Yes, that's right with less than a week to go we have some dials in hand and that's not all, our watchmakers are working on building up the first Supersede prototype.
Keep in mind that any of the images or video we share in the coming weeks are still prototypes. The goal as always is to exceed what is presented in our animations and therefore physical prototypes go through multiple reiterations before they are finalized. Details pertaining to dial colour, fonts, case finishing, proportional details all are a work in progress until things head to final production. This process is lengthy and involves a lot time and seemingly endless days and nights until completion, but it's what makes a premium luxury watch. As well this is the main reason that we have four pre-order rounds. With each pre-order more of the details are finalized however and as always we reward those who order early with the best value and options possible. Despite my note above the first prototypes are looking very nice. Dials have arrived and I have had a chance to snap some quick photos of them for you.
*Please keep in mind that the dials are samples and have been handled a lot, I photographed this in the open air therefore the very close optics might show some dust spots here and there.
So without further Adieu let's take a look at these dials. Starting things off it's Atoll Blue. It was the most voted for colour and I have to say it is the most challenging colour to get right in production. We have already sampled three different versions of the dial and will do a fourth sample to dial in the colour (pun intended). The challenge comes from the matte surface which means we have had to go almost 5 shades lighter than the Pantone colour we selected in the animation to arrive at the look of the animation. I have ever so slightly brightened the image to get it close to the final result so you have an idea of what the fourth version will look like.
Atoll Blue
Transatlantic Blue is a dark ocean blue with just a touch of a magenta undertone. This colour really creates a deep balanced look to the dial and required three samples before arriving at the colour you see here.
Transatlantic Blue Light, fresh and an everyday wear is what SUPERSEDE is all about. The 12:00 White is a very crisp warm matte white. It was the second most voted upon colour.
12:00 White The above colours will make it through all pre-order rounds, however all three of the below are only available in the first pre-order round. The dark matte 24:00 Black is a very solid platform for all the details of SUPERSEDE to pop and shine. The appliqués become a little more moody, but the details like the bright orange hands will really stand out amongst the red power reserve indicator and bright white fonts.
24:00 Black A favourite of the Horage team is Boreal Green. I have to say I have really fallen for this colour as it really fits the all-terrain look of SUPERSEDE. This green is reminiscent of camouflage and has a solid earthy feel.
Boreal Green Along with Atoll Blue, the Jet Stream Grey was the second most difficult colour to fine tune. It will, like the Atoll Blue, go through another sampling round before we put it into production, but the photo is representative of what the final result will be. We see grey as being quite a popular colour in 2022/2023 and although it wasn't voted on strongly it might have just been a little ahead of its time. If you are looking for something a little calmer than white then Jet Stream Grey is a great pick and will also match well with any of the five SUPERSEDE strap colours.
Jet Stream Grey
VIP Bird pre-order participants can choose from all six dial colours!
For the VIP-Bird pre-order starting next week on November 23rd at 14:00 CET we will be offering all six (6) dial colours. Future pre-orders will have just three (3) dial colours which are Atoll Blue, Transatlantic Blue and 12:00 White as they were the most voted upon by our community. We haven't outweighed adding one of the less voted colours in those pre-orders, but this will be the only time all 6 will be available.
What is your favourite dial colour? Let us know in the comments.
What about the Micro-Rotor Material & will it cost extra?
Our engineers have been working on continued simulation of various rotor material. K2 has been optimized for tungsten, however based on the voting being in favour for 22K solid gold or a mystery material our team is looking at precious metal options.
Some of you have asked if there will be any increase in price if we go for precious metal and the answer is no.
As a thank you to all taking part in the Supersede pre-order there will be no additional charge regardless of the rotor material or any improvements made to the watch design. The price is the price and those that get in early will likely get more than expected.
When will you see the watch?
The next step is to case one of these watches and I have learned that this week and just in time for the pre-order we will be receiving the calendar disk for the K2 calibre which was one of the last pieces of the puzzle leading up to our first prototypes. As well the hands for Supersede are en-route.
This means Monday November 22nd we will have the first sample built up and ready to show.
Silvan working on the calendar disk.
Oh, and did I mention we are going live? Horage founder and CEO Andi along with myself will be hosting four live shows next week. The live events will be both on YouTube live and Facebook live as well as on our website.
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/c/HORAGE
https://www.facebook.com/horageswiss
Here is the schedule (Times may change, but we will notify you via email and will update this post) if you miss the live show you can of course watch it afterwards 😉.
Monday November 22nd 16:00 CET
Pre-order prep
Supersede first look
Q&A
Tuesday November 23rd at 12:00 (noon)CET
Another look at Supersede
Q&A
Wednesday November 24th 14:00 CET
K2 Calibre and movement development
Q&A
Thursday November 25th 14:00 CET
Supersede watch design with Thomas Funder
Q&A
More to come as we near closer to pre-order. Now that I mention it that buckle in the first image looks interesting 🧐 ... Until next time... Landon Stirling
Ok, I took the plunge. I ordered the transatlantic blue with brushed center links and red strap. Pretty exciting! Thanks Horage for this opportunity to be a part of this exciting journey. I have full confidence that you will pull this project off with stunning results. Time to shake up the Swiss watch industry!