I’ll happily watch the seconds of my life tick away if it means looking at this new watch from Leica, the world’s foremost camera maker.
For whatever reason, 2018 was the year the Wetzlar, Germany-based company decided to add watches to their offerings, which has been running the camera and lens game since its 1914 founding. The project’s origins actually date back to 2012, as part of a collab with Achim Heine, but did not come to the market until now.
Two initial models, the L1 and L2, both manually wound, are available for a starting price of about $11,650. The power reserve indicators on both pieces draw a direct aesthetic line to the light meters on their cameras.
Other specs: 41mm stainless-steel cases (though the L2 has an 18-karat gold option), a ruby in the push-crown calling to mind the brand’s logo, and the overall impeccable attention to engineering that has made them a global name in optics.
Flip it over and admire the sapphire casing that exposes the movement; just don’t drool on it.
Editor’s note: True story — I once had the privilege of birdwatching with a pair of $3,000 Leica binoculars. If that sounds like a high price for a pair of specs, don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em … and even then for God’s sake please don’t knock ‘em. Those things have more inherent value than the Hope Diamond.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
