Ok, true confession time: I don't generally like skeleton watches. It's
not that I don't like looking at watch movements – I do, really! There
is something oddly satisfying about flipping your watch over to see its
tiny engine hard at work, even if it's an undecorated workhorse. I just
prefer to keep that window out back. More often than not, opening or
eliminating the dial strikes me as less of a creative exercise and more
of a "Hey! Look at this," gimmick. None of them appealed to me until the
day my friend and Guest Bum Ian Tewksbury showed me the inky black mechanical beauty of his Wilk WatchWorks Maki. It was a revelation.
As I researched these watches, I discovered that Wilk was unlike other micro brands. A quick look at the website revealed
a healthy variety of models and a fairly staggering array of options,
yet all bore a distinctive, unifying design language. The dials are
laser-cut or etched. Some are solid, others are sandwiches, some are
skeletonized or cut away to reveal part of the movement beneath. I eventually contacted the man himself, Scott Wilk, of Ontario, Canada. He agreed to an interview and loaned me a Cognatic to go with Ian's Maki for this review.
Most microbrand owners I have met come from technical or scientific
fields. A handful got their start in industrial design. Scott, on the
other hand, has a fine arts degree and was a jeweler by trade before he
discovered watches and I suspect his experience designing and crafting
three-dimensional artworks is the key to his watches' unique appeal.
They are
deeply personal creations that owe little to established
convention. Scott is not reinterpreting existing watch designs so much
as exploring a new artistic medium.
Buyers
can order their watches in one of three ways: choose a competed model
from Scott's inventory, order a customizable watch by selecting from a
menu of options for assembly, or go full-custom by working with Scott to
design a one-of-kind dial. Because Scott assembles each watch himself,
and completes the much of the construction and finishing himself, he can
offer an uncommon level of personalization. Poking around his site, it
is impossible not to start designing your dream watch in your head. Do
you want a 36mm, 41mm, 44mm or 45mm stainless steel case? Maybe black or
gold ion plating, or perhaps jewelry-quality gold electroplating, and
if so, how many microns thick? Which hand set? Mineral or sapphire
crystal? Straight, tapered, or onion crown? With few exceptions, Scott
uses mechanical movements from Hangzhou or ETA, but do you prefer hand
wound or automatic? Perhaps a tourbillon? And what type of decoration?
It is a watch nerd's dream, and we haven't even talked about the dials. Wilk offers copper,
brass, bronze, sterling silver, mokume-gane (a Japanese alloy similar
to Damascus steel), and the intense colors of solvent-dyed metal or
anodized niobium. Straps include a host of exotic leathers. You can even
choose and customize the movement retainer. If a selection like this
fails to delight you, then you are just dead inside.
So let's get to the watches, shall we? I'll start with the Maki. It has a
PVD matte black case, 41mm wide and 12.5mm thick, topped with a domed
sapphire crystal. Another, flatter sapphire is around back. It is an
ideal size for my 6.5" wrist, exuding proper wrist presence and slipping
under buttoned cuffs.
The dial, to the extent that it exists, is a laser-cut brass ring,
oxidized to a deep grey color with italicized numerals and the Wilk logo
suspended over the black mechanism below. Ian chose white dauphine
hands, white lume, and an orange small seconds hand. In a departure from
the standard Maki dial, he requested his without minute markers. A
signed crown and sapphire crystals (domed in front) top it off.
This watch is fitted with a PVD black ETA 6497-1, a 17-jewel, hand wound
movement with a 18k bph vibration rate and 50-hour power reserve.
Unlike many skeletonized movements, this one eschews gilt and
gingerbread for dark colors, clean lines, and a purposeful, modern look.
Gold wheels, brushed gears, blued screws, and 17 red jewels peek
through the wispy black bridges and plates, offering a bit or ornament,
but in an understated, functional manner. Ian, a Douglas Adams fan, had
the number 42 engraved on the winding gear because, yes, you can
customize that too. Like most hand-winders, the 6497-1 emits an audible
tick that is noticeable when worn, but I did not find it intrusive.
Unlike a none-more-black phantom dial, the sober colors of Ian's Maki
give it intriguing depth, and curious admirers require a second look
before they realize what kind of intricate machinery is on display.
Also, floating white numbers and hands provide excellent readability.
The strap is a sporty padded black sharkskin leather and was excellent
selection. Deep, craggy grain complements the dark and intricate face,
while white stitching echoes the lume, creating a sporting appearance
underscored by those race car numbers and exposed, stylized mechanism. I
think the watch exudes the sort sinister elegance I romantically
associate with antique sports cars, but not as oily.
The Cognatic Scott sent me came from his in-stock selection, so this is a
watch you can buy exactly as-is, mildly altered with a strap of your
choosing, or built from scratch after selecting from the broad menu of
options. This one is in a 44mm wide, 55mm long case with a brushed body,
signed crown, sapphire crystals, and a polished, concave bezel. It was a
bigger watch than I would normally choose for this style, but it wears
smaller than you might think, aided in no small part by the inward curve
of the bezel and a modest 12.7mm thickness.
Wilk offers several variations on the Cognatic dial, in different
materials, both solid and semi-skeletonized, all of which feature a
negative image of a gear, the teeth of which form the hour markers. The
watch has a small second at 9 o'clock and the Wilk logo at 3 o'clock. I
asked Scott to send me this model because the dial features a
combination of his signature design elements. You won't find a printed
dial on a Wilk; images that are not cut away are etched into the
surface, so everything has an added dimension. The dial's surface has a
distinctive character too. As mentioned above, the Wilk catalog reveals a
dizzying selection of materials and designs, but it is apparent that
Scott likes his metal to look like metal. Brushed surfaces and visible
grain are favored over smooth polish or enamel. This particular piece
has a vertical brushing and a dark oxidized patina. I think the partial
cutaway on the left side is especially effective as the gear tooth image
gives way to actual working gears.
The movement is a gunmetal Hangzhou that is nearly identical in design
to the 6497 above. Power reserve is closer to 40 hours than 50, but all
other specifications are the same. [Not quite. Scott tells me the Hangzhou is now upgraded to 21.6k bph.]
The decoration is a traditional scroll pattern engraved on the movement
plates. In use, the most noticeable difference is the sound. Where the
ETA had an audible tick, the Hangzhou is just plain loud. I was keenly
aware of it on my wrist. It's not a deal breaker but does provide a bit
of incentive to plump for the Swiss unit.
Tick-tock aside, the Cognatic was an enjoyable watch. Its proportions
made it easy to wear. The brown leather strap was soft, comfortable, and
of high quality. I was unprepared for its nighttime appearance. The
tapered silver and white hands glowed just as I suspected, but the
luminescence from the logo and etched image caught me off guard. The
hand painted red and grey-green lume may not be the most potent, but
they make for a very cool effect nonetheless.
Given the quality of materials, level of customization, and painstaking
hand construction and assembly that goes into these watches, you would
think they would be absurdly expensive. You would be wrong. The Cognatic
reviewed here is just $495 CAD or about $381 USD. A "standard" Maki
starts at the same price, but Ian paid $2015 CAD ($1534 USD) for his
customized piece. Of course, your options may be different and that is
the beauty of a watch like this. You decide what is important to you,
what is not, and how much you can justify spending. If you do opt for a
custom built watch, you will also have to wait 4-5 months for it to be
made, so the impatient among us might be better served chasing from the
excellent in-stock selection.
Whatever you choose, there is something for everyone in Scott's shop, and they are all very good things indeed.
Whatever you choose, there is something for everyone in Scott's shop, and they are all very good things indeed.
Pro: Freedom of choice.
Con: So. Many. Choices...
Sum: A unique, bespoke, handmade watch for an outstanding price.
