CUSTOMIZING TIME
As bespokeness is all the rage, the Geneva-based customization specialist now proposes limited editions created hand-in-hand with watchmaking brands. Anonimo is the first to usher in this new era
Times have changed, attitudes have been shaken up and consumption patterns have been transformed, leading new words to appear on the vocabulary stage such as customization, upcycling and mainstream. Exalting the first two so as to undermine the last is the goal which Label Noir, the Geneva-based design agency specialized in customization, has set itself. It intends to partner with brands to revamp specific models – infusing them with a touch which stands out from the usual codes without actually altering them or breathing new life into unsold pieces, for example – and, as such, create limited editions exclusively sold on the e-commerce platform of its website. Anonimo, with its can’t-do-without classic Epurato, is the first firm to usher in this concept.
Label Noir’s designers imagined a rather more nuanced piece by fashioning its 42 mm cushion-shaped case in black DLC steel. This dusky case, waterproof to depths of 50 m (like the original one), boasts an open caseback which unveils some of the workings of the Sellita SW200-1 caliber, a well-proven selfwinding movement which vibrates at 4 Hz and gifts the watch with a power reserve of 38 hours.
The matt gray dial is encircled by an hour chapter featuring black indexes and Arabic numerals hovered over by the two black hour and minute hands. This deliberately-darkened décor which surrounds the date set at 6 o’clock invites the seconds to take centerstage and catch the eye with the azure blue hue which coats the direct-drive.
Price: CHF2,890
By Sharmila Bertin