Insignum Reserve Alpha Bold Design

A relatively new German Brand, Insignum,  has started to gain recognition for hip affordable timepieces. Insignum Timepieces are bold and trendy baring vague resemblance to other higher end brands for a fraction of the price.    Insignum timepieces, however,  can stylistically stand on their own.

   My personal favorite is the Insignum  Reserve Alpha Collection, which ,come to think of it., does bare a resemblance to Concord's C1 watches.  In fact the sub dials vertically placed on the bezel resembles Concord's  Quantum Gravity.

Insignum Reserve Epoche

 The C1's prices commence at the $5,000 mark and the price of the Concord's Quantum Gravity is well ... astronomical - far above my watch purchasing budget. The Insignums Alpha on the other hand are listed around the $599.00 mark.  Of course in pricing other factors come into play, which is warrant for another discussion.

All the Insignum timepieces are Quartz.  The Insignum Alpha is a Quartz Swiss ISA 8172 - not ETA or Ronda, but pretty good none the less and widely used.   The crystal is Sapphire Coated Mineral Crystal - cheaper than a crystal crafted entirely of sapphire crystal.  Mineral crystal is not as hard as sapphire crystal and is prone to scratches. Sapphire crystal is almost as hard as diamonds.  Coating the mineral crystal with sapphire crystal ensures maximum scratch resistance.


The case material is Titan - which is probably a titanium alloy - of which there are a wide variety varying in quality.  A Titanium alloy is titanium with another chemical element. The appeal of titanium is its light weight property  and corrosion resistance. The watch is 141.4 grams - which is quite light in relation to its really large 54.3 mm size.
 The strap is Caoutchoc - an uncommon term used for natural or Indian rubber.  This type of rubber is really stretchy and flexible which provides for a very comfy fit around the wrist.  The type of rubber is also completely water proof, which is a nice addition to the watches 100 meter water resistance. The watch is secured to the wrist by a regular buckle.

Insignum Tornado Fashion Line

Models in the Insignum Reserve Line are in limited editions of 888 pieces. Insignum appeals to the attraction of exclusiveness within an individual. The Insignum Reserve line is always a huge success.  Oftentimes the Limited Edition watches are sold out before Insignum International distributors have a chance to get their hands on even one.  In 2011, Insignum solved this problem by unveiling a limitless new line called Insignum Premium Line. 
I have to say I really like the Insignum Alpha. This collection has a couple really cool attractive features:

• Handy compass placed vertically on the case between the 12 and 3 'o'clock position.
• Prominent display of bold hour indices placed vertically and at an angle. 
• Chronograph movement enabling timing. 
• Vertically placed seconds sub dial beneath the  3 and 6 'o' clock shaped like an old Kodak camera I once had as a kid. 
• Prominent screws exhibited on bezel.

Insignum has a wide range of collections and styles suited for a variety of requirements and tastes.  The Insignum Tornado Fashion Line is crafted in 316L steel which has superior corrosion resistance to regular steel. The Insignum Reserve Epoche Collection is unique in its angular case and prominent indices.  This Collection is protected by a Sapphire crystal provided with a 15 year warranty. Its Art Collection renders depictions of skulls in various forms of distress. I am not sure - but it seems Insignum's skulls are a tad less ferocious than Corums.   Perfect for Halloween!