A few years ago I came across the Fugue Fiction One watch. Fugue was a French start up brand looking for crowd founding, who had initially prototyped a couple of models that looked rather good. And being prototypes, the prices quoted were VERY low indeed, especially considering the high quality of the models being projected.
To remain afloat, this start up got involved in crowd funding, which in my view always seems a dodgy concept. If no-one’s interested, then investors can be few and far between. And if that is the case you tend to sink, not float. And so it was – even after 2 crowd funding attempts they were unable to meet the finance they looked for.
And now one of the quite rare prototypes is now on my wrist – and I am very pleased about that.
This was their second model – a great watch and for all sorts of reasons. I mean, basically, what’s not to like? Especially now that it is one of a very few around. They made two different coloured dials – this is the lighter less contrasting one.
To start with it’s a Mystery dial watch (tricky to do well, I may add), then there’s a good automatic movement. It’s also very well made and a nice sensible size with excellent quality materials used throughout – plus a very decent flexible black calf leather strap – and very comfortable to wear.
The thing about “mystery dials” is the fact that they make you wonder how the hands are connected. Vintage watches from various makers sometimes used this feature. The most obvious were the models that showed the minute hand attached to the central spindle, with the “mystery” hour hand in the background painted or applied to a disc, so giving the illusion of not being connected to anything. Some were overly elaborate, using discs for both hour and minute hands but often difficult to read.
The Fiction One however is both simple and clever and beautifully designed. It also uses discs, but one is fully transparent and really does give the illusion that both minute and hour hands are “floating”.
It is VERY easy to read. The transparent disc, which has the minute hand inscribed, plus a third clear thicker disk allows a subtle depth separation between the hour hand on it’s opaque disc – thus giving it that “mystery” floating effect.
The images taken today show how clear this watch is to read the time.
Note the omission of any seconds hand, which makes it slightly tricky to set the time exactly – (basically use another watch/internet or iPad/iPhone whatever and push in the crown on the hour is easiest) in fact you have to look at it carefully to see if it’s actually working. Mind you it’s odds on it will be, as the movement is the Sellita SW200-1 elabore, a model I have on some other watches and it is a VERY reliable automatic, being based on the ETA2824-2 (minus the date configuration). It beats at 28,000 beats per hour and has a reserve of around 38hrs.
The dial has a real quality finish to it, from the luminous applied markers to the perfectly integrated transparent discs. Complimented by the wonderfully sculpted hands with Super-luminova – it’s a quality watch.
The case is stainless steel, lightly brushed on the top surfaces and highly polished on the sides. It is also obvious that the case has been hand finished and it has a flow to it, from case body to lugs, which is a homage, if you will, to their first watch model – the Chronostase, which featured a modular case with a removable inner case (on ball bearings), which I don’t have, but would not be averse to having, if one came up for sale.
The fugue Fiction 1 Water Resistance (tested) is 5ATM, but the crown is not a screw down variety.
The clear crystal is Sapphire, as is the clear back window, which shows the movement in more detail. The watch dimensions are 38mm diameter x 46mm lug to lug and just 11.1mm thickness according to my micrometre, with the strap measuring 18mm width.
So, all in all, this is a really great watch so wear.
It has an amazingly comfortable strap, which seems “run in”, as they say and is both flexible and soft on the wrist. It is a model that is the perfect size, it’s unobtrusive, yet with the cleverly designed take on the “Mystery dial” being done so well, it’s just about as perfect an example of the concept you could get.
Alas, it seems that the Fugue Fiction 1 is now a rarity and no longer, which is a mystery (the Agatha Christie inspiration for the watch) – as it really is a classic in it’s own right – and I’m so glad to be the proud owner of one.
Watch space 