The Skinny
- 46mm
- Proprietary automatic Seagull movement with unique time-telling & gear ratio
- Rubber strap
- 3atm water resistance (splash proof)
- Year of release – 2021
- Price at release – $899 (steel) $1099 (titanium)
Gaining Perspective on the Blue Planet
Typically a genre-defying watch will cost tens of thousands, and students of high horology will consider it conceptual (Moser, MB&F and Konstantin Chaykin come to mind). We applaud these efforts for breaking the staid norms of old-school European watchmaking. But when a watch comes along and does the same thing under $1000, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher. Terms like conceptual are downgraded to playful, interesting, and different.
This tendency to elevate objects in accordance with their price is a pretty transparent kind of snobbery, and I don’t like it. Sure, the refinement of high horology isn’t there for us to ogle, but wouldn’t that make a risky design all the more conceptual?
I applaud the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) for assuring that the Challenge Prize given to watches under 3500 CHF each year is one of the most exciting categories. I also applaud 2021’s GPHG’s judges for seeing past the typical big brand dazzle and recognizing the accomplishment of China’s CIGA Design in creating the Blue Planet. I think the watch deserves the accolades it got.
What Makes It Special
Just about nothing on the Blue Planet is traditional, right down to the proprietary movement. With a watch costing $899/$1099, it’s hard to find anything that breaks the mechanical norms. But that’s not all that distinguishes the Blue Planet.
Proprietary Seagull Movement With Unique Scale & Gear Ratio
The Chinese firm worked with Seagull to create a movement which differs from a typical three-hander by moving the inner minute-ring 390-degrees (rather than 360-degrees) every hour. This extra travel sets the inner minute-ring an extra 30-degrees forward, so that it can accurately tell the time vis-a-vis the stationary outer hour-ring. Meanwhile, the inner disc’s (or globe’s) compass-rose points to the time. The only other watches that work this way that I know of are the French Trilobe asymmetricals.
A Unique Case (in titanium or steel)
Ikepod is impossible not to consider when looking at the Blue Planet, as the case shape is simply reminiscent. But I don’t get the sense that this was a matter of imitation as much as a result of a holistic design meant to work with the domed globe around which everything else appears to have been shaped. The flying-saucer shape accommodates the 46mm diameter, which really isn’t so intimidating on my wrist. The soft shape of the case assures a comfy fit, something more like a 42mm watch.
The Etched Earth
First of all, note that North America and Europe are not central to this globe, and are, in fact, absent. Instead we see Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, which is fitting for a Chinese watch designed by a Chinese man. I’m all for it, as watchmaking’s tendency toward Eurocentrism has been a kind of pet peeve of mine for a while.
The etched surfaces recreate elevations, mountains and so on. This isn’t quite at the level of, say, a hand-painted enamel Patek Worldtimer dial, but then what is? Taking in the price of the Blue Planet, however, and the level of detail is rather remarkable. The effect wearing the watch is that there is a world down under the crystal.
CIGA Design Dares to Dare
If you’re even a little intrigued by the Blue Planet, have a look around the CIGA Design website at some of their other watches. Some are skeletonized affairs that we’ve seen the likes of before (a little Richard Mille influence is there), but some are truly mind-blowingly original – especially The Rose, but also the Bauhaus-meets-Batman Series MY.
Hats off to Zhang Jianmin for having established himself as one of China’s leading industrial designers and for having taken a unique vision into the watch space.
