Lukáš Kamenický Can a watch be considered a work of art? Immanuel Kant would certainly disagree. After all, a watch serves a specific practical purpose. It has a function.
They tell us (among other things) what time it is. And according to Kant, a work of art should not serve any such purpose. But when we look at a watch like the Krayon Anywhere Arborea, we feel compelled to disagree with Kant. In our opinion, a watch like this has at least as much aesthetic value as any painting, book, or movie…
After the famous Krayons, today we’ll take a look at something completely different—the new tactical black “diving boots” from Laco.
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Krayon Anywhere Arborea: When does the sun rise and set?
Image source: MONOCHROME Watches
Krayon, an independent studio based in Neuchâtel and led by the brilliant engineer and watchmaker Remi Maillat, unveiled the Anywhere watch back in 2020. It was presented as a “simpler” (though by no means simple) successor to the Everywhere model.
In 2017, the Krayon Everywhere became the very first mechanical watches capable of calculating sunrise and sunset times anywhere in the world. So it probably won’t surprise you that they cost around 600,000 CHF at the time. Unique complications aren’t exactly cheap…
The Anywhere watch built on the Everywhere model not only in name but also in its ability to calculate sunrise and sunset times. However, it no longer does so for anywhere in the world (“Everywhere”), but only for a single specific location preset by the watchmaker.
But we’re still talking about an unimaginably complex timepiece (how many other watches with this complication do you know of?), powered by a movement consisting of a total of 432 components.
At first glance, however, you might not even realize that you’re holding something particularly sophisticated. That’s because the Anywhere features a comfortable 39mm case that’s just 9.5 mm thick!
Image source: MONOCHROME Watches
Let’s finally take a look at what’s new
Now that we’ve covered the introduction, let’s finally take a look at this new product—the Krayon Anywhere Arborea. Although it’s not exactly a brand-new product. In fact, the only thing new about this model is “just” the dial.
But what a dial! It was inspired by the famous painting by French artist Henri Rousseau known as “The Virgin Forest at Sunset.” And although the mosaic-style dial on these Krayons is significantly more abstract than the original painting, it still takes our breath away.
The dial consists of a total of 575 colorful miniatures, each of a different shape and size, and each hand-painted (sic!) by a Swiss artist. Inside this work of art, not only do the hour and minute hands protrude, but there is also a slightly recessed sub-dial responsible for displaying the date and month.
The mosaic dial is surrounded by a black-and-white ring that indicates the sun’s current position and its times of sunrise and sunset.
Image source: MONOCHROME Watches
But the fun doesn’t end with the dial. As soon as you turn the watch over, you’ll discover the technically impressive, superbly crafted, and tastefully decorated C030 caliber. It beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of up to 72 hours.
You’ve probably noticed the mechanism with the long screw at the bottom. That’s what the watchmaker uses when setting the watch so that it displays the correct sunrise and sunset times for a specific location.
The Anywhere Arborea Métiers d’Art 2024 edition is limited not only by its extremely high price (178,000 CHF) but also by the number of pieces produced—only 15 will be made in total.
Source: krayon.ch
Suggested reading: monochrome-watches.com, fratellowatches.com
Specifications:
- Case size: 39 mm
- Height: 9.5 mm
- Case material: platinum
- Lens: sapphire
- Water resistance: 30 m
- Movement: Krayon C030
- Type: manual-winding
- Power reserve: 72 hours
- Frequency: 21,600 half-cycles per hour
- Number of parts: 432
- Price: 178,000 CHF
“The Scorpions” by Laco, all in black
Image source: Fratello
As is customary in our “Watch News” column, we have to balance out the high-end watchmaking represented by the Krayon with something more practical, more durable, and—quite simply—more “tool-like” (which isn’t actually a word, but you know what we mean). And that would be the new dive watches from Laco.
You probably associate the German brand Laco mainly with its endless selection of traditional “flieger” watches (see, for example, our review of the Laco Leipzig), but the Laco catalog has much more to offer, and over the past month it has been expanded to include new versions of the Scorpion diver’s watches.
Image source: Fratello
New DLC Coating for the Holster
What’s new about them? The case! Until now, Laco has only offered the “Scorpions” in a traditional sandblasted steel case. And although those cases suited them well, we think the new steel cases with a black DLC coating look even better on them!
The watches are available in both 39mm and 42mm sizes (both versions boast the same 300-meter water resistance), and you can choose from several different colors for the hour markers on the dials and the bezel (as well as rubber straps in matching colors):
- Mojave (orange accents),
- Atlantic (blue details),
- Himalaya (white accents and orange minute hand)
- and Amazonas (green details).
Image source: Fratello
The solid case back of the watch features a finely engraved scorpion, and beneath it ticks the Laco 200 automatic caliber (based on the Elaboré version of the Sellita SW200-1 movement). However, you can also pay a little extra for the Top version of the same caliber and, for example, for its decoration.
The watch is available not only on a classic black rubber strap, but also on the same strap in a color that matches the watch’s details, and even on a steel bracelet with the same black DLC coating as the watch case. It’s worth noting that the watch weighs about half as much on the rubber strap as it does on the steel bracelet, which is quite noticeable, especially during more active pursuits like swimming.
▶️ Laco Squad in our selection: Helveti.cz
Suggested reading: fratellowatches.com
Specifications:
- Case size: 39 mm / 42 mm
- Height: 13 mm / 13.4 mm
- Case material: steel with a black DLC coating
- Lens: sapphire with AR coating
- Water resistance: 300 m
- Movement: Laco 200 (based on Sellita SW200-1)
- Type: automatic
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Frequency: 28,800 half-cycles per hour
- Price: 24,750 CZK (with a rubber strap)
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