Lemania Regatta Elvstrom Owner Review : Atypical, fantastic and historical

A quick flashback to the Swiss brand Lemania and the genesis of this model… The trade name Lemania was adopted in the 1920s and was affixed to watches from the 1930s to the 1960s. In 1932, the Lemania Watch Co joined Omega and Tissot in the Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère SA (SSIH), which later became the Swatch Group. For this reason, it is understandable that Lemania movements appeared in watches from all three brands. And Lemania not only supplied the movements, but often also the cases. In the early 1970s, one of Lemania’s star designers, Albert Piquet, developed the 1345 regatta caliber for Aquastar, based on their patent for a 10-minute countdown timer. The 1345 regatta caliber is derived from the 1341 movement and is the successor to the first regatta movement, the Felsa caliber 4000N (after Aquastar's first 5-minute countdown patent from the 1960s). After the introduction of the Aquastar Regate, the Lemania 1345 movement was also available for other brands and several case versions of the Yachttimers were sold by Aquastar and Tissot. In the 1980s, Omega, Heuer and Lemania also used the 1345 movement in various regatta watches. In the late 1980s, Lemania teamed up with Jean-Daniel Dubois and Paul Elvström, a famous Danish competitive sailor, for a reissue of the yachttimer. This led to the Lemania Elvström in the early 1990s, powered by the same caliber 1345 regatta movement but with a more modern case design. The model now has a rotating bezel and the tactical P.E. (Paul Elvström) printed on the dial. Being quite a fan of these atypical regatta watches, it was love at first sight. The seconds hand turns constantly, and by pressing the pusher, the countdown is triggered, the 5 circles then turn blue (the first 5 minutes) then red (the next 5 minutes) then gray (the color of the dial). The finish of the watch is really very good with a beautifully crafted anti-reflective glass, similar to the anti-reflective ones that can be found at Breitling. The case of my watch is two-tone (gold and steel) and I find that it brings a very nice chic side. The case is made of steel and measures 43mm. The guilloche dial is fabulous with a gray sunburst treatment, the colors are vibrant with touches of green, red, blue…. The bezel is also interesting with the indications (N, E, S, W), you have to press on it to turn it so it is always in place. Be aware that there are many variations of this watch with dials of different colors…. This is a watch that I recommend to all sailing lovers who want to wear an atypical watch loaded with a beautiful story.