A new watch brand you say? Always worth a look, here’s the word from Denmark;
Danish horological architect Thomas Funder, in colab with Watch Angels, brings back 1970s monocoque design in a light, modern and minimalist way. With his ergonomic and modular Funder case, Thomas Funder has not only designed a remarkable and highly recognizable watch, he has created a watchmaking platform for watch enthusiasts.
Måne. The first complication
The moon phases is the launch complication of the Funder Watches platform. An emotional complication which replicates a natural phenomenon, by depicting what can be seen in the sky at any given moment. Often used in classic watches, in the Måne it comes alive in a completely different way through the use of minimalist Danish design language.
“My watches are about Minimalism. ” says Funder, “I try to reduce the design to the fundamental, the essential and the necessary. I strip away the ornamental layers that distract from the core focus. My aim is to design objects that can manage the test of time and remain attractive for years to come. For me, minimalistic design becomes very inspiring when it hides complexity under the surface so that there is much more to the project than what is seen on the surface. The Funder Case and the Funder watch brand are about this.”
The language of functions
Where the Måne stands out from other moon phase watches is the way in which the function is depicted and read. By using minimalist graphic design, Thomas Funder has created an intuitive and immediate way of reading the phases of the moon. Giving a new language to mechanical functions is the design signature of Funder Watches.
One complication. Three ways to read the moon
By interpreting the information provided by the Sellita SW288 movement, Thomas Funder has created three different ways to read the phases of the moon on the same caliber. Basically one of the choices is that you can observe the moonphases via a series of dots on an inner track, rather than a conventional crescent shaped cut-out on the dial. We like that approach the best, it is the purest and echoes the movement of planetary bodies in miniature.
Modular Design
There’s another feature we like about the Mane. The design is modular, like a kit build project, so you can swap elements of the watch around. The bezel section comes away from the inner case holding the movement, so you can change the bezel colour and the straps very easily. It’s a nice fun touch.
Launch price is 675 Swiss Francs, or about £612. It’s an extra CHF195 for a titanium case, or CHF230 if you want a coloured case. So quite expensive once you’ve gone through the options list like a keen BMW 1250 GS fan. But you kind of expect a high price with something that uses a Sellita Swiss movement and has a design language as part of the USP. Like Swatch, this is a brand that you can buy into, customise at will and upgrade as more models emerge. There is a place for that in the market.
