Halfway between a 1950s radio and a diver's helmet, the Series 01 bears the signature of Ganymede, a US brand founded in 2018 by 36-year-old engineer Bala Radharamanan. The watch is distinguished by its unusual time display on a vertical scale and its vintage industrial design. More specifically, it has a rectangular case with rounded corners measuring 34×49.5 mm, with an elongated sapphire glass porthole on the left side, from which four hands of different lengths and colours peep out, alternating on the four vertical scales of the respective colour, indicating the time. In practice, through the porthole you will always see at least one hand making its arc, aligning with the hour markers of its own colour, before giving way to the next one. The reading of the time will, of necessity, be inaccurate, as is the case with all single-hand models, but the Series 01, although constructed with care and good quality materials, is a design object and not a precision instrument.
On the back, at the opening on the front side, there is a window of the same shape and also made of sapphire, through which the movement can be observed. It is the Seiko NH35A calibre with automatic winding, 21,600 vibrations per hour, 24 jewels and 40 hours of power reserve. The steel case withstands a pressure of 10 atmospheres and has a bronze Pvd treatment that contributes to the vintage look.
Distribution of Ganymede (named after Jupiter's moon) is through a network of dealers in the US, but for the rest of the world, an e-commerce channel is available (the Series 01 is on sale for $350).
Website: www.ganymede-watches.com; Instagram profile: @ganymede.watches.
