Horological Meandering

meislergeisler
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LW SpidoSpeed DLC hands on

Thanks to Per from franzjaeger&me I was able to check out one of the very first black Spidospeed DLCs to be delivered ‘hands on’.

As some of you might as well, I have followed the evolution of the Spido-family since the early Trigon models as I’ve been intrigued by the idea of cutting away all unnecessary material from the watch case without compromising stability. Ever since I tried on the first Trigon prototype I knew I had to have something similar someday. The look was just so different from what I had previously known - basically I only had a few italian ‘tuna cans’ in my watch rotation at the time.



In a certain way, the Spido-family follows the swiss watchmaking tradition of skeletonized watches, just from a different angle. Personally I’ve always been fascinated by these seemingly fragile watch movements that displayed the watch master’s special craftmanship without compromising functionality but adding another visual dimension. In this spirit LW seem to have taken this concept and applied it to their watch cases.

Today I am the happy owner of a Spidolite SA which gets a lot wrist time. The skeletonized case as well as the cut out dial and hands add to the overall 3-dimensional experience. While the watch actually isn’t ‘flat’, it still wears flat and thankfully fits under most of my shirt‘s sleeves.



Back to the SpidoSpeed, the latest addition to the Spido-family of skeletonized watches from LW.

Having seen the first pictures here and on other forums I was thrilled about the SpidoSpeed and couldn’t wait to get to experience it ‘live’ for myself. Pictures from press releases and other sources are great, but I always prefer to check a watch out myself before passing judgement. In this case I was especially curious how the new chrono pushers would work in reality as there had been quite some controversial discussions about the final design.

After having tried the final-spec SpidoSpeed myself I’m relieved to say that the new design works just fine.








Although I have to admit that while I initially didn’t like the look of the new, protruding pushers, they do actually add a visual dimension to the overall look. Besides, as far as I understand the new design also improves the reliability and functional quality of the chronograph feature. Which is what I definitely expect from a watch at this price point.

And the fact that some instruments won’t fit the SpidoSpeed for the time being is irrelevant for me as I still have a Hard Black to fall back on in case I want to... I’m told though that LW continuously upgrades their instruments to fit their latest watch lineup so if you’re considering an instrument to go with the SpidoSpeed you just need some patience.

The Spidospeed wears very nice on the wrist and although it’s a somewhat large stainless steel watch it doesn’t feel too heavy thanks to the skeletonized case. The strap that comes with it is new and complements the overall look nicely. Check out the funky holes that are punched into it and correspond to the circular screws as well as the round pushers.





On the backside the LW3 movement is visible through the glass bottom, which I understand comes from Concepto and is extensively altered according to LW specs. The rotor is beautiful and spins like a dream - no wobble to be felt if you know what I mean.

Another detail I really like is that some of the bridges have been treated to generate a darker color.  The design of the rotor reminds me of lightweight wheels of certain sports cars and if I remember correctly classic racing cars have been a major source of inspiration when Morten Linde designed this watch.





As you would expect the chronograph works perfectly and the pressure needed to activate the chrono is not too hard. I wonder if I would have been able to press the initial oval pushers after all with my fat clumsy fingers...

Well, what can I say? After inspecting the SpidoSpeed in detail this beauty is definitely very high on my wishlist and I’m already figuring out how to make it happen. Personally I think I prefer the Stainless Steel version rather than this black one, but that’s mainly because I’m happy to call a selection of black watches my own already. And again, I need to see it ‘in the flesh’ before taking a final decision.

Thank you for looking and let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer. I’ll leave you with a picture of the SpidoSpeed alongside my Spidolite SA. My apologies for the picture quality as they were shot on the fly.

meislergeisler