German watch brand Laco has teamed up with online wrist-watch enthusiast publication aBlogtoWatch (ABTW) to develop a post-apocalyptic, conceptual art-watch. The concept itself is a tribute to Laco's watchmaking history, and a nod to the video game Fallout by Bethesda Game Studios.
When ABTW Founder Ariel Adams
discovered a potential to develop a watch for historic German watch
brand Laco, he approached ABTW contributor, friend, and designer Matt
Smith-Johnson with the opportunity. Laco’s unique “Erbstück”
line of watches presented an interesting creative outlet. The watches
could be rapidly aged to look like storied vintage pieces, so
combining their love of horology and gaming culture, they decided to
design a watch around the storytelling of Fallout. Crossing the
distinctive atompunk aesthetic and post-apocalyptic lore of the game
with Laco’s brand history resulted in the “RAD-AUX” Auxiliary
Observer. Limited to 143 pieces, the Laco RAD-AUX is the crown jewel
of the Erbstück series, both looking and feeling like a watch that
has survived multiple catastrophes. It has the appearance of an
in-game item, yet it is a functional timepiece you can wear.
Fallout players will be familiar with
the electrically powered Personal Information Processor, or
“Pip-Boy”: A device worn on the wrist that offers crucial
information about the dystopian nuclear wasteland players must
navigate throughout the game. The Laco RAD-AUX is envisioned as a
partial mechanical backup to the Pip-Boy. Used in conjunction with a
rad-meter (or radiation dosimeter) you could calculate the rate of
fallout after a nuclear event, and relay tolerable exposure times to
other survivors. Users can also reference a radiation exposure guide,
engraved on the RAD-AUX case back.
“It wasn’t difficult to imagine a
watch that myself and other enthusiasts would like – what was
difficult was creating something beautiful, unique, and inspired that
didn’t feel like a cheesy Fallout souvenir,” recalls Ariel. “I
wanted a watch that both horology and sci-fi fans could actually
wear, without feeling like they were dressing up for cosplay,” adds
Matt.
The cases, hands, and dials of the
Laco RAD-AUX have been hand-aged and highly patinated by a single
specialized Laco technician in Pforzheim, Germany, using a
proprietary rapid-aging technique. This closely guarded technical
process takes countless hours for each case, dial, and hand set.
This rugged mechanical timepiece is
fully equipped for the rough-and-tumble life of a Fallout survivor.
Containing a Swiss automatic movement (ETA 2824.2) with 38hr power
reserve and hacking seconds feature, this watch will keep moving as
long as you do. The 42mm diameter case has features a 20mm lug width
and 13mm thickness. A sapphire crystal treated with anti-reflective
coating ensures crisp dial legibility, even in post-apocalyptic
conditions.
Laco also worked with prop-makers,
printers, and artisans in the United States and Canada to create an
immersive presentation for this watch, complete with weathered
artifacts that look like they could have been lifted from the Fallout
game. The straps have been hand-crafted in the USA from leather and
vintage German parachute canvas, each individually treated to match
the weathered look of the RAD-AUX.
Each Laco RAD-AUX timepiece is
presented in a tin-box, weathered by a prop maker, and the
accompanying printed materials have also received a weathered
treatment. By examining the watch and included “artifacts,”
collectors can decipher the dystopian adventure the watch has
endured. Only 143 of these unique collectors’ items will ever be
produced, and they are available online now.
For more information:
More photographs of the watch.
Photographs: Laco
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