Horological Meandering

G99
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when the chips are down you need the Angular Momentum 'Poker'.

i've been meaning to write this review for a couple of weeks now, but seem to have got caught up with other things so belatedly here it is.

i should declare that i did receive a small discount of the watch, but only because i'm registered on the companies mailing list, something that anyone of us can do in order to take advantage of any offers they may have. i wouldnt consider that an incentive for a good review and i only say somethings good if i think it really is.

Angular Momentum are one of those Swiss brands that many of you may never have heard of although they have been in business several years now. Don Corson has made mention of them on the AHCI forum in the past, but very few of their watches have ever appeared on this or any other forum that i know of. they are mainly known for 2 things, firstly their patented 'Revolving Disc System' (RDS) which is, put very simply, revolving discs instead of hands much the same as the Seiko Discus and secondly their superb artwork which i come to in a minute. the company work in a fairly modular way. the vast majority of watches utilise one case design being a 42mm case in steel or gold with slightly domed sapphire crystal and screwdown crown which allows 10ATM water resistance. they also use 38mm cases for some of the jewelled pieces. please correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe they all use the ETA 2924 movement making them immensely reliable. they are a small producer, in fact, unless they get orders for more they only produce 2 of each model at any one time.

they have 2 seperate ranges, the Technical, which this particular model belongs too and the Artisan. the technical consist of a large number of different designs most of which use the RDS with varying ways of displaying the time on those discs. The Artisan range is to put it bluntly, superb, and i would encourage you to look at the site and how they make the dials that are available. on some models they do 'Eglomise' which is reverse painting on the inside of the Sapphire crystal or alternatively the dial. on other Artisan models which use conventional hands they use handcarved sterling silver dials or Japanese Laquer dials. the range is so great that you really must look on the site for more information. the talent of their Artists is second to none and everytime i view the site there seems to be a new model.

i have been interested in Angular Momentum and this particular model, for at least a couple of years, but never been in a position to order one. the Artisan range are, quite rightly, expensive due to the talent involved. the Technical range is much more reasonably priced, but everytime i'm in the position to buy something else takes the forefront. it just happens that the email came through at the correct time so i bought this great watch.

ok, now onto this particular watch who's correct title is the Angular Momentum Axis/XXXI Poker. most of you that know me dont really need to be told why i bought it, but for those that do its because its funky, unusual and 'uncommon'. thats what attracts me, anything fun and functional. it is housed in the 42mm steel 3 piece case. the centre section including the lugs is brushed on the sides and polished on the lug tops, the caseback is screwdown steel with a black plaque to the centre which contains the watches individual number. the crystal has a polished steel bezel around it which sits nicely on top of the centre section. the underside of the crystal is mirror finish black with a porthole at 12. the porthole has a brushed steel edge with a pointer to indicate the time. the time is displayed like a single handed watch, but uses 'hearts' playing cards on a green baise style background to indicate the hours. ace to 10 speaks for itself and 11 and 12 use the jack and queen of hearts. the hour is divided into 15 minute intervals so this is never going to be the most accurate of timepieces, but will always be 'about right'. it comes as standard on a black croc grain leather strap with steel tang buckle. this suits it perfectly. i was sent a steel bracelet seperately as part of the offer, but it seems to have gone missing in the post. i'm sure it will arrive eventually.

the Poker feels very nice on the wrist. 40-44mm seems to be the perfect size for my fairly large wrist so this is right in the middle. it is about 14mm deep and feels nice and weighty in the hand, but that weight seems to disappear on the wrist. i dont really know what else i can say about this watch. i think its great. its lighthearted, looks good, feels well built and is pretty functional. 'about 5.30' is more than sufficient under most circumstances when this watch would be worn. this would look fine with Jeans and a T shirt and even with a evening suit due to its polished steel and black finish. no good for sports events, but at 10ATM perfectly alright in the swimming pool as long as your not timing yourself

my only criticism is that the porthole could be bigger and the pointer thinner so that the time can be set more accurately. its not a timepiece you can just glance at, you need to observe for a few seconds to tell the time or at least i do. on that note i will now show you some pics. this watch is highly reflective so please bear that in mind. it wont be everyones cup of tea as there is nothing revolutionary about it, but thats the good thing about our passion. we are all different and can appreciate different things. i like the look of a piece and others like the finish of a movement, but in the end we all love watches. 

a couple of royal flushes

enjoy

Graham