This brand new French brand – whose first three creations are available for pre-order on Kickstarter until July 15 – was born from a desire to create a simple, reliable and original tool watch. Inspired by disruptive and innovative design at the service of functionality, the young firm thinks of its timepieces as an interpretation of the modern mechanical watch without betraying the traditional codes of classic watchmaking. Atypical and versatile pieces that deserve a look.
It’s no longer a secret for anyone – amateurs and collectors of fine gears – that tricolor watches are indeed on the rise. Indeed, a new wave of French watchmaking is settling in France with a surge of new brands, easily set up with the rise of crowdfunding (modern ancestor of the principle of subscription for timepieces from yesteryear). Watches paid for in pre-order, thus avoiding the advance of significant costs for these young shoots of blue, white and red watchmaking.
Among them, Neotype, a young firm recently created by Jean-Baptiste Mayot and Pierre-Thomas Lambert, two friends who met on the benches of an industrial design school. In addition to their common passions such as design, fashion, automobiles and of course watchmaking, the two friends wanted to share their know-how and their mutual values. After more than fifteen years spent in watchmaking development for one and in the commercial trades of large luxury houses for the other, the two entrepreneurs unveil their own brand, at the crossroads of their expertise as “makers” and their soul. of enthusiasts.
As the founders point out, “Neotype was born from a desire to create simple, qualitative and original watchmaking, without any attachment to the past, but with the awareness of belonging to a rich and codified industry. Thus, without betraying the ancestral integrity of watchmaking history, the brand has used design above all as a creative and evolving process. An interpretation of the contemporary mechanical watch with the aim of injecting functional modernism and cutting-edge aesthetics into the heart of Neotype’s creations.
And for its first model, Neotype unveils the LM01 Type D, a modern diver with an original design, designed as an instrument at the service of its owner. A “tool-watch” dedicated to urban adventurers who want both classicism and disruptiveness. On the creation and assembly side, the watches are created, developed and assembled in France. All parts are assembled in-house, except for the mechanism, a precise and robust Miyota 9039 automatic movement, encased in a metal strapping that ensures its maintenance and optimal performance for up to 42 hours of autonomy. Each model is individually numbered from 0001 and is guaranteed for two years. They will be distributed exclusively on the brand’s website at a price ranging from 730 euros to 790 euros. Note, a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter until July 15 with special and advantageous prices (up to -30% applied to the recommended retail prices).
The innovative design of the LM01 Type D, made up of curved lines, gives the watch a general, organic and fluid appearance on the wrist, all of which is subtly underlined by a matte finish. The model also features racy edges and a wide crown guard framing the screw-down crown marked with Neotype’s signature X, all creating a dynamic tension that breaks with the roundness of the piece. The central element of the timepiece, the 40 mm case, available in three versions (steel, gold PVD or black PVD), is traditionally machined in 316L steel and has its surfaces sandblasted for a very successful overall matt appearance. The case features – like any good diver – a 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel that goes well with the build of the LM01 Type D as well as a 15-minute scale for dive times, a power indication with the central second hand and Luminescent baton hour markers for optimal readability.
Regarding the dial, only one watchword: minimalism. Its “sandwich” construction with sleek graphics and its curved flange create a beautiful union with the case. The three references in the collection all have a textured black dial. Robustness requires, the watch is adorned with a 3.5 mm thick “dome” sapphire crystal ensuring resistance to pressure, shocks and scratches. A five-layer anti-reflective treatment has also been worked on each side of the glass, further emphasizing the simple and rapid reading of time. Finally, the watches come with a black fluorocarbon FKM rubber strap specially developed by Neotype which also adds a khaki Nato.
