I vividly remember many films from my childhood like Superman, Star Wars and Jaws with great fondness. A few years later whilst I was at college, a really cool movie was released called ‘Back to the Future’ starring the enigmatic actor Michael J Fox as Marty McFly. Even though this picture might not have aged that well and the special effects look really dated, it still was a lot of fun. In the second instalment (1989) the future part takes place in the year 2015. Two years ago (in 2015) many media outlets ran stories to highlight which of the inventions featured in the film actually did become a reality. Certainly time machines (as far as I am aware) don’t exist but there are companies that do sell Hoverboards.
The reason I refer to iconic films like ‘Back to the Future’ is because they are essentially fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. The same can be said about a lot of watchmakers I feature on Total Design Reviews. One great example is Swiss based company Azimuth who always strive to produce unusual and thought provoking timepieces. Over the last few years I have reviewed several of their models and I am a massive fan of the brand. Generally, I have focused on their more Avant-Garde designs like the Landship, Mr. Roboto, Twin Turbo, Crazy Rider etc. However, recently I got my hands on an understated piece called the ‘Back in Time’.
The ‘Back in Time’ comes in several different and equally enticing variants. However, my personal favourite is the minimalistic version with brushed gold dial and contrasting black numerals. Essentially it is the worlds first timepiece that has one central hand that operates in a (unconventional) counter-clockwise motion. This gives the impression that the watch is travelling back in time. Even the crown is positioned on the left hand side of the watch rather than the right. Azimuth have created this illusion by cleverly modifying the Swiss made ETA mechanical movement.
Certainly I could imagine Marty McFly (or his alter ego Michael J Fox) wearing the ‘Back in Time’ because it is an elegant timepiece that has a lot of charm. With a classically proportioned stainless case measuring 42mm I am sure it will also appeal to a broad variety of other discerning buyers as well.
