The Breitling Watch Blog

To be introduced at Baselworld 2013, the new Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II Tech is sure to turn some heads. With their innovative styling and unique materials, these are going to be favourites for the gadget crowd that Linde tends to draw. Produced in extremely limited editions of 75 pieces each, MSRP is $14,800 for Tech Green and $19,300 for Tech Gold.

I personally dig the Tech Green.

These two series come in a new case, Alloy Linde Werdelin (ALW) which is comprised of carbon, ceramic, gold and a ceramic coating for titanium. ALW is an alloy of metals which is 50% lighter than titanium. The inner case, which originally retains the same strength as steel, receives 25 microns treatment to harden its surface, while achieving a radiant red or green color visible through the angular hollows of the skeletonised outer case sides. 2/3 of the treatment goes into the ALW, while 1/3 is applied onto the surface, resulting in a composite stronger than steel.

During the last two years Linde Werdelin (LW) has tested and developed new materials and composites that best suit the purpose of each timepiece. The new SpidoLite II Tech is a result of this experimental approach.

For weight reduction the new ALW, a strong composite of metals, has been conceived for the inner case, while the outer case is crafted in forged carbon. The inner and outer case and the bezel have undergone numerous tolerance tests to find the optimal relation between the three materials. A further challenge has been to establish the correct balance between the strength and lightness of the skeletonised carbon case.

Movement is the Swiss automatic Linde Werdelin caliber LW04 with a power reserve of 42 hours, which is custom made by Valérien Jaquet of Concepto.

The dial consists of two skeletonized layers. The Côtes de Genève decorated lower dial carries the LW logo and is laser-cut, revealing angular hollows conveying depth to the dial. The upper dial bears the Luminova indeces. The red or green date wheel, with opening at 3 o’clock matches the second’s sub-dial numerals at 9 o’clock.

Linde Linde Linde. I been wanting one of these suckers for a long time… and I finally made it happen with a Linde Werdelin The One 2.6. The heart and soul that goes into the engineering of Linde Werdelin’s designs is second to none. The watches are designed as pure sport timepieces that allow conversion to an instrument using the indentations on the side of the cases to hold the dive and ski instruments that Linde also makes.

The Linde Werdelin The One 2.6 has an imposing case size of 46 x 49mm, and it shows. The watch is a beat on the wrist, but due to the sleek case shape and angles, it doesn’t stick out from the wrist but instead molds to the curvature of the wrist very well. The unidirectional dive bezel has superluminova dots painted onto it, which gives it a neat look.

The strap is held on by two hex screws for each side of strap. They are easily removed with the hex tool that is provided with every Linde Werdelin watch. The strap removal screws are the ones that are located on the watch case, not the ones located on the bracelet. The screws on the bracelet are used to hold the strap retention bars on the strap itself.

The watch is meticulously crafted, with every faceted surface perfect and finished immaculately. Even the surface underneath where the straps mount is perfectly bead blasted with a finish that is the same as the caseback which gives it a sense of perfection. One thing is for certain: Linde Werdelin takes price in their cases.

The dial is a matte black, with large SuperLuminova indices that glow like a hot damn. They are fantastic. The 2.6 has a nice chapter ring also outfitted with some SuperLuminova and seconds markers. The bezel is very easy to turn and quite functional, with nice grippy indentations cut crisply into the edge – another hallmark of precision casemaking. The bezel is pressure fit, not screwed in.

The “armadillo” style bracelet is VERY nicely finished as well. At $750 it is not a cheap bracelet, but still about half the price of a Breitling Pilot or Navitimer bracelet. The links are pinned, not screwed, which I would have liked to see. Nice signed and hidden double butterfly clasp with pressure release buttons tucked away on the sides. The bracelet is semi-rigid and while comfortable, is not the most comfortable I have worn. I like to wear the Linde a bit looser than other bracelets because of this.

The One 2.6 is water resistant to 1000 ft, not too shabby. It also houses a ETA 2892-A2 movement, without too much extras. Linde will be making a switch to Concepto movements in the future I have read. The watch keeps spot on time, which is not surprising for the movement inside – fully capable of COSC spec timing.

Overall it is a fantastic watch. I have sent this one to a new home, since I ended up picking up a Linde Werdelin 3-Timer as well, both with a black dial so I only need one. I plan to keep my Linde for quite a while, and wouldn’t mind adding another to the collection as well, probably one with a white dial though. Overall a watch that I would encourage anyone to get if they are attracted to the sharp lines and overall look of the Linde Werdelin watches.

I had talked a bit about Linde Werdelin watches previously, since they started catching my eye. Linde has just released a new watch dubbed the SpidoSpeed Chronongraph which uses a similar case to their SpidoLite watches but slightly thicker to accomodate the Chronograph Pushers and with even more skeletonization.

I just met up with a fellow watch collector and got to check out his Linde Werdelin 3 Timer, the first time I’ve had the opportunity to handle one of these magnificent watches in the flesh. Such a beautiful peice, and incredibly unique watch, especially when worn with their facetted armadillo style bracelet. I have already told him to sell it to me when he tires of it!

For now, check out the Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed Chronograph:

Powered by a Concepto movement (2251 calibre) partially visible through the sapphire crystal case-back, the SpidoSpeed has a specially designed rotor also graphically aligned with the SpidoSpeed case. On choosing a Concepto movement for the new model, Jorn Werdelin said “Concepto movements have attracted a lot of interest in the world of watch making in the last years for their quality, durability, reliability and versatility in terms of finishing and complications. It was very important for us to have an integrated chronograph for the SpidoSpeed so the pushers and the crown would be at the same level.”

Specs:
Movement: Concepto Calibre 2251
Case Size: 44mm x 46mm x 15mm
Sapphire crystal
Water Resistant to 100 meters
MSRP is 11,670 Euros.

When I started seeing Linde Werdelin watches show up on Timezone, I was quite eager to learn more about them so checked out the website. I’d heard of the brand and saw a few of their pieces, but felt they were quite pricey for what they were… now that I see them trickle into the sub $5000 range, they are interesting ot me again.

The brand was created by Morten Linde and Jorn Werdelin, one a designer and the other the entrepreneur – a common story. They formed the brand in 2002, and their focus is absolutel precision in case design and execution. This is a rather stark difference to many who feel the craft of watchmaking is all in the movement. These fellows appreciate the movements, but also make no bones about the fact that they use relatively stock ETA movements.

They put an enormous amount of effort into creating their cases, spending as much time and energy perfecting the case as many watchmakers spend designing a movement.

The company has rock climbing and skiing instrument digital watches as well as videos on many of their pieces. The even have a graphic novel! Talk about unconventional.

At any rate.. really like the designs, and one of these days I can see myself picking up one of them.