It was not long ago that brass and
bronze were considered big departures from the usual 316L stainless
steel cases. Now, they are almost commonplace, and many micro brands are
experimenting with more exotic materials. Singapore's Vilhelm
Elemental, just launched on Kickstarter, takes this trend to a new
level, combining forged carbon, ceramic, and titanium to create a unique
timepiece.
Vilhelm is a partnership between
watch enthusiast Nop Srinara and micro brand veteran Elshan Tang. Elshan
is no stranger to innovative case design, having produced pieces in
bronze, brass, forged carbon, titanium, and Damasteel for Zelos and
Ventus watches. For the Vilhelm, Nop and Elshan started with an
exceptionally strong, lightweight forged carbon central barrel with a
cushion shape and marbled pattern. A steel module inside houses the
movement. The angular, sculpted lugs and crown guards are formed from
sandblasted Ti-6Al-4V grade 5 titanium. A square Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2)
ceramic bezel with a brushed finish and sandblasted cutouts tops it off.
The case measures 43mm wide and 14.5mm thick.
With so many materials in the case,
you would naturally expect some diversity in the dial as well. The
Elemental has four-layer sandwich construction, featuring a matte
sandblasted ring and top plate over a sun ray base in Steel Grey, Rose
Gold, and my personal favorite, Electric Blue. Unlike most sandwich
dials that cut away only the markers, the upper plate on the Elemental
has large sections removed, creating wide, pie piece openings so only
narrow bridges remain to support the applied polished markers. A tidy
Grecian helmet logo is the only branding on the dial are the hands are
skeletonized and production models will include a SuperLuminova strip. A
sapphire crystal tops it off.
Out back, a titanium case back and
display window reveals the Miyota 9015 automatic. You know the movement:
24 jewels, hacking, hand winding, 40-hour power reserve, and a smooth
28k bph beat rate. This one has a laser engraved, gold PVD rotor. Both
the case back and crown screw down but this is not a diver's watch.
Water resistance is only 100m, which is still perfectly suitable for
daily wear. The site contains no description of the strap, but it is
24mm between the lugs and extends the full width of the lugs, Bell &
Ross style.
Pre-order pricing starts at $599, which is a fair deal for such a unique piece. Check it out on Kickstarter until April 30, 2016.
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