It all started somewhere in November 2022, with "Hi Seconde/seconde/ team! My name is Herman, I've been a huge fan of your work!" It was not until September 2023 when we met in a Japanese restaurant in Marais, Paris, that we were finally able to shook hands and said, "let's do it!"
The talk I had with Romaric — the brain and heart behind seconde/seconde/ — was nothing but fascinating. He's an intricate guy, very enthusiastic and his extensive knowledge of watches, design, and business really blew my mind. I couldn't believe it when he said that he studied business and never officially trained in design. If he's not a genius, then who is?
He's worked with legendary brands like Nivada Grenchen and Timex. His latest collab with Spinnaker was also a hit, probably the most discussed project before 2023 ended. I felt obviously inferior to his achievements, until he said, "I don't care about the monetary value of our project, I love your brand, and I think your design languages are aligned with mine."
We talked in detail about what we could do with Lima Meca Revolt and its interchangeable bezel. He came up with the idea based on this famous bezelless GMT Rolex Ref. No.:1675, once owned and worn by Marlon Brando in a film Apocalypse Now that was sold for US$ 5 million in an auction a couple months ago. Then I was like, NICE! Let's exploit this and replicate this iconic piece! And he said: No, this time I want to do it differently, something never made, never done before. I am not going to play around with the hands; let's make this an anti-Brando watch. Instead of diminishing the presence of the bezel, let's encourage the user to put on the bezel, just because they are not Marlon Brando.
"If you ain't Marlon, put the damn bezel on!" That's what's written on the case around what supposedly where the bezel is on. Damn, catchy ain't it? I, on the other hand, created a totally new dial and hand set. The approach is to bring a vintage and a more traditional look to the watch. It is a black dial with a white outer. I even moved the LIMA logo from the bottom half to the top half where the logo 'should be'. Not just that, the markers is colored with pumpkin color that also matches the lume on the hour and minute hand. On the back, I simply engraved "seconde/seconde/ edition" rather roughly, like a vandal. We will still provide two interchangeable bezels for you to play around with.
01.15.2024 Les Rhabilleurs – Vincent Deschamps
LIMA KRONO-SPRINTER
Au risque de passer pour un vieux briscard, j’aimerais vous confier quelque chose : j’aime beaucoup les jeunes marques de montres indépendantes. Pour moi – et pour beaucoup – elles font de la collection de montres un plaisir en mettant à la disposition de tous des montres soignées, bien faites, et abordables. Non seulement elles offrent de la variété et de la nouveauté, mais elles permettent aussi d’essayer différents types de montres que vous n’auriez jamais envisagées auparavant. Par exemple : les chronographes. Je n’ai jamais vraiment aimé les chronos et je pensais que je ne les aimerai jamais. Mais j’ai réalisé que je devais trouver le type de chronographe qui me conviendrait. C’est ce que j’ai fait récemment en mettant la main sur la Lima Krono-Sprinter.
Qui est Lima ?
Tout d’abord, parlons brièvement de la marque. Lima a été fondée en 2014 par Herman Tantriady, un designer né en Indonésie qui a longtemps travaillé à Singapour. Herman a travaillé pour de nombreuses agences avant de créer la sienne, et finalement, a relevé le défi hasardeux de lancer sa propre marque de montres, ce qu’il a fait après son retour en Indonésie. Il n’y a pas deux modèles Lima qui se ressemblent, mais ils ont tous quelque chose en commun : ils sont amusants, ils sont originaux et ils sont très abordables. Que dites-vous de cette brève présentation ? Maintenant que nous en savons un peu plus sur Lima, examinons la Krono-Sprinter.
La Krono-Sprinter a l’air funky, et je l’adore !
Avez-vous remarqué la forme de la lunette fixe ? Ce n’est peut-être pas évident en regardant les photos, mais la lunette n’est ni rectangulaire ni ronde. Et il semble qu’elle pourrait être octogonale mais elle ne l’est pas non plus. Elle se situe quelque part entre ces trois formes et indique déjà de quel type de montre il s’agit : un joli garde-temps qui semble différent de tout ce que vous avez vu jusqu’à présent. La lunette de forme étrange est assortie d’un cadran de forme identique, ce dernier présentant une configuration unique qui n’est rien de moins que cool. Du moins, pour moi. J’aime surtout le design épuré du cadran qui est ponctué d’accents de couleurs vives.
Au premier coup d’œil, je trouvais que le cadran du Krono-Sprinter était déconcertant. Cependant, en y regardant de plus près, je me suis rendu compte qu’il était magique. Par exemple, les aiguilles des heures et des minutes ont une allure assez standard et sont faciles à voir. L’aiguille des secondes, quant à elle, est massive et encore plus facile à repérer grâce à sa couleur jaune pétante. La petite aiguille du totalisateur des 60 minutes (situé à gauche du cadran) a également une aiguille jaune, tout comme l’indicateur des 24 heures situé à droite du cadran. De plus, le nom de la marque est imprimé en jaune dans le coin inférieur droit du cadran, à côté du hublot de la date.
Je n’ai jamais vu cela auparavant.
De plus, les deux poussoirs du chronographe sont également dotés de couleurs sympathiques. Le poussoir supérieur, pour démarrer et arrêter le chronographe, est rouge tandis que le poussoir inférieur, pour remettre le chronographe à zéro, est jaune. Tout comme l’ensemble du boîtier, les deux poussoirs ont reçu une finition brossée qui confère à la Krono-Sprinter un caractère utilitaire subtil.
Qu’y a-t-il sous le capot ?
Tout d’abord, le Krono-Sprinter est équipé d’un calibre meca-quartz Seiko VK64. Cela signifie que la fonction chronographe est actionnée par des engrenages et des roues dentées, ce qui donne aux poussoirs une action satisfaisante, semblable à celle d’un véritable chronographe mécanique. Le VK64 bat à 32 768 Hz, ce qui signifie que l’aiguille du chronographe balaie le cadran au lieu de faire tic-tac une fois par seconde. Ce petit détail fait toute la différence lorsque l’on utilise la fonction chronographe pour chronométrer des événements allant jusqu’à 60 minutes. Le VK64 n’est pas équipé d’un affichage des secondes mais possède une complication pour la date.
De plus, la Krono-Sprinter est étanche à 50 mètres, ce qui devrait suffire pour la plupart des activités quotidiennes, et, chose peut-être un peu étonnante, elle est dotée d’une couronne vissée. Le verre est un minéral K1 à double dôme qui est plus résistant aux rayures qu’un verre minéral ordinaire, mais qui n’est pas inrayable comme le saphir. La montre est livrée sur un bracelet en cuir saffiano noir ou sur un bracelet de type Bonklip. Les deux options sont excellentes, mais je me retrouve souvent à porter la Krono-Sprinter sur un bracelet en coton à passe simple ou double. Un choix très personnel !
Expérience de port et confort
Pour finir, parlons de ses dimensions. La Krono-Sprinter mesure 37 mm de diamètre, 45 mm d’une corne à l’autre, 11 mm d’épaisseur (verre compris) et 20 mm d’entre-corne (cependant les cornes ne sont pas percées). Cette montre s’adapte très bien à mon poignet de 16 cm et j’ajouterais, encore plus avec l’aide d’un bracelet fin. Le fait qu’elle soit relativement petite et qu’elle soit équipée d’un mouvement meca-quartz signifie que la montre est légère et confortable à porter tout au long de la journée. Bien que ce ne soit pas la montre la plus lisible que j’aie jamais rencontrée – seules les aiguilles des heures et des minutes sont lumineuses – elle est néanmoins facile à lire et garder un œil sur l’aiguille du chronographe jaune est assez satisfaisant. Et surtout, elle est amusante et abordable.
Conclusion
Ai-je dit abordable ? Oui, en effet. La Krono-Sprinter se vend au prix de $260 USD / 238€ hors taxes. C’est donc une très bonne option pour un chronographe de tous les jours compte tenu de ses spécifications et de son look inédit. Je dis souvent qu’il est impossible de fixer un prix sur le design et je crois que c’est le cas ici. Enfin, vous devriez savoir que la Krono-Sprinter existe en trois couleurs – noir, bleu et blanc – et qu’il y en aura bientôt de nouvelles. Vous pouvez en savoir plus sur la Lima Krono-Sprinter en consultant le site de la marque ici.
06.25.2022 Good Design Indonesia
Lima Meca Revolt Has Been Awarded Good Design Indonesia 2022
After Lima Meca 03 earned the success of winning Good Design Indonesia 2021, It is Lima Meca Revolt’s turn to win the same award for 2022. Good Design Indonesia is a franchised award show of the Japanese Good Design Award, also known as G-Mark. We feel nothing but grateful for this opportunity and for the support of Indonesian design practitioners.
Last but not least, congratulations for all the winner of Good Design Indonesia 2022.
04.26.2021 Watchboy Singapore
Lima Meca 03
Indonesia, a beautiful country known for their amazing food, warm people, great coffee and I could simply go on. One thing I hadn’t anticipated and was really excited when I found an Indonesian watch company, Lima Watch. This excited me, as I am always on the lookout for new watch brands or companies especially those from South East Asia. So when I was first introduced to Lima watches I was ecstatic. Lima has been around since 2014 and I am a little late to the game but better late than never.
So if you are reading this and know of more South East Asian watch brands, be a pal and do let me know.
Back to Lima, the founder of the brand has a background in design and with that you can see a little whimsical aspects of a designer’s mind at work in their range of watches. A tad bit Nordic, minimalistic, vintage and while keeping some traditional aspects of Indonesian design is what I feel encapsulates the brand that is Lima.
Meca-03, when it arrived at my doorstep I was immediately taken back to my youth. The box it came in had me totally reminisce of a time of brightly coloured cardboard boxes with elaborate over the top cartoonish drawings and jarringly bright coloured words to go along. Was this a toy, was it intended to be light hearted or was it just to take us back to a simpler time where we enjoyed what was in the box no matter the price or condition. I really enjoyed this fun and light hearted approach to a watch by Lima.
Carrying on with the toy themed style, the instructions and specifications came in a line card styled instruction manual which is a nice added touch.
As we move along to the watch, it has minimalist written all over it. The dial has a very interesting layout, where there is an inner circle showcasing in red 60 markers with 5 minute or second intervals however you want to look at it. Keeping this compacted into the centre of the dial surprisingly does not make it look cluttered but actually plays nicely to give a subtle effect that makes the dial still looking somewhat minimalistic. I suppose due to the creators design background he has an understanding of balancing the right amount of colours and layout to keep it looking minimal yet with a good amount of details.
To showcase the dial as a focal point, there is no bezel but just a polished case all round. This gives the watch a very old styled vintage feel, reminding me of the old Seiko 5s which have no bezel. Specifically, the Seiko 6619-8230 comes to mind.
As we move along to the strap, again in muted colours that gives of a similar old styled finishing and somewhat unassuming.
A real fun part of this piece is it’s playfulness in trying to pass itself of as a toy from the 60s perhaps. The makers of this watch have opted to despite making it feel like a bit of a novelty still remind you that they do understand watches and have not gone with just a quartz but have fitted the Meca-03 with an automatic movement, a Seiko NH35 no less, an extremely reliable one.
Moving back to the fun side of things, Lima has opted for a hexagonal shaped hole for their crown. In what that seemingly looks like a bolt that needs an Allen key to tighten something in place. It is actually done on purpose, as this piece comes with a manual winding key. I must say, the manual winding key is so fun and at the same time intriguing as this is something I’ve never expected to see come with a watch. It adds a little bit of a fun dimension taking away some seriousness we all sometimes come expect or subconsciously anticipate from a watch.
Lima has as well opted for an exhibition case back showcasing the ‘Lima’ name etched onto the movement. A blue toy car with the words Meca-03 which are similar to the one on the box is printed onto the transparent case back.
I am glad to have this fun and South East Asian made piece in my collection and am glad the makers behind the watch have gone ahead to have some fun yet creating a piece that is practical and is sure to run well with its Japanese movement. Overall, it looks and feels good and even come with a serious NH35 movement. I am impressed with the right about of fun and yet still keeping it serious enough to be a proper everyday watch.
03.15.2021 Fratello
Lima Meca 02
Get ready to smile. Honestly, this one lit up not just my day, my week, or month. No, when I first laid eyes on the Lima Automatic Meca02, I felt that perhaps 2021 wasn’t going to be so bad after all. I laughed. Genuinely, I laughed out loud. Not derisively, but rather in disbelief that something so cute, so cool, and so totally off my radar could exist. Even after spending the entirety of my adult life in the watch business, I’m glad there are surprises left to discover.
I was contacted out of the blue by Herman Tantriady about possibly reviewing his irreverent creations. I’d never heard of Lima watches before so I checked out the site. The Meca02 offered here for one of you lucky readers to win is such an exceptionally well-realized concept I just had to accept. Given the approachable retail of this piece (coming in at just $275) I felt pretty comfortable asking Herman if he fancied donating this model to one of the Fratelli. He immediately agreed (smart guy). And now I have the opportunity to share with you this grin-inducing slice of fun.
What’s not to like?
I get a bit tired of concepts that take themselves a bit too seriously. Watchmaking is a varied discipline and just as varied a hobby. There can be loads of angles from which to come at the craft. Do you collect based on technical prowess or artful aesthetics? Is it rarity or trendiness that attracts you more? Is this all very serious to you or do you prefer to have a giggle?
When it comes to unusual ideas, I think it is probably best to keep them affordable. Brands like Mr. Jones, Unimatic, and Undone do this really well. They produce cutesy curios that provide a lot of laughs for your lolly (my humorous take on “bang for your buck”). I like a lot of the watches from those aforementioned brands, but I like none of them as much as I like the Meca02 from Lima.
This watch costs basically nothing in comparison to the kind of timepieces we normally write about. Heck, I spent more on a new bracelet for my Laventure Marine recently (and that’s another micro/small independent brand to boot!). But that doesn’t mean it is of poor quality. In fact, the opposite is true. This has been achieved by smart design decisions. Tantriady has designed this watch within its own limitations and he has succeeded largely because of his own restraint and because the concept itself is very pure.
A simple idea, very well done
I like this model so much because it is a perfect manifestation of my central watch design philosophy: don’t do anything if you can’t do it well. Tantriady has fixed the remit early on in the design phase. This watch needs to be key-wound. That’s it. Everything else has followed in line with that simple goal. He picked an era of design that is contemporaneous with the advent of key-wound toys and his sympathetic design followed suit.
He hasn’t been tempted to overegg it. A tasteful, quaint colorway provides a characterful base, allowing the key-wound concept to take center stage. And to round-out the proposition, the watch comes in a box that looks like it is straight out of Al of Al’s Toy Barn’s personal collection of vintage playthings. For less than 300 bucks, you get a fully-realized, satisfyingly executed concept watch that could happily sit next to your Sub or Speedy or, perhaps even better, be gifted to a young watch lover whose mind is just waiting to be bewitched by the mechanic mechanism within.
01.13.2021 Mr. Montre
Toujours friands de petites marques indépendantes aux montres originales et bien faites, nous vous proposons aujourd’hui de jeter un oeil aux créations Lima Watch, et plus particulièrement au modèle Meca02 Automatique. Rafraîchissant !
Un peu d’histoire
Après une carrière de web designer à Singapour, Herman Tantriady revient en Indonésie en 2002, et rejoint l’agence marketing OgilvyOne Worldwide. En 2005, il crée sa propre agence de design, Pomato Asia, pour finalement lancer sa marque de montres baptisée Lima Watch, en 2014.
Pour donner vie à ses garde-temps, Herman collabore avec des designers issus de divers domaines, offrant ainsi des produits uniques, singuliers, à l’esthétique hors du commun. En 2019, la marque remporte notamment deux prix récompensant le design de ses montres Lima Zenga et Lima Time Loop.
Pour l’instant, Lima Watch comprend cinq collections : Astronomer, Zenga, Pa:Gi, So:Re, et Meca. C’est à cette dernière que nous nous intéressons particulièrement dans cet article.
Le modèle Meca02 Automatique
Comme vous pouvez le voir, cette montre a clairement quelque chose de différent. Un design original, créatif, un style à la fois casual, ludique et particulièrement soigné.
Le boîtier de 39 mm en acier inoxydable 316L brossé est couplé à un beau bracelet en cuir véritable marron avec surpiqûres blanches au niveau des cornes. Sur le côté droit à 3h, la couronne de couleur bronze peut se remonter à l’aide d’une clé fournie avec la montre, faisant penser à celles utilisées pour remonter les jouets. Ludique, on vous l’a dit !
Le cadran de cette Meca02 est intéressant dans le choix des teintes, de la forme et du placement des différents éléments. De couleur blanc crème, il s’habille de chiffres bleu clair à la typo très contemporaine. Le 12 est remplacé par le logo de la marque en rouge. Rouge que l’on retrouve d’ailleurs sur l’aiguille des seconde et sur les chiffres du disque central surélevé. Les aiguilles heures/minutes sont découpées, l’une en métal argenté, l’autre en blanc. Enfin, le guichet date rond prend la place du 5, un positionnement peu courant.
Autre choix intéressant, le verre Crystal K1 qui, avec son aspect dôme, donne du relief à la montre ainsi qu’une subtile allure vintage.
La Meca02 est animée par un mouvement automatique Seiko NH35, fiable et précis. Attention, ce n’est pas un garde-temps que vous exposerez à l’eau puisqu’il n’est étanche que jusqu’à 30 m (3 ATM).
Cette montre est présentée dans une boîte rétro vraiment amusante, avec une illustration de pistolet « Spacetime Blaster » de bande dessinée sur le dessus, faisant penser à un jouet. Cela renforce encore l’esprit récréatif du modèle et de la marque en général. S’amuser tout en proposant de belles choses.
La Lima Meca02 est d’ores et déjà disponible en pré-commande à un prix très accessible. Attention cependant, sa production est limitée à seulement 99 pièces. Enfin, sachez que la montre s’accompagne d’une garantie de 12 mois.
Prix : 275$
12.17.2020 Worn & Wound
Hands-On With The Curiously Creative Lima Watch Meca-01
This is a hobby that gets taken pretty seriously sometimes. Million dollar watches and collectors appearing in the pages of the NYT are commonplace these days. As passionate as we are about watches, it’s important to take a step back from time to time and see them for the luxury that they have become. It’s refreshing, then, to see watches that aren’t afraid to have a little fun in their approach. The Meca-01 from Lima Watch falls squarely into this camp, putting a toy-like spin on the mechanical watch.
The retro designed packaging of the Meca-01 sets the stage perfectly for the brand’s first mechanical offering. There’s an illustrated robot straight out of the ‘50s sci-fi genre with copy to match. It feels a bit like something you’d see from Max Busser as inspiration for an horological machine. Unlike those, this watch is far more accessible, priced at under $300, and what it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for creativity.
The robot on the front of the box is a fictional wind-up toy, with the key depicted below the oddly worded message “with Key Manual Winding Action”. This alludes to what you’ll find inside, as the same key is packaged within the box for use in winding the watch itself. The crown features a keyhole at its end for the hex key to insert, allowing the user to wind the watch much like the tin toys the watch is inspired by. Setting and adjusting still requires the crown to be pulled out and manipulated by hand, however. And yes, winding can still be done by hand as well.
The dial continues with the tin toy motif with red pinstripe circles occupying a gently raised center portion of the dial, and blue Arabic numerals reading off the hours. Red dots flank each hour for a final detail that culminated in the red Lima Watches logo at 12 o’clock. Hollow syringe hands are careful not to steal much attention from the silver dial, as does the discreet date aperture situated at 5 o’clock exactly, replacing the hour numeral.
The steel case measures 39mm in diameter, but its execution is a bit unusual. The top is uniform in texture and flatness, sitting flush from edge to edge. It appears as if they stopped after the first stage of stamping the case. It’s an odd experience to behold, as well as it is to wear, but the aesthetic fits the overall tone of the watch. Within beats a Seiko NH35 automatic movement, which is visible through the exhibition caseback.
The Meca-01 may be as much a novelty as it is a watch, but it’s a good reminder that watch collecting can be light hearted and imaginative. At $275, this may even make a great gift to lure a younger generation into mechanical watches. Learn more about the watch from Lima Watch here, though be warned, their website requires a flash player to properly navigate, so enter at your own risk.
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