T57BA Review - Capturing the Soul of Americana

[TimeTexas]

A watch driven by the childhood aspirations of its designer to rebuild classic cars.

 

 

Like the movement in a mechanical watch, the engine in a car is the heart, beating away and keeping it alive. But there's more than just the movement or engine that keeps it running. As anyone who loves cars can tell you, there's a soul that sparks the spirit and passion of car collectors. No car captures the American spirit moreso than the 1957 Bel Air. The striking curves and aggressive lines encapsulate the soul of classic American carmaking. 

 

Hermann Kugeler, the man behind Treiber Timepieces, has been re-building classic cars since he was 13 years old - before he could even drive. A mechanical engineer by trade, Hermann has turned his focus to and alternative hobby - designing and building watches. His first watch, the T57BA, gathers inspiration for the 1957 Bel Air and reconstructs it into a curvy and sexy timepiece. 

 

Inspiration for watch designs can vary. The issue with any overt inspiration is trying to marry two existing, and divergent, designs. The results can often result in an incoherent and disjointed mishmash between competing elements. That isn't an issue here as the watch was designed from the ground up using the elements of the car as inspiration. When you think of a '57 Bel Air, you think shiny, polished chrome, rounded curves, and analog controls. More aggressive than sleek, its low and muscular appearance evokes power and bold design choices. 

The T57BA captures that same feel. With its rounded case, large domed crystal, and polished stainless steel case sporting two different styles of lugs, the feeling is both modern and classic at the same time. And yes, you read that right, two styles of lugs. The roof line of the Bel Air is one of its most striking features of the car and they are captured beautifully with the lug design. One set of lugs is thinner and slopes more gently and another that is a more rounded and curved down. This was not an easy decision and Hermann wasn't sure it would work. And while its certainly unconventional, it doesn't afffect day-to-day wear. Just a quirky and fun reminder of the underlying inspiration. Its doubtful anyone would notice while you're wearing unless you are specifically pointing it out. 

                             

   

The push-pull crown, inspired by the knob to turn on the headlights, isn't the easiest for gripping and pulling out, but the curvature of the case makes this easy work and a non-issue. The crown is signed with the Treiber logo.

  

 

The dial design truly shines, mimicking the classic cars' speedometer display. Smartly done, the hours are printed on the inside of the crystal from 8 to 4, replacing the MPH. It adds a nice 3D element to looking at the watch. The gear shift indicator has been transformed into a day indicator. The dial is nearly a minature version of the drivers console with the requisite changes to indicate the time rather than the speed. You can see the similarities in the photos below.

   

The red-lumed hands look fantastic and emulate the speed indicator. As red lume is prone to do; however, it fades quickly. But it does look fantastic and I think consistency of design was more important than making a watch to win a #fridaynightlumebattle. The hour markers on the dial appear to be applied lume and this is probably why these markers aren't as crisp. I know this is something Hermann is looking into different solutions and will hopefully result in a solution.

 

 

The printing on the crystal is fine on the wrist, but under closer scrutiny is slightly inconsistent with some numerals not being quite as crisp as others in places. These are the only two minor issues with an otherwise wonderful and unique design. I didn't find either issue to be an issue while wearing the watch, but they were noticeable while taking photographs and something you should consider if you're a louper. The mirrored center of the dial is another great design inclusion to be consistent with the car.

 

I have to admit I was a little worried at the listed size of 45mm. In talking with Hermann, this was a conscious decision to have a larger, modern size that has a significant presence on the wrist. Kind of like driving down the road in a Bel Air, you're going to get noticed, and again I think this was the right choice. And on my 18cm wrist (7"), it didn't feel too big in the least. My preferred size is about 40-41mm, but similar to my 43mm Moser, the design of the watch and the lugs makes it very wearable. I'd say it wears on the wrist about the same size as the Moser which i find to be a fantastic larger size and extremely comfortable. It fits the overall aesthetic and proportions of the watch. It also allows the dial room to breathe so everything seems properly spaced even though there's a fair amount going on.

  

The watch is held in place by an excellent custom leather strap and deployant buckle that is signed on both the outside with the brand name and inside with the logo. Small wings where the strap attaches to the buckle let's you tuck the strap in and adds security. I'm not a huge deployant fan, but the execution on this definitely made me forget about that. It's extremely well executed.

Besides the signed crown and buckle, the dial includes the Treiber logo at the 12 o'clock in lieu of the Chevy logo. And instead of an Odometer on the central plate, Treiber is inscribed. Again, everything fits into the original design elements but the spacing seems even better and less cluttered than the original speedometer. 

 

 

As for the watches heart, its a modified STP4-13 with outer day-date. The movement can be wound manually, or pulled out and rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the day or date respectively. Pulling the crown all the way out lets you adjust the time. The rotor is signed with the Treiber logo.

There's definitely a place in the world for truly inspired design and the T57BA absolutely fits the bill. This is a great looking watch with incredibly thoughtful design. Hermann may be an engineer, but he's got a fantastic eye for design. Capturing the soul of a car, and an era, in a watch is no easy task. To develop a completely unique design, from the ground up, based on design elements from a classic car would be a challenge even for an experienced designer. That this is Hermann's first watch is really a notable achievement. The execution for a first watch is also excellent. Other than the minor gripes mentioned above there's a LOT more to love and focus on. 

 

 

The price at $3,500 is a challenging price point for the first watch from a new brand. As with any new brand and new model, there's going to be areas for improvement. In my opinion the price is fair for a well executed and extremely inspired, unique design. It isn't perfect, and if you're a louper or a fanatic for perfection at close range, then the printing issue may give you pause until those get resolved. But if you're someone who enjoys great design, classic cars,  or fun and unique watches, there's a lot to love with the T57BA. 

 

The T57BA comes in three (3) different colorways - this beautiful deep cherry red, a wonderful surf green, and a classic black. I think all three look great. 

[Treiber Timepieces]

Wonderfully written as always, Chris! I’ve said this a few times, but it’s great how you’ve noticed some of the small design details I’ve incorporated. Really glad you got to get your hands on it and appreciate your feedback.  
 

As you’ve mentioned I’m working on improving the dial and crystal printing, so should have updates on that within the next month or two. Hoping to have more crisp printing and some stronger lume on the next batch. Maybe once I get those sorted I can get another watch sent out to you to get your input. 
 

My initial prototypes actually included a strap with a more standard buckle (with my own design), so if you, or other future customers prefer that over the deployant clasp, I could revisit that. I personally fell in love with the deployant clasp and haven’t wanted to touch a standard buckle since incorporating it so decided to move forward with that. 
 

Thanks again, and appreciate what you do to support us small guys in the watch world. 
 

-Hermann