The moment of truth comes very soon for Watches version. Indeed, the pre-order campaign of the first model will start on March 13, 2025 and it is always a special moment for a brand that launches itself, generating a kind of mixture between fear and excitement. In any case, it is necessary to get started and after several months of preparation marked by the manufacture of prototypes, multiple back and forth with suppliers, refining, shootings, teasings, the time has come to create the meeting between the product and its audience.
Watches version is a creative and entrepreneurial adventure led by Cybèle Vigneron, Carla Lanfranchini and Lucas Portugaels who come from the world of design. I always have a particular attention to the projects that emanate from people who do not necessarily have a watchmaking course at the base because they generally embody a different mink, implementing alternative ideas, especially in the relationship in relation to the passing time.
The Eclat version of the V01-LCC:
The first Watches version model bearing the name of V01-LCC is available in 3 colors: eclat, dew and storm. I had the opportunity to discover the prototypes a few days ago in an almost final version. The main asset is the care given to the definition of the dial. The V01-LCC makes me think of a kind of painting that stages a sunrise. In the lower area of the dial, I distinguish the rays on the ground. In the upper area, I distinguish the animation of the sun through the perceptions of the pendulum oscillations. In fact, the V01-LCC is a kind of semi-transparent dial watch … on its half. The visual rendering is therefore asymmetrical which gives energy to the design and the whole appeared to me refined and of good taste. The readability is preserved thanks to the timer and the peripheral indexes which also provide relief effects. The aesthetic approach to the dial evokes me solar dials and this mixture between this wink with the origins of the measurement of time and the desire to inscribe design in a contemporary approach is a nice success.
The Eclat version of the V01-LCC:
The shape of the needles is also not uninteresting with there also a contrast between the hour, wide, hollowed out and rounded and that of the minutes, fine and right. It is rather original and I really liked this pair of needles. Note that the second hand is central. Given the semi-transparent rendering of the upper area, it was impossible to add a display of the date since half of the disc of the quérmes would have been visible. In any case, the watch is much more beautiful without a counter and this absence of date is excellent news (not to say relief as far as I am concerned).
The presentation of the movement is not in its final version:
The 38mm diameter of steel is more classic. He has the virtue of accompanying the dial well. The shape of the telescope increases the height of the enhancement which contributes to the depth effect. The short and curved horns allow the case to be placed well on the wrist. In any case, the diameter seemed perfect. It is a homogeneous size that can suit a male or feminine wrist. The V010-LCC is resolutely mixed and the objective is reached. On the other hand, I found the slightly thick case (12mm, especially for a seal of 50 meters) and a slightly lower height would have made it possible to give a more slender style.
The storm version:
The bottom of the housing is transparent and makes it possible to observe the automatic movement. It is a Sellita SW200 caliber which has a frequency of 4Hz and a power reserve of around forty hours. This movement is known and reliable. It therefore has the virtue of being easily repairable in the event of a problem, including in many years. The final version of the watch will integrate a specific mass, that in photo not being the final mass.
After having observed the three versions, it was that of the Eclat color which most convinced me. I appreciate that the case has no treatment and the colors of the dial bring it a good intensity. This is the version that I prefer clearly because it offers a good compromise between subtlety and dynamism. I was less seduced by the pink version because the rendering of the dominant white dial is more conventional. Finally, the storm color may be too dark and I found that the watch lost a subtlety.
The pink version:
The Kickstarter campaign will start on March 13. Each model will be available as part of the pre-launch campaign in 100 copies. The price per model during this campaign will be 995 euros including tax which constitutes a significant discount compared to the price which will be practiced later: 1,800 euros. Therefore, the campaign is a great opportunity to acquire a mixed and carefully designed watch at a reasonable price. The V01-LCC does not upset the watchmaker landscape but it seemed to me to have interesting assets such as its dial animation. The perception of the pendulum oscillations and the central sectors’ journey offer a nice spectacle highlighted by the contrasts of the dial of the Eclat version. The watch is thus intended for an audience in search of an elegant, contemporary room which offers small original details which prevent it from falling into boring classicism.
The most:
+ The semi-transparent rendering of the upper area of the dial highlighted by the refined and dynamic presentation of the ECLAT version
+ The contrast between the needle of hours and that of the minutes
+ The diameter of the case
+ Reliable and widespread movement
The least:
– … but whose power reserve is a bit short
– The case is a little too thick
