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More than chilled – The Loimu Frozen Salmon from Galvin Watch Company



We all know that the perfect recipe to make a watch geek hungry is to come up with a good salmon dial. There is something special about this colour, Vacheron Constantin no less, still uses it today to commemorate special pieces but also, it is a palette that works well as a unisex watch, meaning that at the right size, it can be worn by almost anyone.

Today we are lucky to review the Loimu from the Galvin Watch Company, a very interesting proposition in terms of design and value. I came across with the brand several times, the use of different dial techniques with unique shapes caught my eye right away, to be honest I was looking for a stunning purple dial and the Loimu Tundra always popped up on my Instagram feed.

Doing more research on who was offering this piece, I found out that Galvin Watch Company is based in Australia by Suzie Galvin, a Finnish trained watchmaker with an eye on minimalistic design, already a plus when it comes to microbrands. Then of course I went into the rabbit whole of the company history and to my surprise, I found out that they also offer a tonneau shaped watch with a plethora of dial combinations, I was hooked.

 I’ve moved from my purple watch obsession simply because like every watch addict, I do not need another watch, even if I try justifying that I do. Naturally, the itch of the guilloche style patterns stuck with me and after a few months, we managed to secure a hands-on with their Frozen Salmon Limited Edition, straight out of the box, I can tell you that it is something else, more bad news for me.

Join me to discover this well-made unique proposition that looks even better under the macro. Let’s begin.

The specifications

You would think that a watch with a guilloche pattern and a fume dial could steal the show, and you’ll be right, but to begin describing the Loimu, it is necessary to look at the proportions first. At 38mm in diameter and 45mm lug to lug, the round stainless-steel case wears well on my 6.25-inch wrist, is not too small nor too big, just right. I particularly enjoy that the brushed surfaces transition well with the polished ones, all very coherent. The thinness also plays a big part on the wearing experience, at 11.6 tall, the Loimu also exudes versatility, especially when it comes to be treated as a dress watch but make no mistake, this is also a rugged piece with a screw down crown (with a lume ring I might add) and 100 meters of water resistance. The movement is also worth highlighting as the Miyota 9039 which is considered a premium engine, keeps the watch thin and avoids that annoying ghost date position.

After having all the technical bases covered, the Loimu greats you with a beautiful gradient orange/pink dial that looks like no other. There is no date to ensure symmetry, the ‘’explorer’’ style numerals are filled with C3 Superluminova and contrast well with a pattern that I haven’t experience before, it is a stamped dial of course, but as you can see in the macros, it well executed and plays well with light. The lancet style hands look sharp and easy to distinguish because of their length, while the applied round markers elevate the depth of the dial. The Loimu feels way more expensive than it is, we will comeback to the price later.


On the wrist

Legibility and wearability are something that can be a deal breaker, at least for me. I am glad to report that the Loimu excels on both, the watch is legible despite de pattern, mostly because the brand avoided the usual mistake that others do: unnecessary literature. Then we have the wearing experience, which is not only backed up by the dimensions of the case, but because of the stainless-steel bracelet provided. The bracelet is very solid in construction from the end link to end link, no sharp edges were found. The clasp it’s a good one and not because of features, but because of the size, it is very comfortable. I quite enjoyed the fact that it is very short with enough micro adjustments, better yet, it is not as long as the undersize of my wrist. I am not quite sure when we started to have clasps longer than the lug to lug of a case, but I am very happy with this one.

I wore the Loimu Frozen Salmon mostly at the office, it seems like a good habitat for such a classy watch but as mentioned, I am sure that it would have perform as well if not better on a more active environment, after all it does feel as a field watch. The size never feels out of place, long-sleeved or short ones, the Loimu feels right, that said I did not had the chance to try it on with a nato or a leather strap but I am sure that will work, anything grey will look amazing.


Conclusions

As you might imagine, I quite enjoyed my time with the Loimu, it is a watch that did not needed to work hard to win me over. We mentioned that the dimensions are spot on for a great variety of wrist sizes and together with a dial that could appeal both to men and women, the Loimu feels like a winning combination.

I think having a watchmaker behind a brand really makes a difference, I’ve seen great designs with lots of shortcomings because there is no real functional thinking, this is different with Galvin’s watch Company watches, everything blends nicely with a price that represent s a great value at 390.15 GBP.


The Loimu Frozen Salmon is not part of the regular production, and it is limited to 50 pieces. with shipping worldwide, this is a watch that would be hard to come by.



Technical specifications

·         CASE MATERIAL 316L Stainless Steel

·         CASE DIAMETER 38mm

·         CASE THICKNESS 11.6mm

·         LUG TO LUG 45mm

·         LUG WIDTH 19mm

·         HANDS Stainless Steel with Swiss Super-LumiNova C3

·         CROWN Screw-down crown with Swiss Super-LumiNova C3

·         DIAL Guilloche-style dial with a Swiss Super-LumiNova C3 filled numerals. (No date window)

·         CRYSTAL Flat Sapphire Crystal with an antireflective coating

·         MOVEMENT Miyota Premium range Calibre 9039

·         WATER RESISTANCE 10ATM / 100 meters

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