Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Rise of Concrete Watches


Concrete started with Artya just a couple months ago with the World's Heaviest Watch - little jibe at the "lightest watch race".
Artya also created a concrete dial collection, which I thought was a form of unique artistic expression, but never a watch material to be taken seriously.  I thought the concrete had its day and now it is full steam ahead into the realm of nanotechnology and carbon fiber.
Artya :Heaviest Watch on Earth"
Then a couple days ago Girard-Perregaux, innovative - Yes!, outright edgy - No!,  announced they were creating a watch with a concrete dial.  Read more about this on Christies Watch Blog " Longitude".
I scratched my head and figured Girard-Perregaux sought to dabble in something different. Excellent for publicity.
However there is even a later buzz in concrete watches - A Concrete Watch Collection by Dzimitry Samal.  The Collection will feature 8 different designs limited to 100 to 150 pieces each.  The bezel of the 42mm case timepiece is faceted and polished with slight casting imperfections unique to each model. The dial is protected by hardened mineral crystal.  The watches will range in price from $1,190 to $1,500 .

Dzimitry Samal, French designer known for his edgy eyeglasses, furniture and "structural" handbags and cellphone case covers - among other things,  gives as good an explanation for the use of concrete as you can get:

“Watchmaking, as I see is more than just a time measuring mechanism. It is the main male jewellery and should reflect the personality and strength of its owner. I chose concrete, a noble, modern, honest and robust material, the stuff our megapolis are made of. My watches tell the story of an alliance of French creativity and Swiss technical performance, innovating in a field that has never been explored in watchmaking before.My designs are sophisticated in their simplicity and plainly contemporary…” Dzmitry Samal

It seems Concrete is not done with horology yet - although I have an inkling its days are numbers due to its property constraints.

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