Independents

As a warm-up to the BaselWorld fair Kari sent me some pictures of his latest pieces.

Unique piece, dial is made in Japan by lacquer artist.

V-8R. power reserve indication, limited series of 25 watches.

Everything made in house, 228 components. It has visible mechanism with conical system. It has also hack system to stop the balance once setting the time.

Don

Simply magnificent the mosaic 

No message body

No message body

I especially like the 2nd one.

That last picture...

exclude the stuff that he does on limited editions like the watches he made for Gary Getz and company.

Fortunate those who own one. Why is the PR watch limited to 25, Don?

I am not Don, but Kari told me he wants it so, He has other projects in the pipe-line.

NT

Gary G blew my mind with his unique piece, and now this.... this is just absolutely beautiful, I have a massive amount of respect for Kari's work, more and more every day. Hope one day to see one in the flesh

Is that he does welcome select other artists to participate upon request.  Not a big hallmark of his work to date (with the exception of Eddy Jacquet's engraving work on pieces such as my Chronograph), but I'm hoping to see more in future.

Don't love the V8 R at all.  The dial looks confounded, busy, and objective-focused functional.  Give me the normal Observatoire any day (now that's a beautiful watch).  But I can criticize all I want, because with only 25 watches, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there will be 25 people who think it's a beautiful watch.  Lucky them, and lucky me.  

25 this metal, then 25 in another, and another, and another?

You are correct Horo.  One can never expect to be able to hold them to strict limitations.  

Dear Hororgasm,

There is nothing wrong in not numbering one's limited editions. I should bow down to the wisdom of someone who own a Observatoire. I know nothing about KVs...whilst you on the other hand has a weath of knowledge...including a NEW figure of 60 Observatoires in circulation. GaryGetz was told no more than 50. I was told at Hourglass gig in 2010 no more than 100. Tim Jackson originally suggested no more than 150. There is a chance that there are only really perhaps 10pieces of Observatoire produced, and fantastically I know all of them personally!!! Wait..can't be...you own one too, but I do not know you personally. Damn, there are at least 11. I can't sleep or eat in peace now. Actually...I now need to find out how many Pesuex 260 were produced and used by who...

And again...I shall bow down to the logical sequencing of bright minds here, because I am of "deprecative and uncomplimentary" nature. I shall develop a movement and not use it beyond a run in the 10s, lets make it 25....... and NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WILL DARE QUESTION THIS, otherwise, they will be labelled as deprecating and uncomplimentary.

And hear hear....in this august forum, we do not practice literal English. We practice what is known as opposite speech....And when someone writes "WHO KNOWS" ...it means "I KNOW FOR SURE". Damn, me being silly again....my dear Ztiraul...I should have realize you mean "appreciative and complimentary"

Best,( and I mean BEST...not WORST)

Horo

Dear moderator, off course you are entitled to voice your opinion. But I do not like being  at the receiving end of your continued sarcasm and take therefore my leave from this thread.

You responded to my post in the open, and pm me complaining about a fellow moderator and YOU ARE THE  RECEIVING END???!!!! You called me "deprecating and uncomplimentary" and YOU ARE THE RECEIVING END!!!!!!!!!!??????!!!!! Do you work for KV? If not, how are YOU THE RECEIVING END?????!!!!!??????

It is very hard for us to fully appreciate dials like these in the West, with this one in particular created by one of the most famous lacquer artists in Japan using several techniques combined together. Kari told me this dial takes months to create - and those are not 'PR' months but real months in real time ;-0) !! The artist and his studio even prepare all the lacquers and mediums themselves - actually not so unlike an independent watchmaker in approach.

Thanks for posting.

Really, really pretty.  If my wife were inclined toward watches of this size I'd be nudging her toward one (in a different pattern, of course, as this one is unique).

To me personally, it looks rather "disharmony" to have lacquer on Kari watch.  Kari watch is a beauty on its own, no decoration from other sources is required.  Imagine you have a skeletonised Kari watch!

V-8R is not my cup of tea.

Regards

Ling

...but I would love to have an open dialed watch from Kari! I'm playing around with mockups to see whether at some point it might be possible to commission an open dial for my Chrono II...

Best,

Gary

.... would love to see this collaboration between swiss' fine watchmaking and Japanese traditional art in person.....  Sigh....

Thanks, Don!

Ken

looks very promising to me. Only a few more days until I can see it ...

Thanks, Don & Kari!

Oliver

And those movements are gorgeous in every way.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Vte

...having had a good look at it at Basel, and having a nice chat with Kari (with a friend), all I can say is that photos simply do not do justice to the lacquer dial...it's just unbelievably beautiful.

The V-8R, imho, looks better with a pure white dial...as also seen at the show. 

Just my 2 centimes

I am naturally a big fan owning an Observatoire. Kari continues to amaze in a considered and stylish manner.