Horological Meandering

Lyttlabs was born from the collaboration of 3 watchmaking veterans across the world - a French, a Singaporean and a Swiss, who wanted to do something different and out of the norm in the conservative industry of watchmaking. Instead of adopting the run-of-the-mill vintage or exposed balance designs that so many emerging microbrands have replicated, Lyttlabs has carved its own path for their debut timepiece, the ‘Inception’, which is unique and bold in both its shape and design.

Powered by a modified Seiko NH35 movement, time is displayed through the brightly colored, outer-most anodized aluminum ring, where hours are indicated at 10 o’clock, minutes at 2 o’clock against an inner silvered rotating disc with stenciled numerals, and finally the seconds through a central rotating disc. 

Adopting a pebble-shaped case, the Inception stands out with the soft curves along its case which directs and reflects light, while not overdoing it as the case is brushed and not polished. The Inception is also easy to wear, especially on smaller wrists like myself due to the lack of lugs, and stays fairly stable on the wrist with its relatively thin profile. The faceted surfaces also extends beyond the case construction and includes the crown of the watch, which is big and easy to grip. Adhering to its design language, even its caseback is faceted, and more uniquely, every watch is fitted with a QR code that allows the owner to register their warranty and also to prevent counterfeits. 

What truly makes the Inception stand out to me is its attention to detail, a lost virtue in many entry-level watches. Be it the coherent design language, where the use of faceted surfaces runs through the case front, case back, right down to the crown or the discreet engraving of the brand's logo on the matte central seconds disc.  There is even an option for a short strap for owners with smaller wrist, a definite boon for the generally smaller Asian wrist. But what truly stood out to me for a watch at this price point is the efforts that they put into their accessories. Instead of stamping its brand name on an OEM strap changing screwdriver, Lyttlabs designed their own. Would they be faulted for not including these details? Probably not, but it’s truly heartening to see such care and effort that's put into the product. 

Despite the affordable price points of the watches, LyttLabs avoided the ready-made OEM parts that many brands adopt in an efforts to cut costs, and that effort really shows in the product. Comparing with many watches similar price point., the build quality is also really sturdy and a notch above.

The Inception comes in 2 finishing (PVD or Steel) and 4 colors (Only 2 for the steel casing), all of which would be fitted with a silicon strap with matching stitching color and a pin buckle of matching finishing. Other strap options, including distressed leather and embossed alligator straps are also available. What's great is that people of smaller wrists can choose the short strap at no additional costs, another truly thoughtful detail. 

Thanks again to Eva and LyttLabs for the showcase and looking forward to their future releases!