Watches for Men: DWISS M2 – A Swiss-powered watch with looks

Saturday, August 13, 2016

DWISS M2 – A Swiss-powered watch with looks

What happens when an established watch designer becomes dissatisfied with the way the watch industry works in general, from pricing to distribution? DWISS is what happens…

The awkward-to-pronounce name aside, what we have here is an interesting watch. What makes it unusual is, well, almost everything. M2 is the third model made by DWISS, and they’ve funded their kickstarter to the tune of $ 376,668 USD at this time.

40a7b09e4527a02afe5528157ce00fed_original The hours in the M2 (the name of this new model) are represented through a disc that runs under the multilayered dial. The ring of the dial dedicated to hours is composed of segmented windows. As time progresses, the hour’s windows fill in with a colorful continuous rotation disc. The minutes and seconds are represented in the classic way with sophisticated hands.

From the pictures I’ve seen, there are potentially many different colorways, from the straps, the stainless steel case in steel or DLC black, and color choices for the hour disc and bits of dial that define the windows. ae6e527b687c07f75147869d708a7691_original

The watch itself is a 43mm diameter case, water resistant to 100M, and equipped with a Swiss ETA 2824-2 movement. There’s a lovely engraved rotor, and display caseback as well. Both the back and crystal are sapphire, as they should be, and the crystal is coated on both sides with anti-reflective coating.

a23cfb16a43f69406e79e44644b6af8a_original Really, it’s a very interesting dial and hands combination, in a way that reminds me of the unique efforts of Linde Werdelin, or some of Gerald Genta’s designs. What’s also interesting here is, this is a designer who has worked with larger Swiss brands in the past, and is “looking to raise funds to produce a REAL luxury watch with an innovative and ground-breaking design twist, giving it directly to our backers, cutting out all distributors and retailers margins.” For a person who knows what the costs are for Swiss manufacturers, cutting out all those costs that would go directly to him is kind of daring, and respectable.

09c0196fe5a7cc6e63b72bc39da39b3e_original Designed by Brazilian designer and watchmaker Rafael Simoes Miranda, this watch is a real value. You get a unique dial and handset, a comfortable rubber strap, a display back, sapphire with dual AR, and a Swiss ETA movement at a reasonable price for what you’re getting. Pre-order pricing starts at $ 715 USD, and models will be limited to 199 per color way. Kickstarter

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: DWISS M2
Price: Earlybird pricing starts at $ 715
Who we think it might be for: You’re an adventurous sort looking for a unique watch.
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Yes. And I’d like some of the other straps so I can play with colors.
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Increase water resistance. A 43mm makes me think of it more as a sport watch, and 100M is not really sporting.
What spoke to me the most about this watch: The promise of modularity, and the unique hour presentation.

Tech Specs from DWISS