My second and more minor complaint about the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph is that the sapphire crystal might be a better shape for glare reduction and could use more AR-coating. This is a common issue among many watches that I have. With that said, you still get a nice view of the dial, which here has a color that almost seamlessly blends in with the case.
The distinctive, blocky minute hand with the arrow-style hour hand are one of the reasons you get a Xemex watch. On this 5500.03 version, the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph uses black color on the otherwise steel-colored hands. No lume here, but that’s because black luminant tends to suck anyway. The perlage-polished face has easy-to-read subdials designed with simple utility in mind, and there is a small, round window for the date at 3 o’clock. A small orb at 12 o’clock helps round out the dial, and in its own way might be a subtle nod to another famed Bauhaus designer – Nathan George Horwitt, who designed the “Museum Dial” made famous by Movado.
A small detail that is actually easy to miss on the dial is the tachymeter scale which is printed in red on the under-side of the sapphire crystal. It is honestly something you might not even notice for a while, but adds an additional level of visual fascination to the overall dial design even if you are never going to use the scale’s functionality.
Over on the rear of the case you’ll see an exhibition window with a view of the movement. Like most Xemex watches there is a Ruedi Kulling signature – which here is applied on the rear crystal. Xemex uses a base Swiss ETA Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement inside of the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph, which is also given a custom rotor design for the brand.
Attached to the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph case is a black rubber strap, but other colors such as white and yellow are available (as you can see on other version of the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph). The straps are fine, but they do need to be physically cut to size in order to work with the butterfly deployant clasp. I do not prefer straps that need to be cut like this, especially since it is often the case that the sizing options are prone to making the strap a bit too loose or a bit too short, and once you cut the strap you can’t really go back. If you get a perfect fit then you are, of course, lucky and will have a nice wearing experience.
With that said, I would like to see more strap options here. In fact, with the unique case design and cool perlage face, I am sure that there are some very cool aftermarket straps that would work well with this watch. Gray-colored alligator? My mind likes to ponder the options even though I’m not one of those “strap savants.” If you are, then please do advise on a good strap choice – which is 20mm wide at the lugs and that tapers down to 18mm at the deployant clasp – which doesn’t really matter if you replace the strap, I suppose.
Xemex is one of those brands that has almost no marketing, isn’t on social media, and requires a lot of searching to even discover. I sort of like that because it means they are product-focused, and aren’t playing a game with modern marketing that doesn’t match the more serious tone of the brand. Of course, Xemex needs to get with the times, but at least you can visit their website and buy the watches directly from them. This is probably a good time check out the brand, and the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph is certainly one of the coolest models suitable for a range of today’s watch wearers. This model also happens to be a limited edition of 600 pieces. Price for the Xemex XE 5000 Chronograph is 2,305.56 Swiss francs without VAT (2,499 Swiss francs within Switzerland due to taxes). xemex.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Xemex
>Model: XE 5000 Chronograph (reference 5500.03 “Chronograph Silver” as reviewed)
>Price: 2,305.56 Swiss francs without VAT
>Size: 44mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Bauhaus aesthetic design lover looking for something which is sporty, modern, and distinctive.
>Best characteristic of watch: Succeeds in being very distinguishable with a cool-looking dial and very readable. Comfortable too, if sized properly. A solid buy in a sea of less exciting options.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Cut-to-size strap not preferable. Crystal could use more glare-reduction techniques. Crown design is attractive but not ergonomic for a mechanical watch.
