The Anoma A1 First Series - Unconventional In Every Way!

Anoma Watches recently released their first creation - the A1 First Series and I have to say, its an absolute blast!

I have to say that this is perhaps one of my better acquisitions in recent years - the shape, the shade and the wearability... all fits!

The Anoma A1 First Series was launched at the end of 2024 and I just received mine, second week into January 2025.

The triangular ellipse shpaed case is so unique only few timepieces are done like this. Art Deco feel, a definitely a very unusual one at that. I have many timepieces but nothing that loos like this - one of a kind. Inspired by a table top, the case shape is instantaneously recognisable.

The two tone blue dial is also as striking as the case shape.

A bright blue brushed dial with a dark blue triangular ring brings out the vintage look of the timepiece.

The timepiece is also well designed when it comes to the thickness...

Measuring a thin 9.45mm, it wears thinner due to its inward curved bottom.

Due to the way the straps are installed and the lack of the traditional lugs, the watch also wear very comfortably for my small wirst.

Cleverly hidden crown underneath the case

The closed case back showing the recessed crown. Beating inside is an automatic Sellita SW100 movement.

The hands are also well made, highly polished and sized just right for the case and dial.

Having worn the timepiece for more than a week, the only downside of the piece is the recessed crown. It's quite difficult to pull out and when fully depressed, its rather difficult to wind.

I'd say this is one of my more funky and artsy timepiece and I'm loving it. A conversation starter I would say and one of those IYKYK timepiece. I can't wait for the second iteration.

Grone Manueel One - The Accessible Gronefeld

The Grönefeld brothers decided to launch a more accessible and affordable line - the Grøne.

The brothers Bart and Tim Grönefeld launched the Grone Oldenzaal and named their first creation Manueel One - nicknamed "Sjef's One". Designed cues from the Grönefeld range is also present here giving the owners of Grøne timepieces an identity tied to the brand. Due to the nature of the Grönefeld range of timepieces, the brand can only make between 70 and 80 pieces per year. The manufacturing time can take months and in order to reach to a wider audience, they created the Grøne Manueel One - a manual winding timepiece.

The steel case of the Manueel One takes inspiration from the Grönefeld 1941 case and at 38.5mm, is a perfect size for my petite wrist.

The dial is two parts - the outer ring in brushed steel and the centre features a salmon coloured tremblage style texture.

The overall aesthetics is harmonious and very pleasing.

Salmon centre with blued steel hands makes this a very handsome timepiece.

And when you look at the details of the timepiece, the highly polished indices extending beyond the outer ring into the centre dial adds another dimension.

For the movement, Grøne is fitted with the manual winding Sellita SW210 movement.

But alas, it comes with a closed caseback. But the caseback isn't a simple one at that. Well etched onto the caseback is a picture of the old city of Oldenzaal, paying tribute to the city they hail from.

The movement allows for a hacking seconds hand and the winding gives you a nice tactile feel.

The crown is conical and the lugs are slightly bent downwards to better fit the wrists.

The timepiece with its polished case comes with a soft and supple dark grey calf leather strap with orange stitchings.

The buckle is also signed.

This 388 limited edition release as expectedly sold out and I believe is a good first release for Grøne.

Priced at EUR2,150 I believe it is fair price for this first release. And I can't wait for the next release. Establishing a second brand like what Hajime Asaoka and MB&F had done before allows more enthusiasts to enjoy the creativity of the Grönefeld brothers. For more information about the Manueel One you may visit the link here.

Edouard Koehn - The Legacy Rattrapante & Tempus III

Edouard Koehn recently released the new Tempus III Chronograph and a very attractive Rattrapante Chronograph called the Legacy Rattrapante.

In my last report I shared their worldtimer and the Tempus II Open heart chronograph. The Tempus II is very masculine - large and imposing, if I may say. Comparing the two, I'd say the Tempus III is a much better proposition.

The Tempus III Ice Blue (above) and the Skeletonised Ice Blue version (below).

I had the opportunity to handle the Tempus III and their new Legacy Rattrapante and I have to say the Legacy Rattrapante is really something.

And I'd like to start with that too...

Why Legacy you may ask? Well, the Chronograph's layout and dial is based on an old pocket watch Chronograph

The original chronograph comes with a Grand feu white enamel and this version draws inspiration from the original pocket watch dial. However, the movement is a Concepto base movement modified specifically for Edouard Koehn.

I believe the rattrapante module is built on the movement (non-column wheel) and that's why it accounts for the thickness.

This limited edition is a breath of fresh air in the chronograph space. Grand Feu Enamel with a 12/6 layout makes this a very attractive chronograph - and a split second (rattrapante) at that!

The blue hands are gorgeous as with the white enamel dial. Some might ask what a split seconds chronograph does. The split seconds complication came about as one needs to record two events that are starting at the same time but may not stop at the same time, hence the two coloured hands. In this case, the blue and red recording hands represent the first and second event.

Enjoy the rest of the photos on this amazing complication on this beautifully crafted chronograph.

Now on to the Tempus III Chronograph. What I saw were 2 variants - both ice blue. First one below is the Tempus III Ice Blue Guilloché.

And this one the Tempus III Ice Blue Skeleton (below). The skeletonised version comes with a date window at the 4 o'clock position but not the Guilloché.

As compared to the Tempus II, the Tempus III is more wearable as the size is smaller. The Tempus II is 43mm and the Tempus III is 41mm - the 2mm reduction is a world of difference.

As much as I like the Ice Blue Skeleton, date window at 4 o'clock is a deal breaker for me. But nonetheless, the design and execution is spot on. The skeleton comes with Grade 5 Titanium case and a Titanium bezel. But on the wrist, you can feel the heft - possibly due to the movement weight.

Again, the execution on the guilloché is excellent. The colour combination on the hands are well coordinated as I especially like the organe hands on the subdial and indices. For the ice blue, the case is made of Grade 5 Titanium with a ceramic bezel.

Whether it is the ice blue or the ice blue skeleton, both are pretty well made and worth its weight in gold. The brand has been making waves, first the the Tempus II. And now both the Tempus III and the Legacy Rattrapante are a hit. I love the Legacy Rattrapante and if there is something they can improve on, perhaps change the blue chrono hands to yellow, making the display even livelier. Right now, it is a blue/red combination but if it were a yellow/red combination with blue time telling hands, that would be great - at least for me.

All said and done, I absolutely love the Legacy Rattrapante except for a minor change. And for the price point (USD16,800), it is definitely great value for such a complication and with Grand Feu Enamel too.