For centuries Swiss made watches have become highly sought after. Essentially this is because there are still many craftsmen learning the meticulous traditional skills involved to be successful in this profession. Certainly most of the world’s high-end mechanical movements are still manufactured in this region. However countries like Germany are considered by many collectors to be virtually on par. For example brands like Chronoswiss, Glashütte Original and A. Lange & Söhne have had a massive commercial impact within the world of horology. There are also smaller boutique labels including Benzinger, Kaventsmann and Vintage VDB.
I have now written quite a few articles featuring Vintage VDB and really love their work. The boys (Stephan Obst, Helmut Lamberty, Christian Seidel) from Erfurt have been exceptionally busy over the last few months. In fact they have just visited Los Angeles to present some custom made (hand engraved) VDB 2014 Carbon watches to members of the legendary band Kiss. Even though I personally favour the mellow tones of Stevie Wonder (Classic 1970’s period) I can appreciate the magnitude of what Kiss have accomplished. Within their 40-year history they have sold in excess of 100 million albums, which makes them one of the most successful rock groups of all time.
Back in October 2013 I wrote an in depth article about their wonderful Timer I (Chronograph). This watch was pretty unique in the fact that it combined bronze and carbon fiber together. As far as I am aware the watch sold out fairly quickly and attracted the attention of some pretty high profile stars. Recently Vintage VDB unveiled a new and exciting version appropriately named the Timer II. Dimensionally the timepiece has the same colossal proportions as its predecessor and measures 55 mm x 57 mm x 20 mm. Even though I haven’t actually tried on this particular watch I have tested other similar size models (No Limit PVD Orange and VDB 2014 Ceramic model). For that reason I would imagine this watch would sit comfortably on the wrist and is a good practical option to wear on a daily basis.
Visually the Timer II has the same high quality appearance as other Vintage VDB watches. Essentially everything is effectively the same as the previous model including the Swiss ETA 7750 chronograph movement. The only real difference between the Timer I and II is the choice of material. For this updated model the company has replaced the carbon fiber dial with a military green one and the bezel with black anodized aluminum. I absolutely love carbon fiber so initially I had mixed feeling about this new interpretation. However the more images I have seen of the watch I have become endeared to it. Certainly it is a beautifully hand crafted watch that will appeal to a wide variety of buyers.
The Timer II is limited to only 20 pieces and comes with a high-quality black leather strap. Priced competitively at: €3,290 (approximately $3,607).
