As I have mentioned previously in many articles I am pretty obsessed with design in general. Over the last few years I have renovated several properties and collected many bespoke pieces of furniture. For me it isn’t an expensive brand name that captivates me but the attention to detail. Interestingly a lot of the watchmakers that I deal with have the same level of passion. Interestingly this is reflected in many of their creations. A few good examples are Maximilian Büsser, Martin Pauli (Angular Momentum) Richard Paige and Marc Alfieri.
Previously I have featured Marc Alfieri a couple of times on Total Watch Reviews. The first was for his contribution to the philanthropic Polio One Watch project and secondly for his marvelous Meteorite watch. When I spoke to Marc recently he told me about a small independent company he was in the process of establishing called Kronomark. As well as producing unique 1/1 timepieces the business will also produce pens, knives, cigar cutters and bracelets. From the images I have seen the products look very eclectic and stylish. They also are fabricated out of a diverse range of materials like silver, Damascus steel, fossilized ivory and carbon fiber.
A few weeks ago Marc published some images on Facebook of a wonderful new timepiece called the Skull he has designed in collaboration with his friend Lionel Donadey. For the last few weeks I have mainly focused on pieces from Baselworld and wanted to feature something a tiny bit different. Dimensionally the watch has a diameter of 44mm, which is generally smaller than I personally like to wear. As there are only two pieces in existence (at the moment) I doubt if I will get the opportunity to wear the watch in the near future. However due to the case size and choice of sliver I feel it should be fairly comfortable to wear.
Visually the Skull has a very bold and distinctive appearance. This gothic theme seems to be very popular at the moment and many watchmakers like Richard Mille, Bell & Ross, Hajime Asaoka and Fiona Kruger have enjoyed great success with their innovative designs. Marc Alfieri and Lionel Donadey have approached this project slightly differently. The dials are meticulously hand engraved from sterling silver and so each one is unique. Ultimately they have a tattoo style about them and are individual pieces of art in their own right. Other features include a small seconds sub counter (located at 9 o’clock), delicate hour/minute hands and sapphire crystal lens. Overall the composition is accomplished and the finishing first rate.
At the heart of the watch is a Swiss manual winding ETA Unitas 6497-1. This movement comprises 17-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5Hz). This mechanism is visible through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back. Functionally the Skull features hours, minutes and seconds. The timepiece also has a power reserve of around 37-hours and is water resistant to a depth of 50 meters.
Marc informs me that they intend to produce 20 of these exquisite timepieces a year and so straps will vary from model to model.
