Shaped watches are here to stay – The Nectere Order from Chaos

Our perception on how a watch should be has been shaped by time. We have seen the round watches for hundreds of years and we already know is not going to change. That said, there is a group of watch enthusiast which are still trying to open our minds on how our favourite object can be presented.

It does make sense that a round shape dominates our wrists because it makes time legible, symmetrical and of course classic. Of course, all these advantages bring a bit of a problem, the watch becomes predictable and perhaps a boring.

What would happen if chaos took over? Where round continuous lines end, new curves will emerge, and when you think the circle is closed, design cues will come out of nowhere. It’s all over the place and it is a good thing.

Nectere is a brand that is making waves into crating a watch with a that is nothing like we have seen before. That said, is not just a change of shapes just to be different, the dimensions are deeply rooted into the founders thinking and how they see life, how everything can be affected by the slightest action, the butterfly effect theory.

It is quite interesting to think that unconventional can be attractive, just like jazz, it takes a refined ear to understand what is going on, or in the case of the Oreder from Chaos, an eye for design. It might not be love at first sight but then, the sweet becomes sweeter.

Staying with the watch, Nectere did something special with their new baby. It is like nothing I have seen before and yet, it does have that familiar art deco feeling. It feels from another era, vintage but looking at modernity. Join me to discover the current piece  that has a monopoly on my wrist for the past 6 weeks, let’s begin.

The specifications

This is not a conventional review as measurements meant little in the grand scheme of things, but I can tell you that the 3-steped case is 38mm with a lug to lug of 40.5mm. The stainless steel is all polished apart from the sides and the back to the all-brushed case, it includes a small irregular shaped window to have a peak at the manual Seagull ST-17 movement, more on this later.

The conical shape of the case is also translated to the dial which has also an incredible amount of detail. Our variant called Mist, includes a sunray finish from the centre of the dial and a rail track that which has been decorated with tiny lines intersected by the hour markers. Everything sounds quite busy, but it works, the time is easy to glance and even despite that the length of the markers are all different, the long-polished hands do a great job on to keep everything legible.

Doing a small pause for the models available, the Oreder from Chaos also comes 2 other variants; the Forrest which is a lively green and the Dune which is a lovely salmon dial. I wanted to highlight this point because The Mist is the only variant that has a different colour for the seconds sub-dial and includes a crosshair pattern inside a similar trapezoidal shape.

On the wrist

Part of the experience from the Oreder from Chaos, is how it feels and the new perspective that it gives you when it comes to watches. As mentioned, we were going to come back to the movement because the ST-17 keeps the watch very thin at 8.5mm only, it keeps everything very wearable.

The smooth surfaces and the way that the case is constructed, makes the watch unobtrusive to the wrist. You cannot technically call the Order from Chaos a lugless watch as you can see them on the right side of the case, but they aren’t very visible and disappear just like the signed crown at 4 o clock. From the head shot, looking at the Order from Chaos, it feels kind of like a work of art, more like an object of design and not so much a watch, it also looks great even outside the wrist.

I wore the Oreder from Chaos mostly on an office environment and it did create some talk. It is not a big or a loud watch, but the irregular lines call the attention of your surroundings right away. The questions are the usual but what I enjoy is that they are all positive, it does lift your spirits and surely this is what the founders of the brand intended to do.

One of the aces up the Nectere sleeves is that they created a unisex watch. From the size to the design, the watch emanates masculinity with a dash of delicacy, it can be worn by almost anyone who enjoys well crafted companions.

Another point of attention, is that despite of its unconventional shape, the strap is a regular 18mm one which ends up on its nicely oval buckle. This is a good as the case can be paired with plenty of options although, we must say, that the supplied dark green matches the dial quite well.

Concluding thoughts

Pairing a watch design with an idea is not something that we see every day. We enjoyed quite a bit the execution and the quality that the watch has to offer. From the well-executed hands to the different textures on the dial, the Order from Chaos delivers an exceptional object, especially at the price that it operates.

Which brings us to the actual price of the watch. The Order from Chaos is available at 475 USD under the Kickstarter campaign which will be live for 35 days. Each design is limited to 175 pieces, and we are sure it would be quite a success.

Chaos is a scary concept, not controlling how everything is going be can be quite difficult to handle, but when you start embracing change and difference, you discover that there is another side of you that needs understanding. The Order form Chaos makes you discover a side of watches that you might never be drawn too, not only is a dress watch, is an eye opener.

For more information please follow the Kickstarter campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jameswong324/nectere-shaped-watch-inspired-by-butterfly-effect/

Technical specifications

·       Case: 38mm x 40.5mm x 8.5mm

·       Lug width: 18mm

·       Domed sapphire Crystal

·       Movement: ST-17 Ultra thin

·       30 meters of water resistance