Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Vibrant, Stylish and Accessible Selten Grand Feu Enamel Collection
A balanced design, lively Grand Feu enamel dials and a very sensible price make for one hell of a good watch!
We often look for creativity and originality in watches, whether they come from a mainstream name or a microbrand. When that is mixed with a display of craftsmanship, our heart rate spikes a bit more, as you can imagine. And luckily, creativity, originality and craftsmanship are still found in abundance! A fine example of this magical trifecta is the new Selten Grand Feu Enamel. While its name leaves little doubt as to what it’s about, it comes with a ton of interesting little details and design elements that elevate it to a very compelling watch on all fronts!
Selten is a microbrand from Hong Kong, founded by Leonardo Tsai in 2017, with the intent of creating original watches that blend heritage and innovation. While heritage is hard to come by, if not impossible, for an upstart brand with no history to look back on, it can be found in craftsmanship. And that is exactly what Selten aims to do, through all its collections to date. This latest addition to Selten’s incorporates one of the oldest and most loved metiers d’art techniques: Grand Feu Enamel. In the search for the perfect dial for this new watch, Leonardo met with Qin, a self-taught enamel artist, engraver and jeweller from China. And by the looks of it, Qin is a master in his craft!
The dial is the main talking point here, and it comes in two closely related styles and in five different colours. The dial is hand-carved to get either a sunray-brushed or spiralling pattern, with 700 grooves radiating from the centre. They are each given their own name, with Flare for the straight line dial, and Spiral for the, well, spiralling one. It takes up to five hours of labour to create a single dial, before it is given its colour. And speaking of which, Selten offers a set of five very distinct and vibrant tones to choose from: Prism Violet, Sunbird Blue, Rustique, Golden Fall and Moonstone.
After the grooves have been cut into the dial blank, it’s coated with a translucent enamel to give it depth and shine, before being finished with printed markers and details. Elongated Roman numerals and a railroad-style minute track are classical elements in watch design, but never go out of style. To add a further touch of elegance, the central minute and seconds hands have a bent tip, while the hours are indicated with an observatoire-style hand. In the Golden Fall and Moonstone iterations, the seconds hand is also thermally blued. The result is very impressive, as the dial is very lively and throws around light as you wear it, and seemingly changes colours as you go about your business.
All this is set in a nicely proportioned steel case of 39mm in width and 10.9mm in height. The finishing is a mix of brushed sections, on the caseband and the lugs, for instance, and polished ones. The bezel has a concave profile and is fully polished, and there’s a sapphire crystal on both sides of the case. The crown has a flat-onion-like design and is easy to grip and manipulate. The water-resistance is rated at 50m. All things considered, the fit and finish are quite nice and honestly surprised me in a good way! It’s a thoughtful design with interesting details without being revolutionary.
While previous collections by Selten have relied on movements from Miyota, the Grand Feu Enamel range is a big step up in terms of mechanics. It uses the Soprod M100 automatic, which can be seen through the back. It’s essentially an evolution of the Soprod A10 calibre and, at heart, a clone of the ETA 2892. It runs at frequency of 28,800vph and delivers 42 hours of running time. The finishing is quite acceptable, with fine brushing, perlage and blued screws. The hand-engraved rotor you see in this Golden Fall edition is a USD 100 premium.
The Selten Grand Feu Enamel is fitted to a grained leather strap with a pin buckle and quick-release pushpins as standard. On top of that, you can also opt for two types of bracelets. While they look identical, and both have a spring-loaded butterfly clasp, the difference is the micro-adjustable end-links to allow for that extra bit of flexibility during your day. Without it, Selten charges an extra $80 for the bracelet, and with it, that jumps to $150. During the pre-order window, which starts today (May 22nd), the prices are USD 1,899 for the Flare dial and USD 2,199 for the Spiral dial. The regular prices for both are USD 2,599 and USD 2,899. All things considered, that is not too bad for a watch with such a striking dial! Not too bad at all!
For more information or to secure a pre-order, please visit SeltenWatch.com.
