Horological Meandering

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

hats down for AM's ingenious humor!

wearing it in good health,
Ed~

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this is a really 'slick' watch Graham, perfect suit/tuxedo watch.

I don't think this watch would ever be someone's only watch, and possibly not one of two or three, but as part of a collection it's a fantsatic additional. Incredibly clean and the dial seems to have great depth, perfect when peeking out from under a shirt and jacket. Elegant, with just the right amount of charm and swagger, not unlike yourself I'm sure!

Wear it in good health.

Dan

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and as individual as it's owner.

I love your watch choices!

Keep up the good work.

All the best,

Vernon.

i'm catching up on responses as Orange have deemed it fit to change their spam settings so currently all my watchprosite emails arent getting through.

best

Graham

...reminding us of the work of AM. Few would appreciate that this is a company that does more with the aesthetic presentation of time than almost any other. More varied dials than J*D. More erotic pieces than Svend Andersen. More industrial pieces than Stepan Sarpaneva. Nearly as much variety as Seiko!

We share an appreciation of the 'offbeat' in timepieces (although you and Cen can battle it out for pole position!). AM deliver into that sensibility in a big way, but still maintain a healthy dose of style. A watch which appealed greatly a few years ago was a 'mystere' version of the disc module that seemed like planets orbiting a star field, but that doesn't seeem to be in the catalogue any longer. The Steel-Tec was also on the 'might buy' list briefly, but that is a lot of watch on any wrist!

The poker watch in the hands of another maker could have come off as 'naff', but AM have managed to pull it off: a bit like Andersen managing to convert a theme for a painted velvet pillow into his classic 'Dog Poker' watch:

[photo from Andersen Geneve website]

Your comments about the size of the window and the finesse of the 'marker' are spot on though. Is that disc centrally pivoted? If so, there was scope to enlarge the window and perhaps put the minute track and the pointer above the cards rather than below, thereby increasing the available space between markers and in turn allowing a more precise display of the minutes. Still, that is nit-picking: it's a novel and lighthearted way of telling the time and goodness knows we need more of that. 

Thanks for putting so much effort into a thorough review. Wear the watch with a huge smile, but never when playing cards - you're a lousy bluffer!

;-)   ;-)   ;-)

 

Cheers,

pplater.

Hello,

I just checked watchprosite for interesting news as I do at least twice a week and noticed Graham's post.
I highly appreciate to see so many positive comments and opinions on this post.
Normally when an Angular Momentum timepiece is posted somewhere on a forum, the comments are not always alike....
Some years ago - on the request of a Asian customer - I have made a small number of these Poker watches.
Finally, one that has remained from this edition has found its way to Graham

However, also my thanks to pplater for his insightful comment.

Angular Momentum is a very small company, actually a one man company, but with a well equipped atelier, where all watch part and necessary movement modules, are manufactured - - except the base movement of coarse. All timepieces are completely manufactured piece by piece, one after the other and all timepieces on the website have been made at least once, either tailor made for a customer or for our collection, and every timepiece can be redone again,

Thanks again and best wishes for a pleasant weekend,

Cheers,

Martin Pauli
Angular Momentum of Swittzerland

...it is a great pleasure to read first-hand the thoughts of someone who is resposible for making some of the pieces we lust after. Your efforts are something that many of us appreciate and we wish you continuing success in the future.

 

Cheers,

pplater.

Thanks,
Actually the artworks are all done by myself

Best,

Martin

The human fine motor control is beyond the imagination of normal people, but its no magic.
Once you start to deal with the small things, you will realize that small things are quite big.
The challenge is to find a solutions for a problem.
We often think: "How did they do such fine work"
Watchmakers have long time ago invented the Tweezers because screws and parts became to small to proceed with the fingers.
Some hundred years ago watchmaker Lechaud has invented the pantograph (reducing Engraving/milling machine) to produce plates and wheels in serial. Already in the 18th century pocket watches of the size of 18.00 mm have been realized and Breguet has used the pantograph to do his tiny micro signatures on dials. The microscope has been invented many hundered years earlier.
However, if one understand, how various material react under certain conditions, it only a question of will, concentration and patience to find a suitable solution.
The hand operated 3D pantograph is my absolutely favored magic tool.

en.wikipedia.org

Best regards,

Martin.

The artwork and case finishing are top notch! I like that it takes a little extra look to tell the time. You must end up appreciating the watch even more so because you are getting a healthy look at it throughout the day.