At 91, Norman Foster Designs His First Watch With Lebond

As people get to a certain age, they tend to slow down, but that is not the case for Norman Foster. The star architect celebrated his 91st birthday in June and still has no plans to retire. As an architect, few can come even close to his status. The list of buildings he has designed is nearly endless, and many of them are well known, including the HSBC building in Hong Kong, “The Gherkin” in London, Apple Park in California, the Reichstag dome in Berlin, and the Hearst Tower in New York City. The number of watches he has designed is far smaller — actually, zero — but that is about to change with the Lebond Norman Foster.

Lebond is an interesting brand, as the majority of its watches are designed by architects who have won the prestigious Pritzker Prize, the highest honor in the field. While there is some resemblance among them, each architect gives the watch they design a character of its own. Foster wanted to create a watch to be worn every day, underscoring the intimate bond between people and their timekeepers. 

To do that, he found integrating each element essential, bringing them together as one. This led to a spectacular design in which an FKM rubber strap embraces the watch’s Grade 5 titanium case. The case measures 38.5mm in diameter and 10mm thick and is water-resistant to 50 meters. Lebond traditionally offers its watches in black and natural editions, and the Norman Foster is no exception. Both have the same specifications, but the Grade 5 titanium components of the Black Edition are DLC-coated.

This is also the first Lebond to feature a bidirectional bezel. As a man of the world, aviation enthusiast, and frequent traveler, Foster wanted an elegant, easy-to-use way to display a second time zone. This solution achieves just that and can even display time zones that are not a full hour apart, something most GMT watches cannot do. The bezel does not take away from the clean design of the dial, where we are once again reminded of Norman Foster’s interest in aviation. Black or silver stick hands stand out thanks to the Super-LumiNova generously applied to them, making the watch highly legible. The date function is nicely integrated into the design, with the date disk matching the dial color. A slightly domed sapphire crystal provides protection and features an antireflective coating.

Inside the Lebond Norman Foster is the ETA 2892-A2. This movement hardly needs an introduction, but these days, it is not an obvious choice. With Sellita calibers now more commonly encountered among independent brands, it is all the more pleasing to find the ETA 2892-A2 in this Lebond. It offers an ample 50-hour power reserve and features a pleasing finish. Lebond further upgraded it with a beautifully made oscillating weight. Its five perforated holes add a sense of dynamism that suits the watch. There is also a dash of color: the oscillating weight is red in the Black Edition, while blue is the color of choice for the Natural Titanium Edition. It can all be admired through the sapphire insert in the titanium caseback, which also features an antireflective coating to minimize glare.

While this is all very pleasing, it is the design and high-end execution of the FKM rubber strap that truly set the work of Norman Foster and Lebond apart. It has a very organic shape and sits naturally on the wrist. Richard Mille comes to mind when describing the wearing experience of this Lebond. It gives a similar feeling of high-end lightness, making it a welcome addition to the world of Lebond, as the brand did not yet have a true sports watch in its collection. The strap is secured by a slender yet well-made titanium folding clasp.

The €3,500 price that Lebond is asking for the Norman Foster seems more than fair, given the high-end execution of all the components and its pleasant wearing experience. That this watch is the vision of one of the greatest living architects only adds to its appeal, especially because Norman Foster has not been a serial watch designer supplementing his fame and income. This is the very first watch he has ever created. We have been missing out.