Back in April 2016, the aBlogtoWatch giveaway was the Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition watch. Richard B. from Austin, Texas, USA, won the piece made by the Canadian micro-brand who we had a chance to interview here. Here is Richard’s review for the aBlogtoWatch audience. Once again, thanks to Richard and all the other watch winners who share their experiences with the world.
I was so excited to win this prize! I could not believe it. I ran to the mail to get the package, and I was not disappointed: a big box with the goodies inside that came from Wilk Watchworks in Canada. I opened it, and there was a lot to unpack. There was a beautiful wood box with a suede inner layer and a polished dark wood finish with streaks of brown. It is an amazing box with beautiful stainless steel hinges with a white suede finish on the inside. It is simply a beautiful case in which to display the watch. In addition to the beautiful box, there was an envelope with three additional watch straps, one of the nicest strap changing tools, and extra spring bars.
The case of the Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition watch is a combination of brushed and polished steel. The bezel is polished as is the top of the lugs. The polished steel extends around the front of the lugs to the bottom of the lugs. The inside of the lugs where the spring bars are connected and the underside are not polished. This is fine, as you can’t see the underside of the lugs most of the time, and all the better to not show any scratches when you change the straps. The brushed portions are on the side of the case going around the watch.
What I like about the brushed nature of the case is that it has a vertical texture, and if you run your finger around the outside of the case you can feel this. The Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition case is very well-done and helps to focus attention on the dial. The crown is substantial with great grip and is very easy to use. The crown is polished which makes it stand out from the brushed part of the case. It also has the Wilk Watchworks symbol in brushed metal that is placed in the center of the crown. This is a great touch.
The dial looks like it is a grey metallic material – it is in fact oxidized brass. It has vertical striping that is very subtle – I have tried to take a photograph to highlight this but it is difficult to capture. The dial changes depending on the light from a very light grey to almost black. I’ve never seen a dial like this on a watch before, and I love it. At the 12 o’ clock position is the Wilk Watchworks symbol, which I love. It’s minimalist and symbolizes the brand without the lines of text that I see on watches these days (I call it the triple triangle).
The symbol is white and is also lumed. At the 9, 12, and 3 positions are three white, long, rectangular markings that are lumed. The 6 o’clock marking is smaller due to the opening for the tourbillon. The markings for the other numbers are black and thinner, and they are not great for legibility but provide contrast on the dial with the white markings.
The hands of the Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition are also lumed and are a combination of sword- and a pilot-style hands that come together with a long tip at the end. I like the size of the hands, and that the hour hand touches the 12 o’clock hour markings, falling just short of the other hour markers, the minute hand just touches the outer cage of the tourbillon. Any longer and they would cover the tourbillon as it moves around the lower part of the dial.
At the 6 o’clock position is a large circular opening where, of course, the star of the show is: the tourbillon. There are small square dots around the tourbillon – white ones at 15 and 45 seconds, and black dots everywhere else. Again, in the dark, the black dots are hard to see but this is not important to me, as the hands are lumed. Speaking of the lume, it is bright and long-lasting, and glows a bright green. I love the fact that the Wilk symbol is lumed and also that only the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock markers are lumed.
The Chinese-made Hangzhou tourbillon movement makes a complete rotation once every sixty seconds, and so is used as the running seconds indicator. The movement also has a ticking sound which you hear only if it is completely silent around you. I love this! This is one of the reasons I love mechanical and vintage watches. Oh, and the movement provides 40 hours of power reserve.
The back of the Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition watch is attractive with a combination of blued and steel screws and pink ruby jewels. There are horizontal Geneva stripes on the base plate. One of the gears has a nice touch with “ABTW” and the Wilk Watchworks symbol engraved in the surface. This makes a special watch a one-of-a-kind piece.
It was advised to wind the movement once a day, which I love doing. I am also very careful not to overwind the movement. I’ve check the movement and its time with my computer clock and it has been spot on so far, with no noticeable change in the timing. Please note, this was an informal test just checking it against my computer clock periodically.
The Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition watch comes with a brown strap with brown stitching. The strap has mottled dark spots that reminds me of the skin of giraffe, and it is thick and comfortable. The back side of the strap is black with the stamped logo of Wilk Watchworks. The look is completed with a great, very well-made butterfly clasp. The clasp is very secure and even if it opens, it is fixed in the hole, and you snap it open to move the pin out of the hole before the strap will move.
Wilk Watchworks also includes three additional straps. One dark brown, one light brown, and a black strap. All of these straps come with buckles with the Wilk logo stamped in them. You can change the straps with the strap-changing tool provided and also switch to the butterfly deployant clasp provided.
This Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition is a great watch that wears comfortably and shows off the tourbillon extremely well. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments wearing it. I do find myself just looking at the tourbillon spinning and being mesmerized by it.
I have to compliment Wilk Watchworks for an amazing package. The box, the additional straps, additional spring bars, and one of the nicest strap changing tools I’ve come across makes this an amazing package. Add to that the fact that Wilk Watchworks backs up its work with a warranty and additional servicing of the watch, and I can’t recommend this watch enough. I’m actually thinking of ordering another tourbillon from Wilk.
Once again, I would like to end with a sincere thank you to everyone at aBlogtoWatch and Wilk Watchworks for such an amazing prize. To everyone else keep entering the monthly watch giveaways! I never thought I’d actually win, and I’ve won one of the nicest prizes out there.
This special Wilk Watchworks Lydian Tourbillon ABTW Special Edition watch has a retail price value of CA$1,325. wilkwatchworks.com
