Kuala Lumpur, August 2023 – HORIZON Watches is excited to present: the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim is Horizon Watches’ second collection. The brand made its debut in 2021 with the Nautilus, a collection of six watches inspired by Captain Nemo’s submarine vessel in Jules Verne’s classic: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The amazing support and positive feedback garnered by the Nautilus were a strong affirmation to the founders of Horizon Watches that they were on the right track and should continue with their journey.
The Pilgrim is the continuation of the Jules Verne story that has been the inspiration for Horizon Watches’ designs. First published in 1878, Un Capitaine de Quinze Ans (A Captain at Fifteen) is an adventure that follows the voyages of Pilgrim, a whaler, across the Pacific. The protagonist is a fifteen-year-old crew who is tasked to be the captain of the ship when disaster strikes. Imagine being fifteen and the fate of the ship you are on is handed over to you. In Jules Verne’s universe, that is a recipe for an action-packed adventure. As the story unfolds, one can find common life themes such as bravery, suffering and fights for freedom.
The story that inspires Horizon Watches’ Pilgrim pans out mostly on water. Thus, a diver was deemed most apt for the collection. This time, a Super-Compressor style diver was chosen to be the starting point for the design. Three principles set by Fred Bekher, co-founder and designer of Horizon Watches, guide the design process, namely: a two-part main case; detailing; and functionality.
The main body of the case is a very complicated part to create. It combines two separate elements that have different surface finishes to achieve contrast between polished and brushed surfaces. This task was complicated by the side bevels that go from the bottom part of the body to the crown guards. The Pilgrim comes with two coin-edged design, and screw down crowns that are each 7mm in diameter, making it easy to handle and wind as needed.
For those familiar with Horizon Watches’ first collection, you would have an inkling that the brand owners like to treat the watch they design like a labyrinth full of hidden clues. This thread continues here with the Pilgrim. You will find numbers, a quote, and text in places not immediately visible to the eyes.
With the Pilgrim, as you run your fingers along the case, you will get a sense of multiplane and multi-level surfaces. This is accentuated by the two-module case construction, which is a rarity. Still very much true to the design silhouette of early day super compressors but more. Probably the best description for the Pilgrim is that it is a watch sculpture.
The early super compressor tended to mark the 12, 3, 6, and 9-hour indicators with a triangle frame. In the Pilgrim, this has been reinterpreted with a trapezium instead. To give the watch design a further twist, one of these trapeziums has been made into a date window, resulting in a super unusual super compressor, challenging you tofind the secret date window.
The centre of the dial for the Pilgrim has a finely polished finished raised cone that provides the base for the three uniquely designed hands for time reading. In line with the sea adventure story that inspired the collection, they are shaped like fishing spears. For superior legibility, all three hands are luminous. Look closely at the Pilgrim and you will find an excellent quality of polishing even on a small surface like the applied index and dot markers.
RED ARMY WATCHES
The dial, the indices, the twin crowns, the hands, and the overall proportions. The Pilgrim brings all the elementstogether in a perfect harmony; a symmetry. Turn the Pilgrim over and find on the case back a graphic illustrated by Bekher engraved on the caseback. The illustration depicts Pilgrim, the ship and a whale. In many cultures, a shipsymbolizes journey and adventure.
The crystal of the watch is a boxed type sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating applied on the interior side.The anti-reflective coating helps minimise glare under the sun and also increases dial readability.
Every Pilgrim watch comes with an original design, high quality and super comfortable FKM rubber strap that is equipped with quick release spring bars. The buckle is of a custom design and finished in a similar style as the case, with a combination of brushed and polished surfaces.
RED ARMY WATCHES
The Pilgrim collection comprises four models:
- Blue Ocean The colour blue has long been associated with being a peaceful and calming colour; it is also perceived as a powerful colour. There exists a balance between peace and chaos, much like the ocean, where calming and devastatingly powerful waves coexist – a testament to Mother Nature’s finesse and artistry. The darker hue is chosen for this blue to signify the dark side of the story that inspired the collection.
- Black Ocean Black is a classic colour. When it is paired with the old radium lume, the vintage classic feel is elevated. It is the colour that will be great for all occasions.
- Green Ocean The earthy tones of the Green Ocean create a harmonious balance with the lustre of the old radium lume. This lends the watch a rugged and robust – albeit still classy – vibe.
- Young Captain Edition This is the colour for summer, a complete opposite of the darker colours of the regular dials, making it the appropriate choice as a stretch goal. Some of you will see blue; others will see green on the dial. Regardless, all will agree that it is very refreshing, and a colour that pairs perfectly with your summer vibes.
RED ARMY WATCHES
Technicalspecifications
Case size: 41mm
Case material: 316L stainless steel with both brushed and polished finishing
Caseback: Screw-down close casebackwith engraved graphic
Movement type: Automatic
Movement: SW200-1A automatic with customised date disc
Power reserve: Approx 38hrs
Dial: Embossed sandblasted textured dial, polished applied indices with SuperLuminova (old radiumlume/BGW9) Hands: Polished spear-shaped handset, filled with SuperLuminova (old radium lume/BGW9)Bezel: Inner rotating bezel filled with SuperLuminova (old radium/BGW9)
Glass: Boxed sapphire with internal 3 layers of anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 20ATM/200metresStrap type: Rubber
Strap material: FKM rubber (Green, Blue and Black)
Buckle: Customised stainless steel buckle with logo
Warranty:1 year
List price:
MSRP: MYR 4, 480
The Horizon Pilgrim collection will be available directly from Red Army Watches Pavilion KL & 1Utama Shopping Centre.
