Avis Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus : Ludique, sublime et baroudeuse

Alain Silberstein had to close down business in 2012, so this watch is bought At first glance you might be tempted to think that you are looking at a children's watch, but the Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus chronograph is - as the name says - designed using the guidelines laid out by the Bauhaus school in the 1920s. Where we are accustomed to see Bauhaus to stringent black and white, minimalistic design, the Bauhaus school also had rules for use of colour and form: base colours like blue, red and yellow; forms are the square, the circle and the triangle. The second thing you notice after the bold colours is the thickness of the watch. With its 14 mm thick case, it is not your average dress watch. This model is in polished steel so no lightweight either. The watch has several complications: day and date, Day/night indicator, small seconds and chronograph that can register time up to 12 hours. But there are challenges. The size of the minute and hour hand can make it a little difficult to read some of the other complications. The hour hand is a broad triangle, the minute hand a road square that can easily block the view. Similarly it is difficult to see the day/night indicator is the chronograph is not running as the second and minute counter hands are blocking. The second hand is a double hand, which makes it impossible to see if it is 20 past or 10 to, for example. The watch comes with strap, bracelet and tools to change between strap and bracelet and a screwdriver for bracelet adjustment. I’ve never adjusted a bracelet before, but it was surprisingly easy to adjust the strap, even for someone who has poor eyesight. I miss the option to do fine adjustment. The movement is a Lemania cal. 5100, pretty standard with some colour added and a customized rotor. So, what do i think about the watch? At first glance it could look like there are more cons that pros for this watch, but then you have to consider why you would - like me - buy this watch: I don’t buy it to have a chronograph I can read at a glance. I do use the chronograph and it looks great when running. Day/night indicator, which I also have on another watch, is basically a useless compilation. No, I bought this watch because it makes me happy to look at it. I bought it because it is different. It’s a statement by one of the greatest watch designers of this day and age. Despite the chunkiness and impracticalities, I love this watch and it has proved to be everything I hoped it would be. It took me a long time to find one with box and papers at a reasonable price. Alain SIlberstein watches have come into fashion the last couple of years and gone up to some (slightly unrealistic) high prices. If they actually sell at these prices I don't know, but I did manage to find one at a reasonable price. Alain Silberstein has worked with others since he closed his own company, like MB&F and Louis Erand. There has been indications that he is reviving his company, so maybe new, great things are in store.