As
my readers surely know, The Time Bum loves him some microbrands. The
best of them are founded by watch nerds, for watch nerds, delivering the
creative designs and quality components we crave, at prices we can
afford. Chip Yuen is one of those enthusiasts who has taken his hobby to
the next level. He founded Aevig Watches
earlier this year, and is now taking pre-orders for two debut models:
the Huldra automatic diver, and the Corvid quartz field watch.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Chip discovered the watch community
while researching a new purchase and never looked back. He is an
udio-visual media professional with a background in fine art and
industrial design. Inspired by the emergence of microbrands such as
Halios, he began to experiment with watch design in 2007, sharing them
in the Watchuseek Design Forum. In 2012 he submitted a design for the
crowd sourced Watchuseek Chinese Mechanical Watch Forum dual crown
watch, which was very well recieved, although not selected. He tried
again with that forum's ST-5 project and was successful. While that
watch was in production, he submitted designs for the Affordable Watch
Forum watch and once again his work was selected for production. With
two successful designs under his belt, he was inspired by another
microbrand, Chris Vail's Lew & Huey, to take the next step. Once
again, he submitted designs to the Watchuseek community, but this time
for a vintage-inspired diver that he would produce and sell under his
own brand, and thus, the Aevig Huldra was born.
Aevig
takes its name from the ancient Norse word for "eternal." As Chip
describes it, his watches seek to "evoke a sense of everlasting memory"
with a look that is "fresh yet classic at the same time." The Huldra is
a perfect example of Chip's design philosophy. At first blush, this
200m diver is familiar, not unlike a Seiko 6309-7040
with its barrel shaped case, color coordinated dive bezel, and
geometric markers. There is a bit of Doxa influence in the straight hour
and minute hands and rectangle-tipped second hand. Yet, while the watch
incorporates design cues from vintage divers, it is far from a homage.
The polished and applied hour markers are hexagons instead of the usual
circles, and quite cleverly, the Aevig hex logo at 12. Darts mark 3, 6,
and 9. C3 Superluminova provides just the right bit of cream color to
impart a proper vintage look.
The
case slopes gracefully away from the dial and forms a gentle arc from
lug to lug, eschwing both the flatter profile of the Doxa and rounded
sides of the Seiko. Bucking the trend of huge, bulky divers, the Huldra
is 42mm x 46mm and only 12mm thick. A domed, antireflective sapphire
crystal tops things off. It is a handsome watch, particularly striking
in blue. The movement is a high-beat Miyota 9015 automatic. it is
available in blue, black or orange, with a stainless steel bracelet and
nylon NATO.
The Corvid began as a Bauhaus inspired excercise that made appearences
in both the the ST-5 project and Affordable Forum submissions before it
developed into the stylized military style watch it is today. The Corvid
is powered by a Ronda 703 quartz. The DLC coated case is 40mm x 48mm
and 9mm thick with a 9:00 crown and a domed acrylic crystal. The dial
features black two-digit numerals at 02, 04, 08, and 10 with C3 filled
bars. Lollypop markers topped with C3 occupy the remaining positions
with a bar and Aevig hex logo at 12. Bold flieger style hands and a
red-tipped second hand complete the face. The Corvid is a unique desigh
that draws insipration from traditional field and pilot watches, but
with a thoroughly modern result. It is available with tan, black, or
green dials. Water resistance is 100m.
Assuming the debut models are successful, Chip has plenty of ideas for
Aevig's future, including an automatic Corvid, a dual-crown compressor
style diver, and a 1970s style automatic chronograph. After that, maybe a
bicycle. "I'm Chinese and Dutch," he laughs, "we know bicycles, no?"
Indeed, why not? It seems to be working for Shinola.
The Time Bum has little use for bicycles, but if Chip designs an Aevig
bicycle with same retro-modern sensibility as his watches, I might be
tempted.
All photos courtesy of Aevig Watches.
All photos courtesy of Aevig Watches.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento