The world is currently encountering strange and uncertain times due to the coronavirus. I reside in South Australia, which suddenly went into lockdown due to an incident at a local pizzeria. Fortunately, the decision was quickly reversed because of falsified information provided to the police. I was born in England and the situation is much worse there. The country is in the midst of a recession and GDP has declined by over 30%. However, this hasn’t discouraged designers like José Miranda who is co-founder of micro-watch brand Isotope. In the face of adversity, he is still creating beautiful timepieces like the Goutte d’Eau Nordblad.
I first became aware of Isotope and José Miranda a few years ago when they released a debut watch called the Rider. This particular model was unveiled in 2016 and featured a jumping hour indication. The timepiece was limited to 99-pieces and offered various exciting dial colours (Black Pepper, White Russian, Crème de la Crème, Blue Bubblegum, Envy Green, Vintage Pastel Green). Not surprisingly this attracted a lot of positive attention in the media. It also illustrates José’s passion and enthusiasm for minimalistic design.
Recently Isotope released a distinctive new compressor style diver watch called the Goutte d’Eau (Waterdrop). Very kindly José Miranda shipped me over a timepiece for review and I can honestly say it exceeded my expectations. Dimensionally, the timepiece is smaller than other divers I’ve reviewed and measures 40mm x 44mm x 12.7mm (including the lugs). These more classical proportions should appeal to a broad demographic including the unisex market. The Goutte d’Eau is a very comfortable watch to wear and could be worn for all occasions including extreme water sports.
For several years José has pursued a successful career in film production, visual effects and design. It was his enthusiasm for horology that inspired him to establish Isotope and create cool watches like the Goutte d’Eau. This timepiece has a curvaceous brushed steel case with a matching link bracelet. The Nordblad (inspired by Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad model I tested has a black sandwich dial with blue accents and Super-LumiNova® BGW9 treated markers. This gives the watch a really cool aesthetic. Other notable features include dual crowns, steel screw-down case back, sapphire crystal lens and security inner bezel. Overall the composition has been well executed and the quality is superlative.
At the heart of the watch is a Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement from supplier Selita. The Calibre SW200 comprises 26-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Functionally the Goutte d’Eau features hours, minutes, seconds and date indication (located at 4 o’clock). The watch is also has a power reserve of 38-hours and is water-resistant to a depth of 200-metres.
For more information about Isotope and to purchase the Goutte d’Eau follow this link
