Baume & Mercier is the poor cousin of the big brands in luxury conglomerate Richemont, which also owns Cartier and IWC. Once a highflier in the 1980s and early 1990s, the brand hasn’t seen a revival of its fortunes, despite attempts at giving it a new image. Most recently Baume & Mercier was reduced to rolling out a preposterously described, not-quite-sister brand.

That’s a shame, because the new Clifton Baumatic is actually a solid product that’s one of the best entry-level mechanical watches on the market, possessed of useful features and handsome midcentury looks – at a relatively reasonable price. It revives a name first used in the 1950s in self-winding Baume & Mercier watches, but now applied to the newly developed BM12-1975A, an entry-level but impressive movement that is likely an important development for Richemont.

The Baumatic is a moderately sized men’s watch that’s 40mm in diameter a slim-ish 10.3mm high. The short lugs and narrow bezel give it strongly classical proportions.

It’s worth pointing out that the case has a finished that’s a notch above most watches in this price range, which usually apply the same surface treatment to the entire case. In contrast, the Baumatic case has brushed sides and a polished top, along with a wide bevel that runs lengthwise.

Visually it takes its cues from 1950s and 1960s watches, so the look is slightly generic but still attractive. It pairs lance-shaped hands and tapered hour markers with slightly glossy, lacquered dials. The detailing of the dial and hands goes above and beyond, with both the hands and hour markers being faceted lengthwise and finished with contrasting polished and frosted surfaces.

Minute numerals give the dial a slightly more functional look, but blend in well enough to keep the dial a clean, almost minimalist look. Notably, the date disc matches the colour of the dial, which means the black dial model has a pleasing, tone on tone date.

It is available in two case iterations: stainless steel, or two-tone steel and gold. And just for geeks Baume & Mercier also offers a COSC-certified Baumatic chronometer for US$200 extra. While the certification doesn’t change much in fit or function, the Baumatic chronometer is the best looking of the bunch because of the “crosshair” dial, a retro touch that boosts its appeal and evokes vintage chronometers.

All variants of the Baumatic are powered by the cal. BM12-1975A, a 21-jewel movement visible through the case back. Boasting high tech features, the movement stands in stark contrast to the classic looks of the watch.

Most watches in the price range of the Baumatic rely on ETA or Sellita movements. The BM12-1975A, however, is a proprietary movement with specs that far exceeds those of comparable movements from independent suppliers. Though it’s larger and has a longer power reserve, the BM12-1975A is derived from Cartier’s 1847 MC movement, explaining the similarity in components and layout.

Consequently, while the BM12-1975A is proprietary, it is not in-house: it was jointly developed by two divisions of its parent company, the Research and Innovation Centre in Neuchatel, and ValFleurier, a big manufacturer of watch movements and parts that supplies most Richemont brands. In fact, the movement is ambitious enough that it’s obvious the calibre is not merely a development for Baume & Mercier, instead it’s a test run before scaling up production for supply to the rest of Richemont.

The movement was conceived to be reliable and simple to put together, resulting in a straightforward construction. Though it has features found in more expensive watches from Richemont brands, including a free-sprung balance wheel and “Magic Lever” winding, the BM12-1975A has a condensed construction that relies on technology to improve timekeeping.

Naturally, that led to silicon, which is used to make the pallet fork, escape wheel and hairspring, making Baume & Mercier to become the first brand in Richemont to offer silicon-equipped movements on a large scale. Due to the use of silicon and other non-ferromagnetic materials, the BM12-1975A is resistant to magnetic fields of up to 1500 Gauss, which is 25 times the usual 60 Gauss mandated by the ISO standard for anti-magnetism. In comparison the magnetism resistance of a watch equipped with an old school soft iron inner cage (or Faraday cage), like the Rolex Milgauss for instance, is 1000 Gauss.

Interestingly, the hairspring boasts what’s been named TwinSpir technology, being made made of two layers of silicon, with the grain of each layer set perpendicular to the other, and a layer of silicon dioxide in between. This was done so the hairspring is thermocompensated, meaning its motion isn’t affected by changes in temperature.

The disassembled movement. Photo – Baume & Mercier

The escapement is also a new design, dubbed Powerscape. It has an optimised structure for more efficient function, made possible by the fact that silicon parts can be fabricated to microscopic precision. Together, the Powerscape escapement and TwinSpir balance are largely responsible for the impressive five-day power reserve on a single barrel, which contains a longer mainspring made from the latest alloy available, Nivaflex Plus.

The silicon components – as well as a good old fashioned adjustable mass balance wheel – ensure the BM12-1975A throughout its lengthy, 120-hour power reserve.

And the final convenience incorporated into the BM12-1975A is longer service intervals. Details on this are vague, but Richemont says new lubricants formulated to be longer lasting are used inside the BM12-1975A, pushing the service interval for the movement beyond the usual five years.

Though the primary feature of the BM12-1975A is the tech inside, some effort has been made to dress it up. It’s equipped with an open-worked, striped rotor and bridges finished in surprisingly small grained perlage. The base plate is also snailed, albeit with an engraved pattern rather than a polishing technique. All the finishing is obviously industrial, but attractive enough for the price.

Price and Availability 

The Clifton Baumatic makes a compelling case for itself, being competitively priced and a lot of watch for the money.

It still costs more than comparable watches from Longines, arguably the champion in affordable mechanical watchmaking, but comes close. For the same money, for instance, one can have the Longines Master Annual Calendar, which boasts an extra complication, but a simpler dial and case. Longines’ advantage lies in the fact that its parent company Swatch Group is the biggest maker of mechanical movements in Switzerland, producing several million units a year. In contrast, Richemont’s mechanical movement output is in the mere six figures.

The Clifton Baumatic in steel is available with a white dial (ref. M0A10398) or black dial (ref. M0A10399), both priced at US$2590. The same with a matching steel bracelet is US$2790.

The Clifton Baumatic 5 Days Chronometer (ref. M0A10436) is US$2790.

And the Clifton Baumatic in steel with an 18k red gold bezel (ref. M0A10401) is US$3290.

Update July 12, 2018: The Baumatic movement is derived from the Cartier 1847 MC.

Sporty but still distinctively designed, the watches in Nomos’ Aqua line have a depth rating of 200m and were, until now, available with dials in blue, silver or red. Now two white dial versions of the Aqua Ahoi and Club have joined the line-up, demonstrating that a disarmingly simple tweak of colour can have a big impact.

The new watches feature a dial finished in signalweiss, or “siren white”, a shade that’s brighter than the existing white dials, which lean towards a metallic grey. The new colour is complemented by a playful dash of colour – blued hands, bright red hour markers, and light blue on the minute track – that is just enough to create visual interest.

Both have luminous hands, but the Club Neomatik has luminous hour indices (above), but the Ahoi Neomatik only has glow-in-the-dark markers.

Measuring 36mm in diameter and just 9.6mm thick, the Aqua Ahoi Neomatik is Nomos’ idea of a streamlined dive watch, with subtle crown guards and a screw-down crown.

The Aqua Club Neomatik, on the other hand, measures 37mm in diameter with its characteristic rounded bezel and longish lugs, and stands 9.3mm high.

Both models are powered by the thin, in-house automatic DUW 3001 calibre that’s just 3.2mm high. It is equipped with a free-sprung balance wheel as well as Nomos’ proprietary Swing System escapement.

Each watch is fitted with a light grey textile strap designed by Nomos and is finely woven on the inner side to ensure greater comfort.

Price and Availability

Available starting June 2018, the Nomos Ahoi Neomatik Siren White is priced at US$4120, while the Club Neomatik Siren White is US$3160.

In essence, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic is the second reboot of a design concept – and it is a home run.

The original Octo was introduced in the early 2000s, when Gerald Genta was still a standalone company, before it was integrated into parent company Bulgari. It was inspired by the works of Mr Gerald Genta, one of the most successful watch designers ever. The late Mr Genta’s smash hits were the properly octagonal Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and octagonal-ish Patek Philippe Nautilus.

As originally conceived the Octo was a largish and hefty watch, with most being 45mm in diameter and complicated. In fact, the Octo line included a million dollar grande et petite sonnerie carillon with Westminster chime.

The Octo Finissimo is the second reboot of the octagonal styling, stripped of complications and excess weight, proving the Octo case can take on a whole new life with a bit of weight loss. Proof that less is more, the Octo Finissimo is deliciously thin and wonderfully elegant. Traditionalists will say it’s heresy, but the Octo Finissimo feels like a watch in the vein of the original Royal Oak and Nautilus – wide, flat and refined.

Extra, extra-thin

The Octo Finissimo is actually the latest in a series of extra-thin watches from the Roman jeweller. Over the past three years, Bulgari has repeatedly broken records in ultra-thin watchmaking, clinching the title in minute repeaters, flying tourbillons, and most recently the automatic tourbillon.

Also a record holder, the Octo Finissimo Automatic is the world’s thinnest time-only automatic wristwatch, standing just 5.15mm high – that’s 1/20th of an inch. And in titanium it barely registers on the wrist, barely tipping the scale at 68g.

The crown is topped with a black ceramic cabochon

The Octo Finissimo is powered by the BVL 138, an automatic movement just 2.23mm thick that’s equipped with a single barrel and a platinum micro-rotor. The movement nevertheless offers a respectable 60-hour power reserve, likely due to its large diameter (which means a wider barrel) and relatively small balance wheel.

At 36.6mm in diameter, the movement is large enough it fills up the 40mm case.

The decoration is of a quality and look that is typical for watches in this price range, visually appealing, mostly mechanically applied but neat and careful.

Mechanically the BVL 138 movement inside is also notable for having a conventional construction. There are thinner movements on the market – Piaget still holds the record with the Altiplano Ultimate 910 from last year – but the BVL 138 has a separate case and movement, with the calibre relying on ordinary, full bridges. In contrast, the record setting Piaget condenses the movement by ingeniously integrated the base plate into the case back.

Now in steel or gold

Though the Octo Finissimo was first introduced in titanium, Bulgari has since added variety with the recent introduction of a steel as well as 18k rose gold version of the watch. The dials on both new versions smartly stick to the same look as the original: black dauphine hands and the same slim hour markers. Apart from the two new material iterations, Bulgari also unveiled another titanium model, now with blue hands and markers that give it an even sportier appearance.

Both the steel and gold models are just a striking as the original in titanium. As is typical with Bulgari’s ultra-thin watches, the extreme slenderness of the Octo Finissimo makes its strong wrist presence perplexing.

The steel and gold versions have the same dimensions as before. That means 40mm in diameter and 5.15mm high, with sapphire crystals on the front and back. Depth rated to 30m, they are still equipped with BVL 138.

Though rose gold and steel are arguably more traditional than titanium, they still retain the same case finish, an all-matte sandblasted surface that extends from bracelet to dial, creating a surface that is striking in its homogeneity and starkly futuristic in style. The grain of surface finish is, as Goldilocks might say, neither too coarse nor too fine, and just right.

While all versions of the Octo Finissimo are available with a bracelet or leather strap, the metal bracelet is definitely the way to go, because the bracelet is a striking sleek and smart construction.

Like the titanium version, both the gold and steel models are fitted with bracelets measuring just 2.5mm thick, which is a millimeter thinner than the industry norm. Two features stand out in the bracelet construction. One is the hollowed out back of the link, which admittedly reduces the cost in the gold model, but has the upside of giving the bracelets a strikingly airy feel. And more striking is the double-fold clasp that sits in a recess on the back of the links, rather than sit above as is convention, ensuring uniform thickness throughout the length of the bracelet as well as improved comfort on the wrist.

It’s worth pointing out that even though the steel version is the base model, priced at less than titanium and well under half the gold, it has a tiny bit of precious metal in it. The sandblasted steel has been treated with a flash of gold, or less than 0.175 microns, and another tiny touch of palladium before rhodium plating, which adds silvery brightness to the surface while creating a more durable finish.

But the more visually stunning of the two is still the rose gold version. Its sharp angles are contrasted by the smooth, luminous finish of the gold. Paradoxically, the matte, sandblasted finish of the Octo Finissimo results in a gold watch that is refreshingly more casual, and a steel watch that is dressier than usual. Though it has to be said that the frosted surface of the gold model is precarious and prone to scuffs and scratches.

Both the steel and gold models are noticeably weightier than the titanium, but tangible mass of steel or gold is reassuring, and arguably more comfortable on the wrist for those unused to ultra-light timepieces.

Price-wise the gold version is a lot of money, leaving little ground to argue it’s a value buy. The steel and titanium models, on the other hand, offer quite a lot of watch – albeit very little watch in physical terms – for the money.

Price and Availability

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic in sandblasted rose gold (ref. 102912 BGOPGXTAUTO) is priced at US$42,900, or S$61,100.

The rhodium-plated steel version (ref. 103011 BGO40C14SSXTAUTO) is US$13,300, or S$18,350.

And the titanium version (ref. 102713 BGO40C14TTXTAUTO) is US$13,900, or S$19,800.

They are currently available from Bulgari boutiques and retailers.

Last month the latest 2018 watches (including the flagship Triple Split) from A. Lange & Söhne arrived Down Under, and Watches of Switzerland got first dibs. The German watchmaker’s sole retailer had its clients as well as members of social media community Lange Nation over for a warm and cosy evening of watches in Melbourne.

The soiree kicked off with a panel discussion, with participants including two of Lange Nation’s founders as well as a quantum physicist (who’s working with Lange on some top secret projects). It was a wide ranging discussion encompassing Lange watches and watchmaking, enjoyable for both the audience and panellists. Here are eight highlights from the session.

Lange Nation can also be found on Instagram.

Running Montblanc, a company with several balls in the air across different segments, requires a versatile set of managerial talents. Despite its origins as a pen maker, Montblanc is now the most diversified of the brands belonging to Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that also owns names like Cartier and IWC. A third of Montblanc’s turnover comes from selling watches – mostly of the affordable-luxury type but also top of the line timepieces badged Minerva –  but it also sells leather goods and jewellery.

The man in charge of all of that – which makes Montblanc the third largest brand in Richemont’s stable, with sales of about US$1 billion – is Nicolas Baretzki, Born in Paris to a family with roots in the watch and jewellery trade, Mr Baretzki started his career as an accountant at one of the Big Four but left after a year for the business of luxury.

The Minerva-powered 1858 Monopusher that just made its official debut in Singapore

Mr Baretzki joined Cartier in Singapore and spent eight years rising through the ranks of the jeweller, a traditional training ground for future chief executives at Richemont. But it was during his subsequent 15 years at Jaeger-LeCoultre where he really made his mark, as a key lieutenant to then chief executive Jerome Lambert.

When Mr Lambert left for Montblanc, tasked with turning around the enterprise, Mr Baretzki was a crucial member of the new team. And last year Mr Baretzki took the top job, just as Montblanc is establishing a new identity for itself. The new Montblanc positions itself as young, cosmopolitan, and stylishly European, while keeping a careful eye on affordability, with the recently launched 1858 watch line a case in point.

We caught up with Mr Baretzki when he was in Singapore recently. Here’s the condensed interview.

Formerly the head of watches at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, Sharon Chan has returned to the auction scene as Director of Watches, Asia, at Bonhams. She joins industry veterans Tim Bourne and Vanessa Herrera, a husband and wife team who just joined Bonhams earlier this year.

With her first watch auction at Bonhams scheduled for November 2018, Ms Chan has spent some 16 years in the watch auction business, including two years running Sotheby’s watch department in Hong Kong. She departed Sotheby’s in 2016 to strike out on her own as a dealer and consultant.

The growth of the watch department at Bonhams in Hong Kong is a turnaround from the situation a year ago, when the department was non-existent after the exit of the previous team. This is happening alongside a renewed vigour in the auctioneer’s watch sales in London and New York, with its most recent London sale boasting a selection of popular, high value vintage watches from Rolex and Heuer. Now trailing industry leaders Phillips, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, Bonhams has a greater chance of catching up with its enlarged team.

Ms Chan’s appointment is the latest major personnel move in Hong Kong’s watch auction scene, which is not as high profile or vintage-focused as Geneva but especially important in terms of pricey complicated timepieces and high jewellery watches. Her new role means that practically every major watch auctioneer in Hong Kong has seen a new chief take charge in the last year, with Sam Hines at Sotheby’s and Thomas Perazzi at Phillips.

Over at Christie’s Hong Kong, however, the watch team is strongly staffed but is missing a head of department after Mary Lee recently became a consultant. Instead, global watch chief John Reardon, who is based in New York, is doing the job on an interim basis.

Leica has just rolled out its own line of wristwatches, the first products from Ernst Leitz Werkstätten, a newly established division of the German camera maker that will produce, and not merely license, Leica-branded luxury goods.

A contraction of Leitz Camera, Leica’s inaugural collection of watches comprises the L1 and L2. While earlier Leica watches, like the Valbray shutter watch, were licensed products, the L1 and L2 are proprietary.

Both share the same steel case that’s 41mm in diameter and 14mm high, though the L2 will also offered in 18k rose gold. The L1 and L2 are available only with black dials, though a pair of special editions with red dials to commemorate the opening of Ernst Leitz Werkstätten will soon be rolled out.

The watches are the work of Achim Heine, a German industrial designer whose repertoire includes several products for Leica, but also furniture for the likes of Vitra. Mr Heine injected only subtle references to Leica cameras into the watches, including a ruby cabochon on the crown that evokes the famous Leica red dot, and a domed sapphire crystal shaped like a lens. The visual nods to Leica cameras are subtle enough that the watches evoke other German timepieces, most notably the Nomos Zurich.

Functionally is where the L1 and L2 are the most interesting. Both have a patented “push-piece” crown and zero-reset seconds. Pressing in the crown brings the movement into time-setting mode, while simultaneously resetting the seconds hand to 12 o’clock. A circular aperture at three o’clock indicates the crown position: white means neutral while red indicates time-setting mode.

The date is advanced via the pusher at two o’clock, while the L2 has an additional crown at four o’clock that rotates the inner 12-hour bezel for the second time zone. And both models have the power reserve display at nine o’clock.

Leica developed the watch with help from Lehmann Präzision, a machine tools and components maker located in the Black Forest, an area in Germany historically known for jewellery and clockmaking, and the home of watch brands like Junghans. Lehmann’s primary business is producing manufacturing equipment and precision parts for industries as varied as aviation and watchmaking, but in 2011 it started producing watches as well as its own movements.

The L2 with its second time zone mechanism (left) and the simpler L1

Consequently, Lehmann was responsible for much of the Leica watch, including the movements, though the watches are put together at Ernst Leitz Werkstätten. The L1 movement includes the time, date and power reserve, while the L2 has the addition of a second time zone plus a day and night indicator.

Both share the same base calibre that’s hand-wound with a 60-hour power reserve, featuring an open-worked wheel train bridge that reveals the going train. Constructed for Leica, the movement is distinct from Lehmann’s own calibres.

The L1 and L2 are just the start for Ernst Leitz Werkstätten, which is located in the newest section of Leica’s headquarters in Wetzlar, an hour’s drive from Frankfurt. More watches are planned in the coming years, as well as other luxury products, all of which will be made in Germany.

Leica’s diversification is unsurprising, given its incredible brand equity that is more akin to that of a luxury goods brand than an electronics manufacturer. In fact, Leica is upscale enough that Hermes has collaborated with the camera maker on several occasions, wrapping cameras and binoculars in its pricey leathers. In 2012 Leica debuted the M9-P Edition Hermes, a camera packaged with three lenses priced at US$50,000.

Producing around 100,000 cameras a year, Leica’s signature rangefinder starts at about US$6000 and often crossing the US$10,000 mark, meaning that its clients can well afford a high-end wristwatch. With modest production numbers of the L1 and L2 planned, at least in the beginning, finding homes for Leica watches should not be difficult.

Price and availability 

The Leica L1 will be priced at just under €10,000, or about US$11,500, while the L2 will be priced above that. The watches will be available in the third quarter of 2018 at select Leica stores worldwide as well as a handful of watch retailers.

Parmigiani is one of the most under appreciated modern day watchmakers, producing high quality watches, inside and out, albeit with styling that is not to everyone’s taste. Its strengths are most evident in its most avant-garde watches, namely the timepieces produced in collaboration with carmaker Bugatti.

There are generally two classes of automobile (or sci-fi) inspired watches – ones with automotive elements bolted on, like a wheel rim rotor or brake calliper hands; and the other that have been mechanically constructed in a manner that’s different and three-dimensional. Watches in the latter category are more impressive, and also more expensive, including timepieces like the Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari, MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt, and Parmigiani’s top of the line Bugatti watches.

The one that start it all, the Bugatti Type 370, was introduced in 2005 together with the Bugatti Veyron. Tubular with a transverse movement featuring vertically positioned gears, the Type 370 was ahead of its time. The Bugatti Super Sport watch that came after was less interesting, being wedge-shaped, slightly clunky and not that compelling technically.

But with the new Bugatti Type 390 wristwatch Parmigiani is back in form. Launched alongside the Bugatti Chiron Sport – a supercar with a top speed of over 400km/h and a US$3.4m price tag – the Type 390 a large watch with an arched profile that leaves it slightly slimmer than it appears.

The Bugatti Type 390 is nonetheless a large watch, measuring 42.2mm wide and 57.7mm long, standing 18.4mm high at the top of the tubular middle. The watch pictured has a custom livery specified by its owner, with fine perlage on the case sides. That can be replaced with other finishes, or even carbon fibre inserts. The case material and colour of the sapphire crystals can also be tweaked to the suit the owner’s taste.

The unusual case form is a consequence of the unusually constructed PF390 movement, which is made up of 302 parts, or about double a regular tourbillon calibre. The PF390 is essentially a two-parter: the twin barrels and regulator stacked into a horizontally positioned cylinder, with the wheel train mounted on a perpendicular plane.

The movement out of the watch case

One end of the cylinder has a sapphire porthole revealing the flying tourbillon regulator. The balance oscillates at 4Hz, or 28,800 beats per hour. While that’s the norm for ordinary movements, it is a relatively high frequency for a tourbillon, which typically run at 3Hz, or 21,600 bph. The higher frequency of the balance gives it greater inertia, and consequently stability, which is a useful property given the compact size of the tourbillon.

At the other end is the oversized crown that requires a push for it to pop out of the case for winding and setting. Because the crown is so large, it incorporates a torque limiting device to prevent the stem from being broken with overenthusiastic winding.

A compact flying tourbillon

The cylinder contains two barrels, one of which is engraved with the signature of Louis Chiron, and the other his nickname in French, le vieux renard. Translating as “the old fox”, it arose from the shrewd driving of the Monegasque racing driver, whose racing career spanned the 1930s until the late 1950s.

Both barrels are coupled in series, meaning they unwind one after the other. Together they provide 80 hours of power reserve, indicated by a red pointer at one end of the sapphire window. Beneath the power reserve indicator are three sets of planetary gears that reduce the gear ratio and also transfer energy from the barrels to the wheel train.

The planetary gear

The twin barrels out of the movement

Perpendicular to the cylinder is the wing that contains the hands and wheel train that is connected to the rest of the movement via a worm screw. It’s a skeleton dial with few moving parts beneath save for the gilded wheels of the going train; majority of the important bits, like the worm screw, can only be seen from the back.

The polished worm screw

On this particular example the dial and hands are a bright blue that jumps out. Intriguingly the typography used for the hour numerals is similar to the custom font commissioned by Hermes for its Slim d’Hermes wristwatch. Parmigiani and the Parisian leather goods maker have a close working relationship – Hermes holds a 25% stake in Parmigiani’s sister company Vaucher – which might explain it.

While the flamboyance of the construction and muted colours of the movement leave the finishing less obvious, the watch is carefully and finely finished, with components that feel exceptionally precise in their manufacture. All of the black-coated bridges are finished with straight graining on their tops, with their edges bevelled and polished. The same finish is applied to smaller components, like the escape wheel bridge beneath the balance.

Other components also illustrate the care in finishing, including the brushed finish and sharply engraved, ink-filled italic script on both barrels. The large wheels of the gear train are circular grained and extremely refined in their details. Admittedly the bevelled edges lack sharp inward corners of high-end artisanal watchmaking, but the decoration here is as good as it gets for a big brand.

Price and availability 

The Parmigiani Bugatti Type 390 (ref. PFH390) is priced at SFr275,000 in titanium, and SFr295,000 in 18k white or rose gold. Prices include customisation of the dial, hands and case decoration.

Kazuo Kashio, the third of four brothers who co-founded Casio Computer Co., Ltd. in 1957, died on June 18 at age 89. Each of the four brothers played a key role in the company, with the late Mr Kashio taking charge of sales and marketing. In 1988 he ascended to the company presidency after the death of his elder brother.

Established as a maker of electronic calculators – an early hit was the low cost Casio Mini calculator – the company now makes digital cameras (it pioneered the display on the camera’s back), electronic keyboards as well as watches, which account for about 40% of its turnover. But its most famous product is the impact resistant G-Shock wristwatch, invented in 1983 by engineer Kikuo Ibe and championed by Mr Kashio, who was succeeded by his eldest son, Kazuhiro, at the helm of Casio in 2015.

In its early years the G-Shock only sold well in a handful of markets, most notably the United States, but dogged marketing of its toughness, as well as its affordability – which stood in contrast with then prevailing idea of watches being fragile and precious – eventually made it a global hit. The G-Shock has gone on to become the world’s bestselling watch, having crossed the 100m unit mark last year.

And while low-cost competitors have eroded the business of Japan’s electronics giants, Casio’s specialised products, ranging from printing calculators to synthesiser keyboards, have retained their niche. Its sales last year rose 9%, and in the current fiscal year, Casio aims to lift revenue by 20% to US$3.8 billion – while setting an all time record for G-Shock sales of 10 million units, buoyed in part by 35th anniversary models like the Full Metal.

Source: The Japan Times and Nikkei Asian Review

One of the most notable crowdfunded watch brands of 2017 was Bólido, a startup founded by two seasoned professionals tied together by Ventura, a watch brand now defunct but well regarded for its design – Pierre Nobs, the founder of Ventura, and industrial designer Simon Husslein, who now runs the late Hannes Wettstein’s design agency; Mr Wettstein was responsible for most of Ventura’s design sensibility.

Unsurprisingly, Bólido takes a similar approach to aesthetics, with a minimalism reminiscent of Ventura but at a much more affordable price point. Launched on Kickstarter, the first Bólido models sold briskly and exceeded the fundraising target. And now the second generation, the Bólido Black Edition has achieved the same only halfway to the deadline.

Like the original models, the case is minimalist in both style and fabrication, being monocoque and machined from a solid bar of steel by automatic lathing in a single operation. Despite the cost-effective production, case carries a strong and unique personality, particularly with the subtle slope of its topmost plane. The case is slightly thicker towards 12 o’clock, making room for the large crown and offering greater legibility by tilting the watch towards the wearer. And despite being a large 43mm in diameter, the case sits significantly smaller on the wrist as the band is fitted underneath the case.

The Bólido Pure is all-black, with a black dial to match the black case, while the Bólido Halo features a contrasting yellow chapter ring. Both are powered by the STP 1-11, a clone of the ETA 2824 made by Swiss Technology Production, a subsidiary of American watch conglomerate Fossil. The movement has been regulated to five positions and offers a 44-hour power reserve.

And the Bólido Core is the top of the line model, featuring an open-worked movement. The Core is equipped with the STP 6-16, a skeletonised version of the STP 1-11 that has its bridges and base plate plate coated, which contrasts well against its minimalist chapter ring.

All three watches have luminous hour markers and hands. They are fitted with sapphire crystals on the front and back, and are water-resistant to 100m.

Price and Availability

The Bólido Pure or Halo are priced at SFr460 for Kickstarter backers, with a future retail price of SFr690. And the Bólido Core is SFr595 now, compared with SFr990 at retail. They are available for pre-order on Kickstarter, with delivery in October 2018.