Set yourself a goal and then make it happen; that’s what Timeless Watch have done.

This is the first release from a new Swiss brand – spawned from an idea of creating a recognisable, quality timepiece that is affordable; the Timeless Watch HMS was created to showcase different finishes and design elements, in order to exceed expectations of what can be achieved in an affordable watch.

Inspiration appears to come from multiple other watch designs, as well as industrial heritage and the multipart construction also feels very mechanical engineering based.

Timeless Watch’s founder, designer and creator Maël Oberkampf, explains the inspiration behind the Timeless brand:  

Designed in Vevey, Switzerland, the “Timeless” watch synthesizes the future seen from the past, and the past seen from the future.  From the industrial revolution to the rationalization of the beginning of the 20th century, through particle colliders and machinery of the future. This timepiece plays with curves, textures and depth with its powerful shapes and subtle details, with simplicity and complexity.  Our source of inspiration? The Swiss industrial heritage which made Switzerland’s fame and shaped its image as a pioneer. Old locomotives, heavy machinery, industrial tools or even turbines dams with an emblematic cylindrical shape…. so many achievements that have fed our imagination and guided our aesthetic choices to create this watch.

When it came to making watches it was absolutely clear: ‘timeless’ also means made to last. So we only chose the right materials: stainless steel, 4N pink gold, calf leather, sapphire crystal. For the mechanism, we’ve selected one of the most robust and reliable Swiss self-winding movements – a calibre that has proven itself over and over again. As for the finishes and decoration, we’ve naturally chosen top-of-the-range techniques, combining traditional guillochage and contemporary micro-blasting. We’ve added layers of detail and subtle surprises. Because a Timeless watch is designed to provide pleasure for a very long time.

Timeless Watch 002

Face & case

Housed in a 41.5 mm stainless steel case with a circular satin finish, there are also fine sandblasting polished details and rose gold highlights at the base of the lugs.  The bezel is quite thin, but still manages to feature circular indentations at the location of each of the hours on the dial.

The HMS watch is available in a choice of 2 dial designs, this one shown here (HMS002) is in all anthracite, however there is also another version (HMS001), where the only difference is that it has a matte white outer ring.

Angled inwards towards the centre dial, regardless of colour, the outer ring features both a chemin de fer on the outside showing minutes in multiples of 5 and on the inside, shows the hours in a distinctive large font, which fits snuggly against the centre dial.  In both dial finishes, the centre dial is an anthracite coloured tight guilloche, which gives the dial an inwardly concave appearance, towards an aperture in the centre which showcases the hour wheel, which is in rose gold, looks like the brand’s logo and obviously moves in rotation as time does.  It is also possible to see some of the movement beneath.

“TIMELESS” appears on a plate flying across the guilloche, between 9 o’clock and the centre and there is also a circular area for the date window, where the date wheel is actually closely colour matched to the rose gold and has black numbers.  This area for the date eats into the outer ring slightly and the number 6 is the only number missing from the outer ring.

Hour and minute hands are a unique flat design, finished in rose gold with a skeletonised area.  The central seconds hand is in polished steel and much longer and thinner than the other hands, rotating above the dial.

An anti-reflective coated domed sapphire crystal glass covers it all.

A lot of thought has gone into the multi-part crown, which has a black outer area with deep ridges for easy rotation.  Looking at it side on, the crown is stainless steel inside, but with the brand’s logo embossed and a circular detail on the end in rose gold.

On the opposite side of the case to the crown, there is neat a plate, which has a black centre with HMS No 002 embossed into it.  The plate is screwed down with tiny rose gold screws.

From the sides, it is also apparent how short the curved lugs appear, which are screwed in, rather than being fused to the case.

Turn it over and the case back is very simple, with small text stamped in around the edges, such as the brand’s name, water resistance (50m).  The brand’s logo is stamped into a circle in the centre and there are 6 cut outs which line up with where the logo ends.

Timeless Watch 002 Case Back

Movement

Powered by the automatic Calibre Swiss STP 1-11, the movement beats at 28,800 bph and features 26 jewels.

Power reserve is expected to be around 44 hours once fully wound.

Timeless Watch 002 Side & Crown

Strap

The strap is in a supple calf leather and a dark grey/brown colour to match the dial, with a beige/tan leather lining.  The stitching is contrasting in a colour to match the rose gold elements – there is an “H” section near to the lugs, as well as a thicker minimal stitch at the lugs, which is perpendicular to the main stitching.

A simple polished steel barb buckle is used to secure.

Timeless Watch 002 Strap & Buckle

Other stuff

The founder and creator of Timeless Watch (Maël Oberkampf) is a trained architect and designer, having worked with many other well known Swiss brands, such as Richard Mille and Ladoire, decided it was time to create a watch of his own.  His initial thought process was based on 2 very specific questions: “why is an original and attractive design usually associated with a high price tag?” and “why are affordable watches generally so insignificant – why do they so rarely surprise, delight or provide lasting pleasure to their owners?”

So the ultimate goal was to create a completely new brand, producing beautiful and functional watches that are useful and a pleasure to wear, which their owners can show off their individual style and also become attached to, but without breaking the bank.

Timeless Watch 002 On the Wrist

Our verdict

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first unboxed the Timeless HMS 002, but I was actually pleasantly surprised, as although the images I had seen were positive, my preconception was that it may be cheap in person, due to the lower price point than we are usually handling.

The general feel of the watch is solid and the appearance definitely does what Timeless set out to do, as there are a few quite distinctive features in the design, specifically the mixed use of angles, textures and finishes.  I do like the anthracite colour and a few pops of red gold add a bit of flair.  Some may say it’s tacky, however, I disagree.

On the wrist, it is well balanced and although quite light, does have some presence – 40 – 42mm is generally my preferred case size, so I feel as if it could already be in my collection.  At 12.8 mm thick and with a smooth domed sapphire, there is no fighting with cuffs expected.

If I was going to be picky, the only thing I would comment negatively on is the pin buckle – for me, it feels like an afterthought and it would have been nice that the design was as painstakingly considered as the rest of the watch.

That being said, only 250 pieces of each colour combination will be made and at a price point of 1450 CHF, it seems like good value; there has clearly been a lot of time spent on design, the finish and the build quality is good.

It will be interesting to see what follows from Timeless Watch – I could be wrong, but my expectation is that the next release will be a little more eccentric (and why not?).

https://timeless-watch.ch/