#valimor

[pkansa]

In Review: Valimor Caliburnus II

In Review: Valimor Caliburnus II

Last month, we introduced you to the Valimor Caliburnus II, as it was going through it’s crowd-funding cycle. Well, that campaign successfully closed out, and backers are awaiting their watches. If you missed out, you can pre-order one (without the KS discounts), so do not despair. We’ve also been spending time with one lately, so we can give you a a hands-on take on this interesting…

View On WordPress

[ifashiontrend1]

新興手錶品牌 VALIMOR 連世界紀錄的手錶收藏家也有一支

如果你對鐘錶收藏有高度興趣，一定要來認識現今鐘錶市場的新變化。一向與奢華生活相近的鐘錶市場近年來湧現了巨大的變化，例如 : 獨立製錶設計師的崛起讓手錶化身藝術品   ；崇尚個性風與的消費者也開始重新愛上機械錶的韻底。同時，觀察敏銳的鐘錶收藏家已經開始狩獵一些新興卻深具設計風的微品牌。例如VALIMOR 的手錶，快速崛起並在國際上獲得正面評價，不只可以賞玩穿搭，還多出了幾分收藏價值。

(more…)

View On WordPress

[pkansa]

What are the greatest things in life?  Well, Conan the Barbarian had a set of answers to that question.  For me, I’ll say it varies here and there, but sometimes that itch can be scratched by something a simple as a new watch coming onto the market that has a lot of interesting elements built into it.  One such of those watches, the Valimor Caliburnus, is now up on Kickstarter.

Right from the get-go, you can tell that the Valimor Caliburnus is different from what you may have seen before – this is no “me too” minimalistic piece that is destined for the landfill.  What struck me first was the bezel on the watch.  A closer look reveals that it has a scaly texture to it, engraved in.  Per the PR materials, this is to call to mind dragon scale, but it could also remind one of, say, the overlapping leaves of scale mail. Add in the fact that the hands are actual swords (the overall theme of the watch is pulling from Arthurian legend), and you have, for me, a watch that is basically D&D in horology (and no, no steampunk here).

For me, that’s a good thing. I grew up playing D&D with a close set of friends, and have fond memories of those days.  So, right off the bat, the Valimor Caliburnus is in my good graces.  Then we get to the dial.  Oh, those dials.  There are three options here of various semi-precious stones, but my favorite has to be the lapis lazuli.  Ever since I discovered that lapis lazuli existed many years ago, I have been enamored.  There’s just a depth and variety to the blue that is intriguing to me.  And while I’ve not yet picked up a watch with a lapis lazuli dial, I did managed to get some cufflinks on a trip back from Argentina a while ago, so I know what I would be pairing with this watch.

Safe to say, design-wise, there is a lot going on with the Valimor Caliburnus that I am a fan of.  Hands and indices are filled with SuperLuminova (always appreciated), and they’ve managed to turn a cow leather strap into something that looks like a hornback crocodile strap (much nicer than your normal croc-embossed stuff), which keeps the reptilian feel to things.  The buckle on the strap also has some interesting engraving going on to keep the theme going.

Tucked into the Valimor Caliburnus is a well-known commodity, the Miyota 821A automatic movement.  As always, I like seeing known movement brands showing up in new watch startups, as that gives one a bit more confidence that things can be maintained, and parts will be available for said maintenance.  The presence of the Miyota also helps to keep pricing down.  Speaking of, early bird pricing for the Valimor Caliburnus starts at just $239, which represents about a 50% discount off the future retail price.

As I mentioned at the outset, the campaign for the Valimor Caliburnus is currently underway, with funding sitting at about 65% as of the time of this writing.  The campaign runs through July 31st, and delivery (provided the funding goals are hit) is anticipated for October.  I have seen some other watches be offered in limited runs with stone dials of these nature at this price, but none have had quite this level of detail and adherence to a theme.  Should funding levels be met, and production commence, we’re in talks with the brand to get one in for a hands-on review.  Give us a shout out in the comments (or over in Slack) if you jump in to help pull the sword from the stone.  valimor.com

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Valimor Caliburnus

Price: early bird pricing starts at $239

Who we think it might be for: You like semi-precious stone and want to sport one in an affordable watch

Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? I have to admit it is very, very tempting!

If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Getting that WR bumped up to 100m would be appreciated

What spoke to me the most about this watch: The stone dials and that interesting-looking dragon scale bezel

Tech Specs from Valimor

Name: CALIBURNUS

Reference: VA001A

Certification: EUIPO Design Patent #004742294-0001

Case: Ø42 mm – Aged 316L Stainless Steel

Coating: PVD

Dial: Natural Black Galaxy Granite

Glass: Sapphire Coated Hardness Mineral Crystal

Hands Luminous: Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9

Crown Crystal: Swarovski

Water Resistant: 5 ATM (50 m)

Strap: Genuine Leather

Caliber: Japan-Made Miyota 821A Automatic

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Date

Jewels: 21

Thickness: 12.65mm

Frequency: 21,600 vph

Power-reserve: 42 hours

If you want to train a dragon, why not start with the Valimor Caliburnus? #kickstarter #crowdfunded #under$500 #lapislazuli What are the greatest things in life?  Well, Conan the Barbarian had a set of answers to that question.