On the heels of its successful Projekt 01 with topographical pin dials, Kollokium tries something different, but not too different, with the Projekt 02 FFF&F Edition, short for “Friends, Family, Fools, and Flippers”. This 199 piece limited edition will first be offered to the original owners of the Projekt 01 F&F, with the balance available to the public.

Initial Thoughts

Kollokium will only offer this initial variant of the Projekt 02 to original owners of the first “Friends & Family” edition at a slightly discounted rate – fools and flippers also get to enjoy the lower price presumably. That is a gracious nod to its supporters, but also a smart way to build exposure leading up to the public launch.

Projekt 02 takes all the elements that made Projekt 01 a success to build something is still obviously a Kollokium watch, but different enough that neither is redundant.

In fact, the Projekt 02 looks very similar at a distance, but is discernibly different in hand, especially with the new case design that feels a little more compact than the original, though it measures essentially the same. The dial also gives off a very different vibe compared to the first model, with the relief motif looking like a military topographical map from a sci-fi movie.

The Projekt 02 isn’t really “good value” in the conventional sense (like a high-spec Tudor), but if you ignore spec sheet the watch has a lot to offer for not that much.

Besides, Kollokium lacks the economies of scale to go much lower price-wise than it already is, and given the free-money climate when the brand launched a few years ago, it is a wonder watches with dials like this aren’t priced higher.

In-Depth Dial

While Projekt 01’s dial bristled with hundreds of perfect cylinders, this takes a more naturalistic approach, closely resembling topographical maps. It pairs well with the watch’s outdoorsy strap – inspired by camping gear according to the brand – and marketing.

Projekt 02’s nine-layer topographic dial comprises 67 individual plates, each hand painted with a white lacquer and Super-Luminova mixture. Like an enamel dial base, each plate has a raised rim around the perimeter to contain the paint.

Kollokium claims it takes about six hours to assemble an entire dial, and the plates are prone to buckling when pegged into place. As cliché as it is to cite high defect rates and so-many-hours-required per dial, it isn’t hard to believe Kollokium’s claims.

Like its predecessor, the Projekt 02 case is die-cast stainless steel with no bezel and an extremely tall, cylindrical sapphire crystal. This construction floods the scene with light, and allows a side-on view of the dial landscape.

Under the solid case back is a La Joux-Perret cal. G101 – essentially the Swiss-made counterpart to the Miyota 9000 series – with almost 70 hours of power reserve, unidirectional automatic winding, and stop seconds. Notably, the G101 is more expensive than the typical elabore-grade SW200 found in comparable micro-brand offerings.

In keeping with the brand’s irreverent spirit, the movement is unmarked. The brand explains, “Since kollokium had nothing to do with the movement, it was decided to leave it completely unbranded and unadorned. It’s not like you can see it anyways ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”.

Key facts and price 

Kollokium Projekt 02 Friends, Family, Fools & Flippers Edition

Diameter: 39.5 mm
Height: 12.4 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: La Joux-Perret G101
Features: Hours, minutes and seconds
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 68 hours

Strap: Khaki-green elastic textile single-piece strap with “hook” buckle in die-cast steel

Limited edition: 199 pieces
Availability: Friends and family, and existing owners of the Projekt 01
Price: CHF3,333.33 excluding taxes, equivalent to US$4,170 (future iterations will be priced at CHF3,666.66)

For more, visit Kollokium.com.

One of the most famous Chinese artists of the modern era, Xu Beihong is best known for his ink paintings of horses and birds, which are amongst the most valuable examples of 20th century Chinese art. Three of those equine works have been reproduced in miniature enamel on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong”.

Presented in the classic Grande Taille case size, this limited edition trio continues Jaeger-LeCoultre’s longstanding tradition of transforming the case back of the Reverso into a blank canvas for art. Past works that have been miniaturised for the Reverso include Claude Monet’s Venice paintings and Shahnameh, an epic poem of ancient Persia.

Initial thoughts

Like other miniature enamelled Reversos, the Xu Beihong trio is impressive. The original artworks are already beautiful, and they have been reproduced in exceptionally fine detail. Even if you don’t like the works, the enamelling is clearly top quality.

But like the other recent enamel Reversos, the Xu Beihong trio is expensive in comparative terms. The retail price for similar watches was almost half today’s level six years ago. This is not unique to JLC of course.

But JLC doesn’t have the cachet, after a few slow years, for such strong pricing, unlike say, Patek Philippe or a hot indie brand. That’s not entirely fair since they are beautiful watches with finely executed miniature enamelling, but it is the state of affairs.

Two Horses

Horse running and standing

Notably, this is not the first time Xu Beihong’s works have been reproduced on the Reverso. JLC did the same in 2018 as part of a trio of watches, each dedicated to a different artist.

The new watches, however, retain the same format. The case is 18k white gold and Grande Taille size, which is just right at 45.6 mm by 27.4 mm on the front, and stands 9.73 mm tall.

Running Horse

While the case back is covered by miniature enamelling, the dials on the front are flinqué enamel – translucent fired enamel over guilloche done the traditional way, on a hand-operated machine.

Each of the case backs depicts a well known work by Xu Beihong – Running Horse, Two Horses, and Standing Horse. The originals are in ink on paper in Xu Beihong’s distinctive style, but the art on the watches is rendered in miniature enamel, essentially enamel painted by hand like an ink painting.

Standing Horse

Key facts and price

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel “Xu Beihong”
Ref. Q39334B3 (“The Running Horse”)
Ref. Q39334B2 (“Two Horses”)
Ref. Q39334B1 (“The Standing Horse”)

Diameter: 45.6 mm by 27.4 mm
Height: 9.73 mm
Material: 18k white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. 822
Functions: Hours and minutes
Winding: Self-winding
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Strap: Alligator leather strap with folding clasp

Limited edition: 10 pieces of each
Availability: At Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques only
Price: Approximately US$150,000

For more information, visit Jaeger-lecoultre.com.