The SpaceOne Tellurium Defies Logic
SpaceOne Tellurium Defies Logic - Credit SpaceOne
For anyone following the story of SpaceOne, you’ll know how important this model was to the brand. Founded by watch industry megastar Guillaume Laidet (who I affectionately refer to as Sexy Boi and encourage you all to do the same) and watchmaker Theo Auffret, SpaceOne began life as an audacious Kickstarter project under the name of Argon watches.
Amazingly, a campaign that looked to be steamrolling towards a massive success was derailed at the last minute by another brand (Aragon) that felt the name was too similar to its own. The ensuing legal battle resulted in the watchmakers-formerly-known-as-Argon wisely changing their brand name to the model name of its inaugural release. However, the Kickstarter campaign was abandoned and the brand decided instead to run with a native pre-release period that yielded a lower take-up, possibly affected by the dip in confidence caused by the legal wrangling period.
SpaceOne Tellurium Defies Logic - Credit Guest Author
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Personally I, and I’m sure a lot of other watch lovers, were annoyed by Aragon’s move, feeling that a) the name and the watches themselves were unlikely to be confused and b) a solid but unremarkable maker would take aim at a truly innovative watch project that had much more to offer the horological community over such an issue. However, in the end, the experience seemed only to galvanise Laidet and Auffret and stoke the fires of passion that clearly burn brightly within them both.
And, on the plus side for Aragon, I’ve now heard of the brand. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my newfound awareness of its existence, but at least I now get to make an active choice on that front, so fair play.
What SpaceOne did with its second release, however, was stunning. It put the sourness of Argon’s early stumbles behind it and dropped a slam dunk Tellurium that retails for under €3,000.
SpaceOne Tellurium Defies Logic - Credit SpaceOne
What does it call to mind? Well, from the upper echelons of horology, many things, but from a business and industry significance perspective, it reminds me of the Christopher Ward Bel Canto.
The two watches share nothing whatsoever in common in terms of aesthetics or functionality other than the fact they both tell the time and can be worn on the wrist, but the SpaceOne Tellurium is the next incredible piece of horology available for a truly accessible price.
Look for it to win at the 2024 GPHG awards in whatever category it goes in for. I’d say it’s a sure bet and just as deserved as the Bel Canto’s gong earned last year.
Czapek gives us the watch we’ve been waiting for
Czapek Antarctique - Credit Czapek
Thanks to my closeness to the brand, I’d actually seen a full-gold Antarctique before. I was blown away by that one-off experiment created for a prominent retailer of the brand’s watches. However, that was a yellow gold piece sporting the standard “Arabic 12” dial of the Passage de Drake. What Czapek has released in the Mount Erebus Antarctique is a fusion of the model’s greatest elements (most notably the blue lamé dial from the inaugural Terre Adélie model), the long indices with the “double claw” marker at 12, and a 5N rose gold case and bracelet to boot.
In my opinion, it is the best iteration of the best luxury sports watch on the market today and something of a shrewd course correction on the model release front. If Czapek stays in this lane, we might be about to witness a very literal golden age from one of the most dynamic brands around.
The HYT T1 returns the brand to its prime price bracket
HYT T1 - Credit HYT
If you’re buying anything from HYT at retail price, you’re breathing rarified air, but this is a brand that I’ve adored since day one for its genuinely unconventional approach to watchmaking. Newness is harder to find than most brands’ press releases would have you believe. Although we’re all thrilled to see a pink-dial Tudor chronograph (thanks, Tudor), it’s not exactly ground-breaking. HYT — everything the brand does — is.
Why does luxury watchmaking even exist? It’s so brands like HYT can come along and show us the passing of time in a way we never thought possible. It’s so our minds can be expanded and our lives enriched by the ingenuity of fellow humans. Is it going to change the world? No. None of the watches released this week will. But will it make it just a little bit cooler? Yes. Yes, it will.
The T1 does a couple of smart things for a brand whose horological chops have never been in doubt. It makes the entry point to HYT more accessible and more wearable. That’s not to say it’ll have the mass-market appeal of a Tissot PRX, but both are steps in the right direction. And all I can say about what’s coming later this year is to watch this space. This is a brand that is back from the brink and (hopefully) here to stay.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad
Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad - Credit Ulysse Nardin
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Sometimes (and this is one of those times) I love being a watch nerd. The Ulysse Nardin Freak probably has less than 1% of the global name recognition something like the Rolex Submariner commands, but to watch lovers, it is an undisputed classic that has been shaping the way watches are conceived and collected since its debut almost one quarter of a century ago.
Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad - Credit Guest Author
When I was an apprentice watchmaker, I genuinely had pictures of the Freak stuck on my bench. Despite that, I never really wanted to own one. I love Ulysse Nardin because of it but always gravitated towards the diver collection because it felt better on my wrist.
Now, however, I’m all in on the Freak S Nomad with its reduced diameter and pleasingly lightweight case. The colourway, blending the warm tones of German silver, with an off-black carbon fibre case peppered with almost imperceptible gold veins, and the mirrored blue/violet of the silicon escapements is a masterful mishmash of modernity and classicism that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen topped.
A. Lange & Söhne Unveils the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” - Credit A. Lange & Söhne
It’s low-hanging fruit, I know. Probably the watch that, alongside the admittedly impressive IWC Eternal Calendar (which we wrote about here), has the easiest route to claiming the title of “best watch objectively”, this range tweak from Lange adds the Lumen technology to one of its most complicated platforms.
It’s simply exquisite. It’s very hard to find a flaw with this creation as a timepiece (or photographic subject), but, if anything, it might be a bit too thick, a bit too heavy, and a bit too gold.
However, if you’re desperately trying to offload around £600K, I’m sure you could live with those minor concerns. You may even disagree and think it is perfectly proportioned, weighted, and golden. And who am I to argue with that? As far as watches go, this one is pretty much perfect, and only funds and feelings will dictate who picks one up for themselves.
