Horological Meandering

foversta
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An encounter with Ikepod at the Hotel des Bergues

It was a bit by chance that I had this encounter with Ikepod at the Hotel des Bergues during the SIHH. I took the opportunity of the appointments with other brands in the same Hotel to visit the Ikepod suite.  This brand was not at the top of my list of the presentations I should not miss.

But, like it is very often the case, this incidental encounter led to a good surprise for me.

We all have known Ikepod for many years but this time I had the feeling to discover a new brand. Of course, Ikepod is still based on Marc Newson's personnality and designs and it is the reason why we still have some constants with the Ikepod of the previous period.

The main difference is the change of strategy and of way to communicate to the market.

Before, Ikepod had, I would say, a lot of horological ambitions: the communication was focussed in the original design from Marc Newson combined with the horological contents of the watches (for example, a Tourbillon watch was released). Big trouble is that the clients were not that seduced by this combo: the reliability of the watches was not excellent even if the calibers used were classic calibers from the Swiss industry. The making process was not optimal and some details (like the case finishings) were quite disappointing for a brand focussed in design.

This period is over now.

Today, Ikepod has the will to become the reference brand for the people who are fans of Contemporary Art. The ambition is not in the horological contents (the watches have to be reliable not to offer state-of-the-art or exclusive calibers) but to propose the most uncompromising design by improving the case and dial finishings and to fulfill these specific clients' expectations. The production numbers are now much lower to underline the exclusiveness of the collection.

The idea is not to be a « watch » company but a « time instruments » company linked to Contemporary Art.

The Ikepod collection is based on 5 models. I propose you to browse them now.

Horizon

This is the 2 hands watch. Marc Newson's style is found in the case and glass shape, the coherence between the dial and the hands and the integration of the strap in the case. There is no lug to preserve the fluidity and the curves of the elliptical case. The watch is powered by an ETA2892.
















The most famous version of this watch is the « Cannonballs » which was designed by Jeff Koons. Jeff Koons and Marc Newson present their works in the same Art Gallery and Jeff Koons accepted to create a watch in the Ikepod context thanks to the friendships between the two artists.

The Cannonballs Horizon is available in Titanium and Platinum cases. If you look carefully the colors of the balls on the dial, you may recognize the Hulk colors...


































Hemipode

We find again the elliptical case in a chronograph context. The dial is displayed through a subdial to get a perfect symmetry on the dial.

















Megapode

The Megapode has the busiest dial of the collection, far from the simplicity of the Hemipode. This complexity is due to the presence of different scales which allow the owner of the watch to calculate some data like fuel consumption, of a date window and of a second timezone.

























Solaris

The Solaris is maybe my fav watch of the collection. The Solaris looks like a small domino. It is in fact a very nice two-sides watch with a clever bracelet system: for me the Solaris is a bit the modern reinterpretation of the Reservo with today's technology (quartz) and materials (ceramic). The two quartz movements are independant so you can get a second timezone display with the Solaris. My fav version of the Solaris is the Ceramic one which enhances the feeling to wear a domino. Even if here we don't have here the elliptical case, we recognize Marc Newson's style: that is the proof of the achievement of the design of this watch.





















Hourglass

Last piece of the collection is the One hour hourglass.

As I told you before, the will of Ikepod is to become a time instruments brand and the Hourglass was designed in this context. This hourglass is really attractive thanks to its nice curves and to its tiny golden marbles: it is a true pleasure to watch the flow of time through this hourglass.  This decorative object will become a must-have for Marc Newson's fans and they will easily forget its huge weight!

















With the Hourglass, we finish this overview of the current Ikepod collection. Again, we don't have to be wrong: with an Ikepod watch, you won't get the most impressive calibers of the industry. Forget this. But with an Ikepod watch, you will get a proof of Marc Newson's talent, a pure designer work.

Fr.Xavier

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