To everyone’s surprise, renown camera maker Leica has recently announced its entry to the luxury timepiece market by introducing two of its first ever mechanical watches. Both products, known simply as the L1 and L2, feature designs that are inspired by the company’s iconic cameras and feature a patented push crown mechanism for adjusting the time.
The two timepieces were based on concepts created by Professor Achim Heine, a German designer who has also contributed to the designs of other Leica products in the past. As mentioned earlier, various parts of the L1 and L2 models feature design cues and references to the brand’s cameras; such as the iconic red dot on the push crown, a lens-inspired glass dome, as well as the silver and black colour scheme with red accents. Meanwhile, featured on the back of both watches is a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal display which showcases their internal gears and mechanisms.
The Leica L1 and L2 are fully mechanical, manual winding 41mm watches with a 60-hour power reserve and, as mentioned earlier, feature a patented push crown mechanism. The latter requires users to press down on the crown instead of pulling it in order to adjust the time – mimicking the shutter button featured on the brand’s cameras.
While the duo appear visually similar, what really sets them apart are the different watch faces, strap materials (veal leather for the L1 and alligator leather for the L2), and an additional dial on the L2 which enables users to set and view an alternate time zone.
The Leica L1 and L2 timepieces are priced at SGD 14,950 (~RM 46,598) and SGD 21,300 (~RM 66,390) respectively. Unfortunately, fans and luxury watch enthusiasts in Malaysia won’t be able to procure either model, as their availability are only limited to Leica Stores based in China, Singapore, Japan, the US, Germany, Austria, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
(Source: Leica Malaysia press release / Official Singaporean website)
