Konstantin Chaykin offers a new look at Panda

Image: Konstantin Chaykin

A new character in Konstantin Chaykin’s Wristmons collection is always an event. And not just because collectors have the opportunity to acquire a watch with a spectacular new design, but also because it is always interesting: what new design idea or complication will Chaykin, a tireless tinkerer and inventor, conjure up out of his magician’s hat?

As a rule, in his designs, Konstantin Chaykin tries to find manifestations of the theme that interests him in various facets of civilisation. He likes to let the past and the future, myths and archaeological facts, traditionalism and the avant-garde, West and East collide. In June 2018, Konstantin Chaykin began the first sketch of the future watch. Finally, after six years of creative exploration and numerous sketches, the master has completed his work.

The Design Panda is typical of the watches in the Wristmons collection, as is the faceted bezel, on which the five letters of the model name – “PANDA” – can be seen. The lower lugs also have the usual Wristmons tapered shape, while the upper lugs are unique as they are made of black carbon fibre in the shape of panda ears. This is not the first time Konstantin Chaykin has used this design feature on his zoomorphic Wristmons; the Smilodon, Zebra, and Mouse King watches in particular have lugs in the shape of the character ears. The Panda also shares with the Smilodon and Zebra watches the unusual position of the winding crown, which is located in the lower part of the case at the 6 o’clock position.

The case is fitted with an exhibition caseback, and for good reason: the owner of the watch has the opportunity to enjoy the view of the rare movement. The La Joux-Perret G200 automatic movement was chosen as the base calibre, which was modified for this watch, including adaptation to the joker-indication module and the creation of a special rotor for automatic winding. This calibre offers a solid power reserve of 68 hours, which allows the owner to leave the watch unused for at least two days – for example, over the weekend – and then put it on while it is still running.

Konstantin Chaykin devoted great attention to the design and finish of the dial, which is equally important for any Wristmon. A unique combination of techniques was required to reproduce the features of the panda image. To soften the image, the white and black areas are decorated using the sandblasting technique, the silver-plated nose is given a convex shape, and the use of vertical brushing reduces the shine and gives the design an austere character. The waviness of the coat is conveyed through the use of a radial wavy guilloché pattern, which Konstantin also used to decorate the dial of the first Joker watch. As with the Minions models, he has also refrained from applying digital markings around the eyes of the Panda watch, which makes the look even more realistic. This naturally leads to a certain amount of blurring when determining the time on the dial of this Wristmon. The owner has to remember that the hour display is on the left and the minute display on the right, but Konstantin Chaykin is convinced that design is perfect when there is nothing to remove and nothing to add, and it has its own value.

“Technical Specifications:

Movement: Caliber K.18-22 with automatic winding
Joker indication module: made by Konstantin Chaykin manufacture
Base movement: La Joux-Perret G200, Swiss made, modified for Konstantin Chaykin manufacture
Movement Dimensions: Diameter 33.4 mm; Thickness 7.85 mm (with module)
Escapement: Swiss lever escapement
Balance Frequency: 28’800 vibrations per hour
Power Reserve: 68 hours
Number of Jewels: 32 (Base movement – 24 jewels, module – 8 jewels)
Number of Module Parts: 85
Functions: Joker-indication with hours (left, at 10 o’clock), minutes (right, at 2 o’clock) and moonphase at 6 o’clock
Case Material: Stainless steel and black carbon fiber, exhibition caseback secured with 6 screws
Case Dimensions: Diameter 40 mm; Thickness 12.2 mm excluding lugs (12.55 mm with lugs)
Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, diameter 33 mm; sapphire crystal of the caseback with anti-reflective coating, diameter 25.5 mm
Number of Case Parts: 54
Dial Finishing: Sandblasting, wavy guilloché pattern, polishing, brushing, rhodium and ruthenium coating, multi-layer varnishing
Number of Dial Parts: 13
Strap Material: Black alligator leather with black calfskin lining
Buckle: Pin buckle, in stainless steel, made by Konstantin Chaykin manufacture”