Hands-On with the SevenFriday T1/08 'Bauhaus Inspired'
When you mention Bauhaus in relation to watches, many immediately think of brands like Laco, Nomos, and Junghans, each of which offer watches with the 'less is more'-approach often associated with the art and design style from this school in Germany. SevenFriday, a 2012, Zürich-founded watchmakers, has also taken great inspiration from Bauhaus in its designs, but has taken roads less traveled to express this.
To showcase Bauhaus in its latest creation, the brand revamped a T-series model. They did so by doing away with the traditional hands and installing a disc that makes a full rotation every 12 hours. As this is all visible on the dial, minutes must also be read on the disc. Thanks to dashes, dots, and different colored numerals, along with a triangle at twelve pointing at the current time, this is about as easy as Meistersinger's single-hand setup, as seen in their own creations. Two printed blue arrows also tell you which way the disc turns as a further aid in reading the time. One of the nicest aspects is that it is a very relaxing watch. You can tell the time when you want to, but other than that, it is an artistic expression for you to wear and enjoy.
SevenFriday not only put in quite a bit of effort to make the disc both fun and legible, they also utilized the case, crystal, and even the space surrounding the disc to express their interpretation of Bauhaus. Bold colors and shapes turn this T1/08 into a timepiece unlike any other and even push the envelope for SevenFriday itself. Most importantly, by doing so, they have created an incredibly fun piece and something that, in my opinion, serves very well when you have time to enjoy some rest and recreation or are looking for a timepiece to vacation with. I only wonder why SevenFriday opted for a mineral crystal instead of sapphire, which is something that I would have expected, also given its price of $1,264
The T1/08 'Bauhaus Inspired,' is powered by the automatic and even skeletonized caliber TMI-Seiko NH70, which can be seen when you look very closely through the disc. While it adds little to the overall experience, knowing that an automatic movement powers this SevenFriday pleases your inner watch connoisseur more than if it was merely a quartz movement. The back also doesn't show the movement, as here we see a Bauhaus-inspired cover under which an NFC chip is placed. This allows you to check ownership status and authenticity with your smartphone.
While the T1/08 'Bauhaus Inspired' is generously sized like all SevenFriday's are, the nearly square case of 45mm by 45.6mm wears very comfortable on the wrist. Special mention is there for the outstanding bracelet, which helps balance out the timepiece and its design and finish can rival that of watches of even double the price of this SevenFriday. As the links are relatively small, the bracelet fits nicely, although the option for making micro-adjustments is always welcomed.
With a price tag of $1,264,- this SevenFriday is not cheap, but that only matches the high build quality. It is in line with its siblings in the T-series collection and adds to that some unconventional fun. That also gives it a unique position within the watch world, as it doesn't seem to have any competition. While I would have preferred it to have a sapphire crystal, it is hardly a dealbreaker as the elaborate finishing, fun execution of the Bauhaus inspiration, and that superb bracelet are more than tempting to overcome this.
For more info, visit SevenFriday, here
