By Jonathan Kopp
I’m rarely this enthusiastic when it comes to diving watches. First, because I’m not a diver and second because, I don’t think diving watches in general are sexy. It doesn’t matter if you’re not really familiar with Linde Werdelin, because by the end of this article you’ll understand why I love this one.
I already wrote about this brand that I really like because their watches are absolutely stunning, from both a technical perspective and also for their contemporary design.
Modern by design, intelligent by materials and complex by construction. These are the fundamental ingredients that define a Linde Werdelin piece.
Some weeks ago, just before SIHH, the folks at Linde Werdelin launched the new Oktopus Double Date Carbon – Green. A new addition to their vast collection of sports watches. But this one looks good under natural lighting thanks to these very refreshing colours. Believe me, it’s not easy to combine the technical aspects and the style when you want to create a sports watch.
LW’s Oktopus Double Date Carbon-Green could be described as being “when the technic meets aesthetic”. But more than this, it’s the type of watch designed for rigorous outdoor activities and that remains incredibly eye-catching.
The Oktopus Double Date was introduced some years ago. We have seen this timepiece with a titanium case and black ceramic bezel, but also with 18k rose gold bezel and other materials and colours.
But this new one is way more complicated. It’s a limited edition of 88 pieces and has been individually crafted using 3DTP “Three-Dimensional Thin Ply”. This is the first ever carbon technology conceived for Swiss watchmaking, designed and produced to sculpt the iconic Oktopus case by layering thin layers of carbon into a mould (at first) to give the finished product its ultra-unique appearance with those very original horizontal lines. I invite you to have a look at the video at the end of this write-up to better understand how they built this case.
The case, measuring 44mm in diameter by 46mm in length and 15mm in thickness, is quite light. When you add all others elements of the watch you arrive at a total weight of 97.3 grams, which is not bad for such a big timepiece. If I have to say only one thing about this case, I’d say “I love it”. It’s very unique and unlike normal carbon fibre.
LW adds another touch of style with champagne-coloured titanium screws that hold the bezel and strap, but also a champagne gold crown. They used a ceramic treatment called TIN to colourise all these details. That’s really smart because this colour provides really cool contrast to the black case and green strap. Know that the signature octopus motif engraved on the case back is also presented in titanium with TIN and microbillé treatment. We also find the limited number of the timepiece and the mention water resistance 300m here.
Note that this edition Double Date Carbon keeps the same dial layout as the other double date and also the same customised Dubois Dépraz caliber 14580 with 23 jewels that beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph. It provides a power reserve of around 44 hours.
Now let’s jump into the dial. The first thing that caught my eyes is the large 3, 6 and 9 arabic numerals printed in green luminescent material. Then the big yet nice grey hands in titanium colour with satin finish.
As for the other Oktopus Double Date, the dial, is a five layer skeletonized semi-matte black dial with circular satin and a Côtes de Genève finish on the mainplate, giving the dial a cool 3D aspect.
But you’ll ask me “What about the double date?” I’m a little annoyed about that. It’s this point which had made me stuck on the older versions and this is still the case unfortunately. But hey, it’s not the most important aspect, right?
The skeletonised Double Date complication is positioned at 12 o’clock. On this new version, the Double Date complication, modified by Linde Werdelin, has been produced with newly advanced technology. It consists of two independent and thin TIN-treated date wheels underneath the dial, which rotate above the DLC-treated movement plate to reveal the date numerals through the aperture. The fact is that, this is clever to put them in champagne gold colour which gives a good contrast with the dial. But, in my own opinion, I think that there is too much of the movement visible. I must admit that on the Titanium Red version I struggled to read the date at first glance. Maybe because it was red on grey, so that the contrasts are not really good. Now on this new version, we have the golden colour on the black. Surely it must be better. I will try to stop by their stand at Baselworld to check this out for myself.
Overall, I would say that I love the colour variations, they were smartly selected. The case materials are awesome and really innovative. But, I had hoped that LW take a little more risks on this timepiece. We already know the Double Date as it is. The materials and colours have changed but nothing more. Can we expect some changes on the dial, or on the double date structure for the next version? We’ll just have to wait and see. I reassure you that I started this article by saying that I was enthusiastic about this piece. I really am and for all the reasons I’ve mentioned combined. This is a really sophisticated, technical, fashionable and sporty watch at the same time.
For more info, please visit lindewerdelin.com
RETAIL PRICE (excluding VAT)
– CHF 14,000 / GBP 9,100 / EUR 11,700 / USD 13,800
Jonathan Kopp – Contributing Writer
Jonathan Kopp has an avid enthusiasm for timepieces of all genre, from vintage timepieces to modern Luxury Haute Horology. His preference goes to small and independent high-end watchmakers. He loves the difference rather than classicism, although if he admits to being in love with several ultra-classics pieces. Jonathan was caught by the passion for watchmaking there are almost 6 years. For about 5 years, he wanders in this industry and was Communication-Marketing-PR Consultant for several brands. He has worked for over 2 years as a freelance for the development of the Swiss brand Arthur Oskar Stampfli (AOSWatches). To keep in touch with Jonathan you can follow him on the various social networks: Instagram,Facebook and Twitter. Read his articles here.
