Straight from the future – Desanders Concept V

We can all agree that in the world of complications, chronographs in their mechanical form are the hardest one to achieve.

There are several reasons and from the beginning of the watchmaking history, mechanical chronograph movements have been supplied by third parties, even brands like Rolex only started offering its Daytona with an in-house movement from the 2000 onwards. The main reason is because the R&D is costly and difficult to get it right.

On the other side, mechanical chronographs are not integrated, a base movement with a module on top, this will make the watch thick and potentially unwearable, so the next frontier is to have a good design that can eat on this perception. It even becomes worst when it comes to an automatic movement as you also have to account for the height of the rotor, it is not an easy task.

Lastly, we also encounter the fact that there are not many suppliers for chronograph movements, we got Seiko, ETA and even Zenith but again both very limited and not entirely easy to work with.

After all these nuances, we come to today’s watch which is the Concept V from Desanders Horologie. If you are familiar with the Norwegian brand, you will be aware that they are known for pushing the boundaries in terms of design and because of this, I believe that they are a house that could solve all of these issues previously mentioned, and this new automatic chronograph is here to proof that.

On a high level, the Concept V is something completely different because when it comes to chronographs, we are always very focused on tradition, scales and subdials configurations. The new baby from Desanders reshapes our thinking on the category and adds an exposed dial with discs instead of counters, all encapsulated into a C-shape case with a great price, more on this later. Let’s begin.

The Specifications

The futuristic nature of the Concept V makes it stand out from those vintage somewhat fragile chronograph that everyone is offering. The Concept V is large but not oversize at 42mm with a short lug to lug of 45mm which means that it wears well on my 6.25-inch wrist. The case shape flows with a domed sapphire crystal surrounded by a brushed finish and no bezel; it all looks from the future. The side of the case has also good transitions between polish and satin finishing, there is a lot of work put into the final product, it is appreciated because it elevates the luxury feel of the watch.

The cushion case opens the possibility for a larger dial which is where the Concep V shines.

There are several elements that I haven’t seen in another watch, the whole composition is dominated by a central opaque glass disc which contains the main hours. This main disc is static with a 12-hour scale, there is a small detail at the 5^th marker which is represented by the letter ‘’V’’ highlighting the name of the watch.  Underneath and somehow adjacent, we can find to the right the second counter that rotates continuously, it is a beauty to behold and then to the left we have the minute one which also rotates each 60 seconds.

All these rotations inside the case makes me think on the performance of the movement, not only has to be robust but it does have to maintain a good level of precision when the power reserve is used. I can attest that the Concept V keeps very good timing at 10+ seconds to COSC level which is not a surprise. Under the seconds and minute subdials, we can find the date ring which has been also exposed, it can be read inside a metal framed window, it might not be the most legible date ever but does give a cherry on the top to the whole composition.

At the edge of the dial, we can find the minute scale in intervals of 5, the chronograph hand touches precisely each marker while the centre hands stay in the middle ring, quite a contrast in terms of size but nicely executed.

With almost every space occupied by scales and complications, the Concept V dial still feels somehow minimalist, there is the notion that the watch has a lot of negative space and that is a good thing as there is a lot going on but doesn’t feel like that at all.

Outside of the case we can find a pair of flat rectangular pushers covering the screw down crown, it is a good design choice at least for me. The crown has this nice engraving and knurling, all easy to operate the Seiko TMI NE86A movement, it is a great choice because of the smooth operation thanks to the vertical clutch and column wheel, very happy to see it here. The movement can also be admired from the back and includes a custom rose gold engraved rotor touching again the luxury feel, it is an elegant tool watch.

The watch also offers 41 hours of power reserve and 100 meters of water resistance which is quite impressive for a chronograph.

On the wrist  

As previously mentioned, one of the key concerns of an automatic chronograph movement is the thickness and at 17mm the Concept V presents this challenge too but because of its design, Desanders has managed to over come it, let me explain.

An integral part of the Concept V is the strap, somehow the rubber integrated FMK has managed to drill into the case and absorb how the watch wears. The strap covers the front and back of the case and because of the short lug to lug, makes the Concept V feel more like a 13mm watch, in fact, I’ve compared to a Tudor Black Bay Pro and this one feels miles thicker. It is an odd but effective way of combating an already thick movement outside the case, more brands should be able to do this effectively.

Just on the record, I am not saying  that the Concept V is a thin watch but is a very wearable one especially for someone with small wrists like me.

I wasn’t able to use the watch outside the house because the strap is a CTS one and because is a press sample, I did not want to cut it, but I can attest that it wears well and I am actually thinking of ordering one of these watches. It has stuck with me quite a bit and I have nothing like this in the current collection.

The strap itself is quite nice, the rubber is soft, and it has a 20mm aperture but expands at the lug level attaching to several parts of the case. Sure, it has a quick release mechanism, but this is the strap for the watch, a more regular piece will look out of place and disproportioned. There is a bracelet option which I have only seen in pictures, it is quite something and makes the Concept V look like a space creature, in a good way of course.

I imagine that the Concept V is a watch that can be worn in many occasions, sure is not your typical field watch but it does has something special that makes you want to take it for a spin, I can relate because the strap was not sized for me and that made me wanted to wear it even more.

Concluding thoughts

Having the opportunity to photograph and appreciate something different is always special and that is how the Concept V feels like. It is unique in terms of design but also brings a new design language to the average watch collector that perhaps cannot spend 30K+ on a watch.

This thought brings us to the price which is quite spectacular. Desanders is asking for the Concept V 990 USD on the rubber strap and for any of their variations which include the Dark Night, the Slate Grey, a Green Esmerald and our Deep Black Steel, quite a nice line up with plenty of options to choose from.

I do not have to repeat that this is outstanding value because what Desanders is doing here is something that I haven’t seen from other brands worldwide, a mechanical chronograph is an expensive proposition, and an automatic one makes it even worst. Whatever the formula Desanders is using must be replicated by other watch brands, it was about time that our beloved chronograph complication got democratized.

For more information, please visit https://desanders.no/pages/concept-v

Technical Specifications

• Hours, minutes and seconds

• Chronograph, bi-compax

• Automatic TMI NH86A movement

• Up to 41+ hours power reserve

• 42mm diameter, 17mm thickness

• 45mm lug to lug

• Stainless steel with polished and brushed finish

• PVD rose gold, DLC black plating

• Sapphire crystal glass

• 100m water resistance

• Screw down crown

• Lume, BGW9 blue on dials and C3 green on hand