk.   Actually my favorite part of these watches, is the highly reliable ETA 2824 movement, since there are so many steam punk gimmicky
watches, I feel if the movement is an ETA movement then the exterior of the watch must be of good quality.  The Retrowerk Compass Brass looks like it would be more at home around the wrist of a sea captain rather than in the bowels of a great hissing heaving city.  So what else to I love about this watch.

• Stainless Steel is high quality 36L - with worn brass finishing
• Screw down crown cover and case back increasing water resistany capabilities to 200 meters.
• I love the Detachable Compass Module!
• The half dial time display is pretty cool.

What I do not like about this watch is that the watch glass is hardened mineral crystal rather than Sapphire crystal.  Sapphire Crystal would have raised the priced a bit, but would increase the longevity of the dial with greater scratch resistancy.  All in all this is a really nice watch.
Steam Punk is a rather curious genre where descriptions are based on an individuals perception.  However it is often described as a sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy combined with mechanical contraptions, dark intentions and swirls of the supernatural.