Devon Tread 1 - impressions after a wrist try

Dear Revolutionists,

Yesterday I had the chance to try on my wrist the Devon Tread 1, the innovative, bold, in some way revolutionary watch by the american company Devon Works.
Actually I entered the shop (Grimoldi, one of the most famous in Milano and for sure the one with the most competent people) to have a look to the Ananta collection by Seiko, a real rarity in my city….But we ended up with a watch talk and so I was invited to try the Devon.

Well, as some of you might suspect an electro-mechanical timepiece is not exactly my cup of tea…..I still have doubts regarding my feeling for the spring drive system, which however is mostly mechanical….Just imagine what I think of a pure electricity-driven watch !!

However I must admit I am always been taken by the steampunk appearance of the timepiece, so I looked at it with high attention trying to have no prejudice.
And I have to say: it is absolutely stunning.
So I thought to share with you a very basic review of it…

The bad first: as I said, it is not 100% mechanical (even if there’s a lot of micromechanics in it).
And, it is HUGE, for sure well beyond my wearing capabilities (and I do not mean only in terms of wrist size, but also of appearance…too bold for me to wear it feeling comfortable in the crowd).

The good: it is hypnotic. Literally.
I might have passed hours looking at the rhythmic shift of the seconds belt, waiting impatiently for the minutes belt to shift. I didn’t had the chance to see the hour belt move, but however it was enough.
Also, it has a depth that I’ve never seen in any other watch (and by other hand, I think no other watch is like this one). The belts, the small wheels moving them, then tens of screws keeping the movement together, everything contributes to design highs and lows which gives the mechanism an incredible depth. And the huge bulletproof glass allows to see all this whithout hiding any part. Surprisingly, it is not as heavy as you would have expected.

My personal bottom line then is a bit contradictory I’m afraid….
By one hand I really believe that this is a true masterpiece in terms of innovation, originality and look.
I would dare to say a real rulebreaker.
This would led me to desire it despite its not fully mechanical nature.
By other hand, pragmatically speaking, its size prevents it from being a real everyday watch normal people might wear, limiting it to be part of the virtuosistic exotic club of wristwatches that spend most of their life in a safe.
If it only would be a little bit smaller…..

Ciao from Milano,
Slide68