Today, the Calvin Jr. (CJR) Velocita launches on Kickstarter. Unlike many crowdfunded projects, it is not a cookie cutter design. CJR's
founder, Calvin Ng is an engineer and watch enthusiast and he comes by
it naturally, both his parents worked in the watch manufacturing
industry. His passion for horology led him to create a unique bullhead chronograph in a unique, oversized case. It is brash, and it is bold, but is it Bum-worthy? He sent me two prototypes to find out.
The Velocita is a highly stylized
race timer offered in six distinct variants. The two top-of-the-line
models use an ETA 775 automatic. They are priced at $1999 with early
backer rewards of $1299. Four quartz models
use the Ronda 3520.D and fit more closely into The Time Bum's usual
range, selling for $399 with early backer rewards starting at $199. All
share the same dial layout and case, but vary in color, finish, and case
detail ranging from the conservative sandblasted steel Army, to the
outlandish shiny gold C3PO (and I wonder if the folks at Disney might
have something to say about that). For this review, Calvin
provided a pair of quartz models. The Series 1 Spacecraft has a black
case with glossy accents, an open frame on the sides, and a grey and
yellow dial. The Series 2 Fire Red model has a matte black case with
glossy red enamel inserts in the sides, and a black and red dial.
Both Series 1 and Series 2 cases are
PVD black and water resistant to 100m with a sapphire crystal, engraved
case back, and a signed screw-down crown. The chiseled chronograph
pushers are grooved at the top and decorated with a triangular pattern
that mimics the case sides. The Series 1 Spacecraft is brushed north to
south with polished sides and bezel. The Series 2 case on the Fire Red
is sandblasted for a matte finish all around and wears shiny red inserts
in the frame.
The Velocita's shape is its most
arresting feature. In classic bullhead fashion, the crown and
chronograph buttons are positioned at the top. The case is a two-piece
affair consisting of a round central barrel bracketed by curved, open
frames that form the lugs. Their triangular geometry was inspired by
motorcycle frames. A series of tiny screws fixes the sides to the center
case while larger screws secure the strap. It is a massive affair. The 45mm
width and 52mm length are fairly large on their own, but the real kick
is the thickness. Both the case and lugs are asymmetric, measuring over
17mm at the bottom and a whopping 22mm at the top, canting the entire
unit 30 degrees upward. It cuts an imposing figure, but does it work?
Well, that depends.
On
the wrist, it is undeniably huge. The curvature of the case and lugs
helps it wrap around even a modest wrist like mine. Still, a 22mm thick
watch is going to look big on almost anyone. It is top heavy, but the
crocodile embossed leather strap is engineered to balance it out. It is 50/135mm
with the short end at the bottom and tail at the top so it wraps under
your wrist, placing the overlap nearer the shallow end of the watch. It secures with a signed deployant clasp decorated with the framework design.
You can see this watch from space,
and indeed I believe that is the point, but there is another part to the
equation. A bullhead is designed to be used as a hand-held timer, so
you must evaluate it off your wrist as well. With the Velocita in your
palm and your index finger and thumb on the big pushers, its size and
shape make a lot more sense as it is comfortable to hold and easy to
operate.
The central barrel of the case is
about 42mm wide and has only a slim bezel so there is plenty of room on
the dial and every bit of it is occupied. The 3520.D's crown-up
orientation places the registers at 9 and 3 instead of their usual 12
and 6. It has a 30-minute totalizer and small seconds. The central
second hand is color-keyed and runs with the chronograph. Subdial hands
are white. White subdial indices are on raised rings for some added
dimension. All other elements are printed. You will need to keep your
timing runs confined to daylight hours as there is no luminous material
anywhere on the dial. The 1/5th-second chapter index looks cool but
serves no function on the quartz as it can only jump the second hand in
one-second increments. A minute track rings the outer edge of the dial.
Moving inward, you are greeted by large angular
numbers. The 9 and 3 have been wisely eliminated and the numbers are
either filled (Red Flame) or edged (Spacecraft) with the accent color.
The CJR logo occupies the 12 o'clock position, and this is where the
layout starts to go overboard.
The brand is displayed in three
places on the dial: the CJR logo at top center, Calvin Jr. printed
below, and then the logo reappears on the counterweight. Any one of
those would have informed us of its maker. Three times is too much. At
the bottom of the dial, we have the model name in a color block, "1/5
Sec. Chrono," and in tiny print below "10 ATM Water Resist." It is
crowded, unnecessary, and with regard to the fifths, inaccurate. A 4:30
date window squeezes in as well, snipping off the 5. I am becoming less
tolerant of dates on chronographs. These watches already carry so much
information it is almost impossible to incorporate a window without it
looking like an afterthought. The black-on-white wheel arguably
coordinates with the white in the registers and indices, but it still
sticks out uncomfortably against the grey and yellow on the Spacecraft.
It works better on the Flame Red where it can play into the
black-on-white model name block. Either way, it would have been better
left off.
The hands echo the same triangular
motif of the lug frames and the chronograph buttons. They are skeletons
on the Flame Red and filled on the Spacecraft. Like the repetition of
the logo, it looks like it is trying too hard. If you consider the
motorcycle analogy, many bikes use their exposed chassis as a design
element, but they don't repeat the pattern on the gas tank, seat, and
hand grips. Unlike some chronographs I have sampled, the Velocita
remains functional and legible, but it is not grounded. It lacks a
strong, solid element to anchor the dial. Simpler hands would have
accomplished this. Less branding and text would have created some
welcome negative space. The elimination of the date and logo
counterweight alone would have balanced it a bit.
I can appreciate the Velocita as a
design exercise. The exoskeleton case is a novel idea that works very
well on the open sided Series 1, although I wish it were scaled down to
something closer to 42mm. I also like the color combinations provided,
and again I must give the nod to the Series 1 Spacecraft with its cool
yellow on grey combination. I think CJR has correctly identified its
market and will likely be successful with its campaign. Fans of big,
brash, bullheads like the Bomberg Bolt-68 may be tempted by the more
affordable Velocita. As for me, I think there are some good ideas here,
and I am curious to see what CJR does next, but the Velocita is not
quite there.
Pro: Unique case geometry.
Sum: Intriguing, but not my cup of tea.
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