Neonos is a team of four industrial designers, who have come together to make a forged carbon watch housing an automatic movement. Called HOLLAND //01, it’s an interesting fusion of modern and heritage.
Forged carbon is a material Patrick has written about before – essentially, it’s a paste of carbon fibers rather than sheets of it laminated. This makes it easier to form any shape conceivable, with a smooth finish as a result. If the traditional woven laminated carbon fiber sheets were used, you’d see the edges of the sheets, and feel them as a rough edge. It’s equipped with a flat sapphire crystal, also a modern touch.
The automatic used here is a Hangzhou 6460, an implementation of the ETA 2836 design with GMT added on. (The Swiss ETA 2836 never actually shipped with GMT, but the Chinese variations do, and some ETA are modified with parts like the HZ uses.) The 24H hand is settable in half hour increments, and should accomodate any time zone around the world.
The elements drawn from the past are here, too. Look past the lugs, and you’re looking at a cushion case shape, which was the shape made for the early Italian divers. The dial is a sandwich dial, which is also a vintage technique. Rather than applying lume to a dial plate, the numerals cut out of the top layer allow a lumed lower layer to shine through. Assembly is a little unique here: The caseback and lugs are one unit, with a raised ring to seal the movement in the case. I’m normally a little concerned about screwed on case backs, but this is one of the best implementations of that practice I’ve seen.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/neonos/forged-carbon-dive-watch
What’s cool here, is that, for your Kickstarter pledge, you get a 14mm thick, 44 wide watch, water resistant to 300 meters, with a GMT function. By virtue of the materials, it’s a very lightweight watch, and should wear super comfortably. Design-wise, it has blue accents throughout, including the blue 24H hand, and two blue rubber rings on the screw-down crown to give a little grip. The caseback is a stainless steel DLC one, secured with four screws to the case. neonos-watches.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: NEONOS HOLLAND //01
- Price: Earlybird pricing starts at $500
- Who we think it might be for: You’re into a water-capable watch, you want lightweight materials, and also like a GMT.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I just might.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Patrick wasn’t a fan of the lugs. This isn’t a suggestion, but it may not be for all people.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The shape of the case, and GMT with good water resistance, something you see in much more expensive watches.
Tech Specs from NAME
- Case size: 44mm (57mm lug-to-lug), 14.5mm thickness
- Case material: Forged Carbon (DLC stainless steel back)
- Crystal: flat, sapphire
- Strap: 24mm wide, 4mm thick rubber divers strap with custom DLC buckle.
- Movement: HZ 6460 automatic GMT, 28,800bph, 40 hour power reserve.
- Water Resistance: 300m/30ATM* Water Resistance: 300m/30ATM
