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The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

The Return of Abstraction and the Four Pillars of Light

This "Spectrum" watch is conceived as a design that returns to symmetry, one might even say double symmetry (top to bottom and left to right), while the current trend is to make asymmetry fashionable. The idea is also to create a watch based on light and its spectral decomposition, but not through a direct approach that would show a white beam decomposed into a continuous spectrum (like the excellent cover of Pink Floyd's album). No, this is an abstract, discontinuous approach. The spectrum is decomposed into primary colors: red, green, blue, or magenta, yellow, and cyan, depending on the system used. And yet, the dial is not divided into thirds, but into four, due to this double symmetry imposed as a manifesto. And then there's the quarter-hour, the most common unit of time in everyday life, far more so than twenty-minute intervals (which form the basis of Raketa's Atom model but are generally quite rare). Even etymologically, the word "cadran" (dial) comes from "quart" (quarter), so it's natural to divide it into four parts. Therefore, we understand that the spectrum is not to be taken literally but figuratively. These four basic colors are the Google logo. They represent access to knowledge, to universal wisdom. But they also represent access to freedom of thought through the philosophical movement of the Enlightenment that emerged in the 18th century. At the dawn of the 21st century, many believe the Enlightenment is "outdated," that Rousseau has fallen into the mire, that D'Alembert is backwards, that Diderot is a lost cause, that Voltaire is a goner... That today, all that matters is artificial intelligence, robots, transhumanism, and the philosophical current of the "dark enlightenment," or neo-reactionary (NRx), as these oligarchs who want to impose their power call it. So let's recall these four pillars, since they occupy the quadrant.

1. Reason: Considered the primary tool for understanding the world, it replaces superstition and blind faith.

2. Liberty: Defense of individual rights, freedom of thought and expression, as well as the critique of absolutism.

3. Tolerance and Freedom of Belief: The fight against religious fanaticism and the promotion of the coexistence of beliefs, championed notably by Voltaire.

4. Equality of Rights: A challenge to the privileges of the nobility and clergy, valuing merit and natural law.

Before these four colors, this humanist declaration of faith, is a grid upon which rests a reflective metal circle. The grid rises from the center of the circle. The hands also have this metallic reflection, but in addition, they have a white center painted with luminescent material for reading the time in the dark. This creates an impression of dazzling light, as if seeing a white light that forces the wearer to squint, like a near-death experience, a luminous tunnel, an intense peace... The strap with its seven rows of rice grains is also highly reflective. Two other discreetly branded rubber straps are included, one black and one orange.

The case is also very elaborate, with lugs that extend dramatically, like four small cartoon characters walking over a precipice and suddenly plummeting. While the case is only 38mm in diameter, the lug-to-lug measurement is 47mm. The case is 11.4mm thick, including a 1.7mm crystal that sits on the watch like an eyepiece on a telescope.

The movement is a Miyota 9015 with a 4Hz frequency and a 42-hour power reserve. A reliable and robust movement. The oscillating weight is customized with the light grid already featured on the dial. This is, of course, a reinterpretation of the ancient solar symbol of the prehistoric swastika. The swastika's use is admittedly very subtle, as it is a symbol, even in its left-handed form, that has been taboo in Western design since the end of Nazism. Yet, it is a universal symbol for humanity. This mass spins like a veritable turbine as soon as it moves even slightly.

Ultimately, it's a highly successful exercise in abstract style for a very simple watch, a three-hand timepiece without any markings or logo. This design borders on the absolute; every detail is deliberate. It embodies the simplicity and absoluteness of white light, broken down into four pillars that have accompanied us since the dawn of light, but also the four arms of the swastika, which has accompanied our perception of sunlight since at least the Neolithic era. In short, it's a manifesto to wear on your wrist to say no to NRx.

The soundtrack for this watch would be Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," not only for its cover but also for its content, its songs that explore the different elements of the spectrum of human life in a philosophical way.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=FEacDWPWfJU&list=OLAK5uy_lrCrcAdxFG4aMzMrebs7o9TU384xyF240

A daring attempt to reach the absolute

Watches based on IN16 Nixie tubes aren't the most practical to make or wear, yet they possess an inimitable charm, something that evokes a deep retro-futuristic vision. These tubes represent a technology that was abandoned before becoming widespread. In 2021, I was considering a Nixoid watch, which had announced more advanced models, but unfortunately, during the winter of 2022, science fiction became reality, and the inhabitants of Kyiv experienced a true nightmare: a large-scale war engulfed Europe, impacting watchmakers as well. As the years passed without any real improvement in the Ukrainian capital, and with Ukrainians specializing in defense technologies rather than watchmaking out of necessity, I turned to a Hong Kong company that worked with Nixie tubes.

It's truly unique; there are two tubes that alternately display the two digits of the hour and minutes, or the day and month. Blue LEDs illuminate the background when the minutes are displayed, preventing confusion with the hours. A button must be pressed to display the time, as the tubes wear out when illuminated and consume a significant amount of energy, meaning the time is only displayed when needed.
Recharging is done via a standard wireless charging system.

Its main drawback is its considerable size (44x47x16mm), which may not suit all wrists. However, this isn't a daily watch meant to be worn under a shirt cuff, so this isn't necessarily a significant issue. Setting the time can be tricky. Double-clicks are required to confirm a selection, but the buttons are not very responsive, and it often interprets a double click as two clicks, forcing you to restart the time setting process. Unfortunately, as soon as the battery runs out, if you haven't remembered to recharge it, or if you switch to daylight saving time, you have to reset the time. The battery lasts relatively long, typically 1000 activations, so several weeks.

Pressing one of the buttons displays the hour and minutes, shown twice. There are other modes for the date or the stopwatch, but they're not very practical, unless you want to make your watch flash like an emergency vehicle in the middle of a traffic jam. The back shows the circuit board layout. The case itself is inspired by old televisions.

You can choose from various soundtracks for this watch. There are many science fiction works with a retro aesthetic. The soundtrack to Blade Runner by Vangelis, for example, is masterful (https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=RScZrvTebeA), as is Alice's return to the future from the famous Soviet film "The Visitor from the Future" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNH99xAWXBo), but I prefer the haunting soundtrack to "The City of Lost Children" by Angelo Badalamenti, who chose Marianne Faithfull for the film's theme song.

https://youtu.be/G7f4941xM84?si=tC3JpWFtMzd0hVBC

A retro-futuristic dream

As a lover of minimalist watches, this post-Soviet Chaika (with the inscription "Ёделано в России" in gold lettering at 6 o'clock) is obviously very appealing to me. It has only the essentials: a black dial with 12 gold hour markers, like stars in a deep sky. Like Europe, one might say, but only a dream, a dream repeated every twelve hours. The bezel divides the time into four parts with five notches at the quarter-hour marks. The rest of the case is chrome-plated, and the case back is steel with a six-pronged bezel.

What's remarkable is the sound of the 17-jewel, 3Hz Chaika 1601A movement, which chimes very softly, when it chimes at all, because it clearly has a slight delay in starting. This is actually one of the problems with a two-hand watch: you don't immediately notice starting problems. You have to listen carefully, and with a low-noise movement like this, you need good hearing.

With this watch, I'll be listening to "1000 Dreams" by FR Miss Kittin & The Hacker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mJSewIWxZc

A deep night of 10E3 dreams

This commemorative pilot's watch, marking the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight, is very dear to me. I loved it back in 2011. It was also an important commemorative year for the Raketa factory, which had just received a new impetus. The factory in Petrodvorets was celebrating its 290th anniversary, and the first manned flight with a watch, and the first human flight with a watch, were also commemorated. Of course, Raketa watches didn't exist for these three events (the factory cut stones in 1721, the first watch on a manned flight was a Pobeda, and for the first human flight, a Sturmanskie). Nevertheless, the commemoration was very significant, and the factory was blessed and placed under God's protection (https://youtu.be/4pejb8x31hw?si=IQKj7GhTffaOpCvx&t=289).

The movement in this pilot's watch is a 2623N, a 24-hour mechanical movement. The crown is also quite easy to grip, even for those with larger fingers.

At the time, mechanical movements weren't yet part of Petrodvorets' lineup; many of their models featured quartz movements and were distinguished by their creative designs. This one, however, was a commemorative tool watch, more in keeping with the brand's historical spirit.

It has the advantage of being very legible thanks to its black hands and the highly luminous red seconds hand on a silver background.

Midnight is symbolized by a 0, not 24. This can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the watch, as it's not immediately obvious that it's a 24-hour dial. But the 0 is emblematic for Raketa, the best-known brand of "big zero" models, although it's not the only one. Everything starts anew at zero when a new day begins. Midnight is therefore in the upper position and noon in the lower position. This logically divides the dial, with night at the top and day at the bottom. But the reverse is also true; the Sputnik watch, for example, has midnight at the bottom and noon at the top. Other brands, such as the Yes Watch V7 and the Louis Jeansol, also have noon at the top and midnight at the bottom.

The dial features an illustration of Yuri Alekseyevich's profile and his rocket launching in front of a few stars. The strap is a well-made, relatively rigid leather, as is typical of Raketa, black on top and red underneath.

This is a limited edition of 300 pieces.

The soundtrack for this watch is said to be "Gagarin" by the British group PBS.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=L-BRsQQOshs The Vostok 1 mission of April 12, 1961, became emblematic for all of humanity. A man succeeded in orbiting the Earth in a space rocket for the very first time.

Head in the stars, feet on the ground

Okay, let's be honest, this review isn't about praising the build quality. But that's beside the point. It's a fun watch for kids. It's necessarily inexpensive, easy to read, educational, and makes children want to visit archaeological museums (the Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre, in this case). And we can say that it succeeds.

Each hand is unique, and there are markings for both hours (inside) and minutes (outside). And most importantly, there are three Barbapapas: Barbibul (the brilliant little inventor boy dressed as an Egyptian Hippopotamus), Barbotinne as a scribe, and Barbidou as a cat. Of course, Barbibelle as Cleopatra, Barbalala as an Egyptian musician, Barbidur as the Pyramid architect, and Barbouille as the sculptor of the wonders displayed at the Louvre are missing... but we get the idea, and it works well.

The watch I received unfortunately had a defect that suggests a somewhat lax quality control system: a small eyelash on the dial was moving around with the hands. Fortunately, customer service kindly replaced it.

Why not base the next watch on Babylonian (2000 BC), Akkadian (2300 BC), and Sumerian (3400 BC) antiquities? This 2x12-hour and 60-minute system we have on our dials isn't very natural for us, as we use a base-10 system. It's a legacy even older than Ancient Egypt. It's a legacy of long-vanished civilizations, but magnificent remains of which are on display at the Louvre. Of course, there are revolutionary watches, decimal watches, watches with 10 hours, 100 minutes, and 100 seconds, but overall, the vast majority of watches operate on a 2x12-hour scale. So it would be nice to pay homage to the Sumerians.

Naturally, the music to listen to is from the Barbapapa family, that cult cartoon from the 70s, where the wildest imagination and kindness are at the heart of everything. These characters, created by Talus Taylor, an American in love with France, have captivated generations of children.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4CjVZIRYs

With Barbibul, science has no limits

The Maslenikov Watch Factory (ZIM) excels at making the ordinary work. This is a perfectly ordinary watch (case and movement) that nonetheless looks fantastic.

The case is chrome-plated brass (type 821) with a snap-on stainless steel case back. The caliber is a 2602 with a small seconds subdial. The dial is particularly striking, a silver sunburst finish featuring a deep blue minute track and very large blue numerals, complemented by highly legible black baton hands. The overall look is suitable for any occasion and pairs well with a navy blue strap.

The album to listen to while wearing it is the tribute to Bill Evans by Paul Lay, Clemens Van Der Feen & Dré Pallema, Blue in Green.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nTMippl0Xm7jBBPNwzK43GKB-bbIJJUQA&si=rT0cXX__MBh8iPm2

Blue over-size 

The 901609 is a true classic for lovers of minimalist designs. It has just the right elements: twelve Arabic numerals, a minute track limited to the markers, three slim black hands, and a Luch logo in script. This strong contrast ensures excellent legibility. Some models even offer dial customization.

The movement is a 23-jewel Luch 2209, notable for its orange-yellow hue. The case measures 34 mm excluding the crown. It's a round, chrome-plated brass case with a snap-on steel case back bearing the Soviet quality mark and a serial number.

It's a very simple and successful model, although I'm not entirely happy about the occasional loss of the plexiglass crystal on my example.

The music I would associate with this model is Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, rearranged for piano by Paul Lay—a gravity that reveals an unexpected lightness, or perhaps the other way around. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfm0OFYJEd0&si

Agile gravity

This watch is a tiny, rather playful piece of horology. I bought it on eBay about ten years ago for €50 new, arriving in cheap packaging with a questionable leather strap. Once I removed this unnecessary packaging and fitted a decent strap, this quite charming watch accompanied me on several holidays, allowing me to avoid focusing on the precise time or worrying about damaging it, given its value. It allows you to disconnect while remaining a nice, mechanical, and manual object. One small quirk: since I bought it, once fully wound, you have to tap it on a hard surface to start the ticking. It has always worked well apart from this detail, which, actually, I quite like.

All in all, it shows that for a few euros, you can have something original, with a strong personality, that's wearable every day without looking out of place.

The poor man's single needle

La marque SYE [Start Your Engine] a &eacute;t&eacute; cr&eacute;&eacute;e en 2020 par Arnaud Pezeron &agrave; c&ocirc;t&eacute; de Paris en France. La marque inaugure le Sport Tailoring au poignet. Elle propose des montres sport-chic de caract&egrave;re, fiables, ludiques et abordables inspir&eacute;es de l'univers de la m&eacute;canique auto-moto. La gamme comprend deux mod&egrave;les distincts, la <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/sye/mot1on_automatic_24">SYE MOT1ON Automatic 24 </a>et la <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/sye/mot1on_chronograph">SYE MOT1ON Chronograph</a>.
Cette marque embarque une innovation sur le changement du bracelet disponible en acier ou en cuir. La montre n'offre aucun espace entre le bracelet et la boite d&ucirc; &agrave; l&rsquo;absence de cornes, ce qui am&eacute;liore son confort et sa portabilit&eacute;.
<h2 class="p1">Combien co&ucirc;te une montre&nbsp;SYE&nbsp;?</h2>
La gamme SYE comporte deux mod&egrave;les disponibles sur le site de la marque : La SYE MOT1ON Automatic 24 est propos&eacute;e &agrave; partir de 750&euro;. La SYE MOT1ON Chronograph est propos&eacute;e &agrave; partir de 599 &euro;.
SYE est ind&eacute;pendante et produit plusieurs centaines montres par an tous mod&egrave;les confondus. Pour choisir une SYE qui vous correspond le mieux, les avis clients Dialicious sont une pr&eacute;cieuse ressource pour &eacute;valuer chacun des diff&eacute;rents mod&egrave;les &agrave; travers l'exp&eacute;rience r&eacute;elle des clients.
Consultez le <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_francaises">Classement des meilleures marques de montres fran&ccedil;aises</a> dont SYE fait partie.
(Mise &agrave; jour Novembre 2023)

The brand SYE [Start Your Engine] was created in 2020 by Arnaud Pezeron near Paris in France. The brand is introducing Sport Tailoring on the wrist. It offers sporty-chic watches with character, reliability, fun and affordability inspired by the world of car and motorcycle mechanics. The range includes two distinct models, the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/sye/mot1on_automatic_24"> SYE MOT1ON Automatic 24</a> and the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/sye/mot1on_chronograph"> SYE MOT1ON Chronograph</a>.
This brand has an innovation in changing the bracelet available in steel or leather. The watch offers no space between the bracelet and the case due to the absence of lugs, which improves its comfort and portability.
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does a SYE watch cost?</h2>
The SYE range includes two models available on the brand's website: The SYE MOT1ON Automatic 24 is offered from &euro; 750. The SYE MOT1ON Chronograph is offered from &euro; 599.
SYE is independent and produces several hundred watches per year, all models combined. To choose an SYE that best suits you, the Dialicious owners' reviews are a valuable resource for evaluating each of the different models through real customer experience.
Check out the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_french_watch_brands">Ranking of the best French watch brands</a>, including SYE.
(Updated November 2023)

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