BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
Originally announced in 2018 and covered right here on WristReview, but Leica never got to actually release the announced L1 and L2 watches. That’s until now that the watches are finally here. Leica’s watch-centric division “Ernst Leitz Werkstätten” was launched in 2018 which aimed to produce the L1 and L2 watches, but the launch was delayed for reasons Leica knows better. The brand enjoys 150 years of history in cameras and lenses manufacturing, and it’s not surprising to see subtle references to photography in the design of the watches.
Leica L1
The photography references start to show when we examine the dial closely. The dial features a hacking, zero-reset seconds and a power reserve indicator which is located at 9 o’clock, it’s designed like a camera shutter with blades that slide open to reveal the power reserve indicator in the form of a white strip. The date window sits at 3 o’clock, while the crown function indicator is just to the right of the hands.
Leica L2
The case measures 41mm x 14.5mm, which is understandably so considering the fairly large calibre inside. The crown is unconventional in a sense as while other crowns function when they are pulled, this one needs to be pushed in order to reset the watch, which is indeed reminiscent of a release button of a camera. The L2 watch has the additional complication of a GMT function and it has its own additional pull-out crown at 4 o’clock position to manipulate the GMT rotating flange, which is a clever feature as it allows one hand to display two timezones. This crown is also linked to the day/night indicator located just below the crown function indicator.
Residing inside the case is the manual winding movement made in Germany in collaboration with Lehmann Präzision. The movement features zero-reset seconds, 60 hours power reserve and is operating at 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz).
Leica L1 comes with a black veal leather strap with red bottom, while Leica L2 has the same color scheme, but comes with a black alligator leather instead. The L1 and L2 watches are available at a limited set of Leica stores across the world, including Asia, America, the Middle East, and Europe with MSRP of €9,500 for L1 and €13,500 for L2.
Visit Leica here.
