My best Christmas gift: The Akribos XXIV DaVinci Skeleton Steampunk Watch
Although the woman is idiosyncratic, I have one of the coolest moms on Earth. On Christmas morning, she placed a hefty leather box on my lap. "Merry Christmas, John!" she said, giving me a kiss. "This is your big gift from your father and me." Then she perched on a chair, scrutinizing my face. Her expression was heartbreaking, so concerned and vulnerable, like someone opening themselves up to a devastating emotional blow. "Tell me if you don't like it." I opened the box. Inside, I found the Akribos XXIV DaVinci Skeleton Watch. I liked it very much indeed.
I hesitate to call it steampunk, through the degradation of the term by people like me, but my attempts at describing it otherwise only end up being laughably convoluted loop-de-loops around the term. It reminds me very strongly of Disneyland Paris' Space Mountain aesthetic, which is furnished after the spaceship design of Verne's De la Terre à la Lune... all burnished brass and exposed copper cogwork. But, of course, that's all very steampunk too.
Regardless, I am in love with the watch, and never get tired of seeing it on my wrist, tracing the swoops of its azure hands or the churning of its cogwork guts. But one of the most charming and genuinely touching moments I experienced at CES was how much other gadget bloggers admired it. Without any prompting, I was asked time and time again about it. At first, I worried that I'd have to defend the gift, but it soon became clear that my peers genuinely admired its beauty. John Biggs of Crunchgear especially fawned over it, which I took as especially flattering: the man was recently paid $300,000.00 to write a book about Marie Antoinette's watch. He knows intricate horological charm when he sees it.
It is unlikely you have a mother as wonderful as my own. Luckily, though, you can probably afford to play your own cool mom and give yourself one. The Akribos XXIV isn't outrageously priced: it's only $161.99 at Overstock.com.
Akribox XXIV DaVinci Men's Mechanical Watch [Overstock]
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dealextreme also has watches like this for about 1/10 of the cost: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.1204~search.see-thru
i got one of the ladies' ones and it's quite well-made given how cheap it is.
This was one of the best things I've read on here. John, you're mom ROCKS!
@1 - IK Colouring skeleton watches use that same mechanism. And agreed, mine has been trouble free.
Video? Anybody? While my imagination is good, the tubes need to be filled.
??? that thing is less than $200.
Colour me impressed. Very pretty thing.
Reminds me a lot of my Android Glory skeleton pocketwatch, which is also a quite affordable piece of gear and a beautiful thing to behold. My tiny wrists mean pocketwatches are the only good way to get my mechanical fix.
I feel like such an idiot... bought a similar watch on ebay for $150... probably could have gotten the same "brand" for $90 if I had waited.
These watches from DealExtreme are similar but the materials are shoddy. One reviewer stated that front and back crystals were acrylic and not glass.
Most of these internet-brand watches are the same or similar design but with varying quality of workmanship and materials. Very hard to know if you are getting quality or blindly overpaying.
The suntan outline on your wrist should turn out pretty cool.
Nice one John!
That not only looks awesome but was a slam-dunk on the part of your parents!
I missed the smiles this place gave me.
Thanks again for reminding me to come back. :)
It's obviously clockpunk.
Looks like you can still get inexpensive Russian skeleton watches from http://www.ruspluss.com
I have their "Moon Orion Skeleton" (not sure this one is still available,) which was around US$40 including many-postage-stamp shipping from Russia. I've been wearing it for years. I feel happy having a watch that needs winding, with a spring whose tension I can see.
Very tempting. I'm wearing a 20-year-old knock-off plastic digital, which has somehow kept running on the same battery all this time, and just as surprisingly hasn't had the strap mounts break off. (Multiple straps have warn out, though.) It's perfectly adequate for my needs, but it isn't exactly elegant.
_This_ qualifies as jewelry I'd be willing to wear. Despite my normally preferring silver, or even brass, to gold.
It's not steam punk, it's Harry Potter and I want one!
Hey John, David from OhGizmo! here. I'm surprised you even felt the need to brace yourself in anticipation of watch-hate. This is a thing of beauty, pure and simple. Those who fail to see that might be in need of a colonic to dislodge their own heads.
Was a pleasure to meet you, btw!
I got a Stührling Winchester for Christmas.
I really like it.
Has anyone heard of this brand? They seem to make some beautiful stuff but i can even find a company webpage.
Hello John (I'm a new reader),
Witnessing the movement of an automatic watch is unreal - they have entrancing heartbeatlike oscillations. The precision and craftsmanship involved in designing & building a mechanical watch is absolutely amazing (perhaps you should feature some in BBG?) The end product is incredibly organic for something made completely of metal & precious stones. Skeleton watches, built to showcase the movement/insides, are my absolute favorite.
Having owned a mechanical myself, I now find the quartz & battery powered electronic watches flooding today's markets to be quite lifeless by in comparison. I can only hope to afford some of the outlandishly priced horological gems out there (e.g. the Omega Deville Tourbillon @ http://tinyurl.com/a2dylp or the Zenith Academy Open Répétition Minutes @ http://tinyurl.com/7tgggk ).
Clare