Taking time everywhere – The Volan Type 1

When I was a kid (still I am), I was obsessed with keyrings, it was my earliest memory of collecting. It was easy and because they were inexpensive plus every marketing material came as a form of a keyring so, I had plenty. For a 10 year old, keys where the earliest signs that you are becoming an adult.  Mainly because finally your parents decided to trust you with the only way to open their most expensive possession, in other words, it means that you made it.

This beautiful sentiment of responsibility comes with the greatest dose of nostalgia, because like watches, keys are being replaced with digital technology. I must admit that it took a while for this to happen and even if physical keys are still among us, when it comes to cars, they are being replaced by uninspiring square FOBs, sometimes even ugly.

Do you remember the days when the logo of a keychain meant everything? I do. When I received my first car, the Toyota logo was display everywhere, it was beautiful and as soon as the metal turn the ignition, the hanging noble keychain made me happier.

I came across Volan scrolling on Instagram as we all do and I was immediately hooked. An beautiful designed object that joined my passion for watches and a childhood nostalgia, enter the Type 1. The round shape with vintage cues was perfect for what it is: a mechanical keychain.

The Type 1 is not only unique on its offering but it also has a good measure of craftsmanship, at any point, the watch feels like a toy or inexpensive, and in this category, that is something very hard to achieve.

Join me to discover 2 of the most exciting and different offerings out there. Let’s begin.

The variants

Volan decided to create 2 variants for the Type One. There is the Sea Type One which is inspired on the wood used on vintage boats, more specifically teak decks. The white dial of the Sea variant, provides you with a clean look, it feels special, vintage and solid. With black thin numerals and minimal writing, legibility is assured. The real teak wood of the case has this beautiful pattern that transitions from light to dark, I can also see the appeal of marks that will happen with time, it is outstanding.

 Then we have what  like to call the ‘’bad boy’’ of the 2: the Road. With an inky black dial, white numerals, a red minute hand and an entire rubber tire case, the Road variant feels straight from the 60’s. This was the time where a key was just a key and needed something beautiful to adorn it, here it is. The tire case has real groves and looks like a mini version of a racing rubber, it is a testament to attention to detail that the Volan has committed to.  

The specifications

This is not your typical wristwatch review but dimensions are important because it also needs to work in real life and both variants have the same 58mm which includes the case (wood or tire). This is a perfect size to carry around, is not too small and not to big, it feels just right. The 13mm thinness is impressive because it includes that sapphire sandwich with a Sellita SW200 with a custom rotor, it really is as beauty to behold.

The crown is found at 6 o clock which is ideal to wind and set the watch with the good news being that it has a water resistance of 50 meters. Fragility was one of my concerns because unlike a wristwatch that stays put once strapped, a keychain suffers quite a bit of balancing and knocks. That said, timing has been impeccable, the sapphire ensures that scratches are not visible and the Swiss made movement will give you the all the reliability needed.

Both watches come with lume indexes and will also have that distinctive red minute hand, it is odd because the bright red makes the Sea variant look classier and the Road one racier, very good choice. As being a Sellita SW200, there is no date and no unwanted ghosts positions, it keeps the object clean and with those retro numerals that remind you of racings gauges, everything looks fine from every angle, I am sold.

On the wrist (or in this case on the pocket)

At the beginning, you are not sure where or how to use it but then, the Type one has become a daily object for me. I tend to use it on my house keys and in my pocket, it works perfectly. I could use it on my car keys but I do not want to bang it too much. It would look great next to my Land Rover FOB, it will transform something digital to something a bit more analogue.

Another nice detail is the box that the Type 1 comes in. The glossy black container has a metal rod that you can screw in and use it to hang the watch, it is a really nice touch that I have been displaying it on my living room and everyone who enters the house asks me about it. I still need to be careful because my 5 year old is obsessed with key chains, just like his dad was back in the day.

Concluding thoughts

So, after all this passion that this object brought to me, there is the questions of who is this for? Well the Type 1 is made for us nerds who want to merge 2 worlds into one, vehicles and watches. It is also made for people who enjoy a well-crafted object, one that has attention to detail with a mechanical feel, there is no doubt in my mind that quality is the first thing in Volan’s mind.

Quality is also reflected on the limited quantities, there will be only 100 available per variant and they are going fast, I believe the main reason is the price. The Type One is priced at 694 GBP excluding VAT, for a non-mass produced object with an original design, is a hard proposition to ignore.

I am very keen to see what other versions of the Type One are in the pipeline, I can envision something with teal numerals and a black dial? Something orange?  Perhaps something that looks at muscle cars for inspiration? Whatever the next chapter will bring I am sure the attention to detail and quality will remain high. The only issue

is that I now want to buy a boat to use the Sea variant, this hobby is ridiculous.  

For more information please visit: https://volan-watches.com/ 

The specifications

·       316L Stainless Steel, High-Gloss Mirror Finish

·       Diameter: 46 mm (Case), 58 mm (Wood and Tire)

·       Thickness: 13 mm

·       Exhibition Caseback with engraved specifications

·       High-gloss Black or White dial

·       Indexes filled with Swiss SuperLuminova

·       Inspired by vintage racing gauges

·       Domed Sapphire Crystal (Front and Back)

·       Anti-reflective & Scratch-Resistant

·       5 ATM / 50 meters

·       Swiss Made Sellita Calibre SW-200 (Automatic)

·       26 Jewels | 28,800 bph

·       38–40 Hour Power Reserve

·       Custom Rotor with Volan Logo.