I walked into Hour Glass this saturday and walked out with a Made in France
Alain Silberstein blue ring
iKrono which I have been aiming for the last couple of months! This model comes in blue, yellow or red ring variations with total limited to 500 pieces.
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date and Chronograph
Case: Black PVD titanium with anti-satin silicium (finger print proof)
CaseBack: Sapphire
Bracelet: Leather
Dial: Black
Subdial: Chronograph
Hand Indicators: Luminous
Hour Markers: Luminous
Crystal: Anti reflective dual coating Sapphire
Movement: Valjoux 7750 Automatic
Date Calendar: At 9 o'clock
Case Width: 47.5mm
CaseLength: 47.5mm
Case Thickness: 20.5mm
Water Resistant: 10 Bar
It comes in a very plain white paper box.
Opened the box reveals the signature Alain Silberstein red-blue-yellow leather case (with the blue at the bottom - not visible in this picture). Inside is a black plastic box with screw driver provided. The documentation is quite sketchy with only 2 sheets of paper! One is the warranty card and the other one is the User Instructions! I cant't even find the watch specifications.
The beautiful Alain Silberstein logo
The (right) side view. The stylish "Alain Silberstein" logo appears here. I guess it is here because there is no place to put it on the dial. The height of the case is about 20.5mm which is really tall. The watch itself is not really big nor heavy (titanium) but it has imposing height. Note that the leather strap is sandwiched by the square base of the watch. You can actually uncrew the base, take out the strap and make this a desk clock!
The left hand side view. The three buttons are of course in signature AS colors. The colors are bright and happy inducing! AS has cleverly rotated the Valjoux 7750 180 degree from "normal" set up so the buttons are on left side. The start stop button for chronograph is now the yellow button at the bottom and the reset button is the blue on the top. The crown is the red "triangle". The case size and location of the start/stop button actually making the chronograph function a breeze to operate as compared to the normal Valjoux 7750 setup as you would operate it using primarily your thumb.
The dial is black. It is a little busy due to Tachymetre, chronograph function and a Vernier scale on the second chronograph hand. Despite this, the dial is very legible and easy to read. This may due the size, anti reflective coating and good quality finishing on the dial. The dial has a 3 dimensional look with the Tachymetre, hour/minutes markers and the main dial surface are at different levels. The Vernier scale is unique and it can tell the accuracy to 2/10, 4/10, 6/10, 8/10th of a second.
The finishing for AS watches are top class and this one is no exception. The dial is nicely finished. Now we come to my favorite smiling faces! You start with a sad face and sleepy eyes on Monday and progressingly becoming happier with smiles getting bigger and red in the weekend!
I feel happy just looking at the dial!
Note the details for the smileys from Monday to Sunday!
Here is the second "register"
Again it has the signature AS shape (triangle, square and circle) and colors (red, blue, yellow)! The finishing is again top class with good attention to details.
The strap is made in leather. Very wide with interesting buckle. It is somewhat troublesome to put the watch on but the buckle held securely once locked. The strap is different from normal strap so I have very limited (or none) customization choice when come to the strap.
The backview. The Valjoux 7750 is clearly indicated here with no intention to hide. It is probably one of the more expensive Valjoux 7750 watches! It is also limited to 500 pieces. Mine has very good double digits! There are some decoration and finishing done but it is still basically a standard Valjoux 7750 so servicing should be OK long term wise.
Summary: This is not a watch for everyone. A person approached me and asked me about the watch. After some conversation, he was very careful when he asked me about the price as he was not sure if it is worth RM100 or RM50,000
AS iKrono is unusual and unique. This is a very colorful and busy looking watch. AS uses Red-Yellow-Blue subtractive primary colors which are used significantly in painting. As such this is the watch that will catch the attention of people who appreaciate art/painting or understand modern color theory. This is a mechanically solid as well as artistic watch. See the watch and compare to Piet Mondrian's painting!
AS iKrono will standout among other watches. It is is a good weekend watch because it won't fit under the cuff of most shirts. Coincidentally, weekend is where the smiling faces appear anyway. Despite its size, it is one of the most comfortable watches to wear. As a daily watch to wear, it is actually tough against dinks or knocks. My other watches such as AP RO, Seiko and Glashutte all have seen some minor scratches due to daily wear and tear but this one remains looking perfect since the day I bought it. So this watch is not just all look but it is also very tough.
The lume on the watch is so-so. Very subtle and not extremely bright. This is not a key criteria for me when considering this watch. I will add a good lume watch (Seiko SBGE001) for the next purchase!
The smileys are so cool and hard to beat. It just put a smile on my face! Due to the case height and bright colors, it is quite attention grabbing. The price may be steep but if you look at the finishing, case materials and design/uniqueness, it is not so bad. The accuracy of the watch is fairly good. Typical of Valjoux 7750 movement - very reliable and accurate. My experience in a few months of ownership tells me that the accuracy of this watch is as good if not better than any others that I have owned. But then with this watch, who cares about accuracy!
