Interview about Makina Andras I Watch, winner of the A' Watch Design Award 2024
Makina Watches wanted to design a black sheep in the rectangular watch category that's already full of art deco inspired dress watches. That's why Andras I was born as a sports watch with a bolder and more modern approach. Coated in stealth black, its stainless steel case is composed of slopes and angular shapes that make up its multifaceted design. Its octagonal case is designed to taper around a larger movement for less volume and increased wearability. Its dial is multi-layered and 3 dimensional and its strap is muscular and shapely to look more imposing from every angle.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsWe were looking at ways of creating a distinct look for our first rectangular mechanical watch. Although iconic and beautiful, most famous rectangular watches out there are simplistic and flat in nature. We wanted ours to be more multifaceted in architecture. Origami's folds and triangulated shapes helped us decide where to put lines and facets on our case design to really achieve a more 3-dimensional form when observed from all angles.
Makina as a watch brand does not release watch models that are homages or purely based on traditional watches. Makina creates models that aim to be a lot more on the modern side of things pushing what already exists in the industry as much as possible within very limited resources. And so a lot of thinking is involved before we even put pen to paper to be able to get something we can green light our workshop to prototype.
The octagonal design solution for the case helps in being able to house a larger movement and keep Andras I to wearable dimensions. If it were less octagonal in nature, it would make Andras_I look too large and bulky. Although invisible on the outside, the interior makings of the case is unconventional in nature because of an additional step layer that serves to hold Andras I's top dial layer. Without this, The dial wouldn't have as much depth as it currently has now.
Although, we would have loved to have water resistance up to 100m, we opted for 50m water resistance instead. This was more of a design decision to keep Andras I down to a slimmer dimension. 50m water resistance is sufficient water proofing and is enough for light swimming. For the model's first iteration, it was more important for us in defining an aesthetic for Andras I allowing us to improve more on functionality like water resistance in future iterations.
As you mentioned, the stealth black appearance is done through a PVD coating process that helps further strengthen Andras I's surgical grade stainless steel case. Honestly, we don't really design based on what is in current fashion or what a certain demographic would appeal to when launching a new model. We generally only release watches based on what we might be lacking in our brand's portfolio and what we like and feel like releasing hoping that there are other likeminded enthusiasts who appeal to what we do. Thankfully, we have a lot of customers who feel the same way we do for Andras I.
It is really meant for those who would choose to use this watch for active wear, strenuous activities or those who live in warm, humid conditions. The air pockets on the silicone rubber straps allow the wrist to breathe more with more air circulating under it as the wrist moves. It helps reduce perspiration and keep the wrist cool with less discomfort. The difference is very clear when compared to leather or steel bracelets.
Like most of our models, it really is all about the design. Although the majority of watch enthusiasts really do gravitate towards watches that are of traditional in nature, we do opt to really release watches like Andras_I that may make some enthusiasts out there feel a bit uncomfortable due to some of the design decisions we make. To us, it wouldn't really be a new "alternative" if it looked too similar to what is already out there. The combination of Andras_I's stealth black design, overall form, multilayered dial and the treatment of the small seconds, separates it from many.
Sandblasted finishing is usually too raw and too simple for most watch brands and maybe for most watch enthusiasts who look for more sophisticated finishings like sunburst, satin, fumee, enamel, guilloche etc. We wanted the architectural form of the case and depth of the dial to be the heroes in this model. Hence, the decision to go with a simpler finish like a sand blasted dial really helps to not distract from what is important for us in Andras I's execution.
We had to redo the case's prototype and redesign it several times in order to get sharp and crisp lines without compromising comfort. In the end, we got it to a point where the lines are not only crisp but really define where each facet of the case ends and begins. This is evidently possible even in stealth black where usually details as such would be difficult to perceive.
This is the first year we've submitted to international award organizations like A' design Award and have fortunately been a fruitful decision. It has certainly raised the bar for Makina to not only keep watch enthusiasts in mind but to also keep discerning artists and designers in mind when releasing models. We do believe there is merit in trying to please both
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