Fleux Owner Review : Proud, tonic and minimalist

Fleux is a small Canadian brand that offers convincingly affordable neo-vintage timepieces. The brand name, pronounced "Flouksse," is a tribute to diving pioneer Henri Fleuss (1851–1933). Of course, when we talk about neo-vintage, we find familiar elements from iconic watches in horological history, but the "neo" signifies something new, something fundamentally different. This model is entirely devoid of numerals or minute track. It's an abstraction: a black disc on a white background, divided into four sections by thin white bands. It could be Suprematism, abstract art. A Malevich or Mondrian dream. Even the bezel has no markings, just a simple dot; it's bidirectional, click-free, yet stable, allowing you to place a marker on the hour disc. For me, it's a successful watch. It evokes a sense of déjà vu, a fleeting feeling of familiarity even if you've never seen it before, and simultaneously, a sense of novelty in its ascetic simplicity. It has the soul of a diver's watch, but mounted on a leather-Cordura strap. In fact, the strap is the only truly flawed element. It's a Spanish strap from Seaqual made from recycled material. It's too stiff and doesn't fit the wrist well. I replaced it with a black French Sibra strap, which is a much better fit. The domed crystal is made of Hesalite, which complements the overall vintage feel, but it does have the drawback of scratching easily. The FLX004 is the fourth watch from this young brand, concluding their efforts to revisit the skin diver aesthetic. It measures 39 mm in diameter and 14 mm in thickness (12 mm case + 2 mm crystal). The movement is a Seiko NH38A at 3Hz. The luminescent coating is Super-LumiNova C3 "Old Radium," which offers a superb contrast with the deep black of the dial. The soundtrack could be the music of Panov Stelar, a patchwork of reminiscences yet a fully original work in its own right, captivating and invigorating: https://youtu.be/ljKdbYGO62Q?si=Zwk2WMfZYTt0jo8M&t=2041 Adjective: Dreamlike, classy, abstract, danceable, grounded, minimalist