Projekt 01 - Variant G2

The inimitable kollokium Projekt 01’s studded dial returns in an all-new execution, which we dare say is the tamest to date – and intendedly so. Out of science fiction dreamscapes and into the real world, Projekt 01 Variant G brings a new, softer palette in shades of blue that gives the highly graphical and three-dimensional design a new edge. More oxford shirts and corduroy pants and less waterproof synthetics and a general sense of dystopia. Or maybe not…

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we launched the Variant E with two different hand sets, but here we are. Once again, the kollokium trio just couldn’t make up their minds as to which hands they felt worked best with Variant G and its contrasts in blue. Would it be the original kollokium configuration with a contrasting seconds hand, in white, with hour and minute hands that blend in with the dial? Or perhaps something more legible, with lume-less hour and minute hands in metallic blue PVD with bright white edges and a more subdued blue seconds hand? Ultimately, we decided to do both and let our customers decide.

Regardless of the version, Projket 01 Variant “G” is all subtle intrigue that amplifies as you get closer to the watch. The dial, in a matte powdery cornflower blue hue, is infused with blue emission Super-LumiNova. It is set by hand with 468 steel pins in six varying widths and heights, with the hollowed tips hand-filled with the same luminescent blue pigments as the dial, as if raised from the flat surface by the pins. The pins are given a deep navy blue PVD treatment with a matte yet metallic surface that provides just the right kind of sheen. Like all kollokium Projekts and subsequent variants to date, there’s an unintentional savor-faire that goes into making each dial, as the processes of hand painting each element and applying them by hand requires many hours and serious skills.

Technical Specifications
Case & Strap
- Two-part steel case topped by cylindrical sapphire glass box
- Diameter: 40.0 mm
- Height without sapphire crystal: 7.0 mm; Height with sapphire crystal: 11.9 mm
- Solid case back
- Valve-shaped crown
- Water-resistant to 5ATM (50m)

Dial
- Textured blue dial base with blue emission Super-LumiNova.
- 468 applied cylindrical markers in blue PVD with blue paint infused with blue emission Super-LumiNova.
-White hour and minute hands with blue PVD center and blue PVD seconds hand

Movement
- La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement
-  Diameter: 26mm
-  Height: 4.45 mm 
-  Frequency: 4Hz / 28’800vph
- 24 jewels
-   Uni-directional unsigned  winding rotor 
-   Power reserve: approximately 68 hours 

The Dial 
It's no secret. The more Super-Luminova you have, the longer and brighter the glow. Especially with light emission colors that naturally don’t have the same impact as green and blue and are less easily perceptible to the human eye, the amount of Super-Luminova present can have a drastic impact. But how to improve beyond just having the hollowedtips of the metal pins filled with the stuff? Simple: make the pins entirely out of lume. Except of course, it’s never that simple.

After nearly two years of trial and error to offer maximum luminosity with a consistent output across all 488 pin elements in 6 different sizes, and also ensure the correct translucency of the material, kollokium is proud to present Lichtblock™ (German for light block), a ceramic-resin infused with Super-LumiNova. Lots and lots of it. So much so in fact, that the Projekt 01 Variant “F” requires the equivalent amount of Super-LumiNova you would find in around 500 traditionally made dials with painted or pad-printed Super-LumiNova.

Like all kollokium Projekts and variants, there’s a certain kind of industrial, brutalist craftsmanship. Each dial is painstakingly put together, pin by pin, in an unforgiving process where one faulty pin or misalignment means having to chuck away the dial and start all over again.

The Case 
There’s beauty in rawness and imperfection. And that’s precisely what we wanted to convey through Projekt-01, starting with the case.

Without trying hard to be outlandish for edginess’ sake, the case is literally crafted like no other watch out there. Forged from 316L stainless steel, the case is not made using typical milling and machining processes at all, though the process is in fact industrial and rather old-school: die casting steel. Why? Well, because they said it couldn’t be done. And because the desired result was one where the case would boast practically no finishing or embellishment, and instead feature a uniform, industrial heavy duty steel tool-like appearance with a specific texture that can only be produced when injecting molten steel into a cast form. It’s neither matte nor frosty, but somewhere in between. And as rough as it looks, it’s unexpectedly soft to the touch. Because of the die-casting process, the edges and angles are slightly rounded off, while the steel has a surface that is neither entirely matte nor sparkly. 

It’s simply die-cast steel in all its industrial glory – and quite the antithesis to the neatly polished and delicately satin-brushed finishes you’d find in just about every other watch.