What I want now is a watch that can “talk”. German brand DUFA, four masterpieces celebrating the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus [PR]
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A series of works by DUFA, a watch brand made in Germany, is attracting attention. It is a Bauhaus 100th anniversary model that pays homage to the German comprehensive education school "Bauhaus", which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.
The series, which began to be announced in April 2019, will be the fourth installment in "Van der Rohe Chrono" scheduled to be released in December.
Simple design that gives a sense of functional beauty, DUFA's traditional charm of 30,000 to 50,000 yen, which is easy to reach, and the German watch brand boom that shows signs of trend, recorded strong sales. ing.
Currently, there are 4 types of anniversary models
From the left) 1st "Van der Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y", 3rd "Weimar DF-" 9006-0C”, the second “Gropius DF-9001-A2”, and the fourth “van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D” scheduled to be released on November 29th.
All series consist of special editions arranged from DUFA's popular series.
While inheriting a simple appearance that pursues functional beauty, the color scheme of the needle and leather belt, and the stitching work reminiscent of bartacking are the basic shape of the design “△〇□” and the three primary colors “yellow・The design philosophy advocated by Bauhaus, such as "blue and red", is strongly reflected. The special edition has a special feeling, and at the same time, it has a unique modern feel that makes you feel friendly.
Journalist Ii, who has a deep knowledge of luxury items linked to European and Western culture, such as leather shoes and mechanical wristwatches, has this organic nuance that can be seen in many products and buildings that descend from the Bauhaus. Masaki describes it as "emotion".
The simple and functional design is the philosophy of Bauhaus
Mr. Masaki Ii / Born in Tokyo in 1956. As a luxury goods researcher, he pursues real clothing that emphasizes men's style. In addition to various media, we are engaged in product planning and consulting for companies.
“Less Is More” is a maxim of the third Bauhaus principal, Mies van der Rohe, but it has gained popularity in the current casual watch market. The simple and functional design that is used is exactly what it is.”
“In general, German design has an image of being simple and tough.However, designs based on the Bauhaus philosophy are disciplined yet emotional, so they convey warmth and kindness to the viewer. inform"
"The Bauhaus opened in 1919 after the First World War.The founder wanted to give moisture to the exhausted German people through design, such as paying a big price due to post-war processing. It may have been in the minds of Gropius and others."
Luxury item researcher sees delicacy and emotional order in DUFA
“What impressed me when I saw this collection was that each watch was casually and gently equipped with an amazing mechanism. is that
"Weimar DF-9006-0C" is a dual time display that can simultaneously display home time and local time, and "Gropius DF-9001-A2" is a small seconds model with a small second hand at 6 o'clock.・Del Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y” and “Van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D” are both chronograph models with three in-dials. I was surprised to find that they combined these functions into an extremely simple design that conveys a sense of delicacy and emotional order.”
Let's actually look at the details of the "Van der Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y" and "Van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D".
The Van der Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y has a 60-minute counter at 12 o'clock and a 12-hour counter at 9 o'clock.
On the other hand, the Van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D has a 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock.
Both are functions for measuring and recording the elapsed time, but there is a difference in the movement of the central chronograph hands. The characteristic is the latter "van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D", which is actually equipped with a single-hand split second function.
You can start and stop with the pusher at 2 o'clock, but if you press the pusher at 4 o'clock while the chronograph is running, the hands will stop moving. The next time you press the pusher, the hands instantly move to where they would have been if the button hadn't been pressed. In other words, lap measurement is possible, and this is called a single-hand split-second function.
This function is one of the four major functions in complicated mechanical watches, along with the perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and tourbillon.
"I think it's purely amazing to have this feature in quartz."
The details such as the case are also beautiful
"The four pieces in the lineup are all polished 316L stainless steel. It's a material with high hardness and resistance to scratches, but this kind of reflection The fact that the light comes out in the dark is proof that the case has been carefully polished.
"It's also attractive that the index is applied."
The indexes on the dial are not printed, but applied by embedding different parts. The Berlin e-mail typeface used for the Arabic numerals is so thin that it looks like a bar index when viewed from a distance.
"The sub-dial that expresses the circle with the hollow of the 'Van der Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y' is also wonderful, but this typeface is wonderful. Mies van der It embodies Rohe's maxim, "God is in the details."Of course, that's not all.The legacy of working on clock movements and music boxes, which are crafts in the past, is the reason why DUFA creates a unique harmony. I wonder if I can say that."
In the last 20 years, Ii says, German watches have reached a level of quality that rivals Swiss brands.
“I think DUFA is rare in terms of delivering such interesting variations of quartz, purely made in Germany, and at a low price. I feel it."
Bauhaus 100th Anniversary Model
"Van der Rohe Barcelona Chronograph DF-9021-100Y" is a tribute to the German Pavilion presented at the 1929 Barcelona World Exposition. A bar index-based day-date chronograph with a red 60-minute counter at 12 o'clock, a small yellow second hand at 6 o'clock, and a blue 12-hour counter at 9 o'clock. The 100th anniversary model has changed the belt material from suede to smooth leather. Case diameter 38mm, Japanese quartz, 316L steel case, 3 ATM water resistant. 45,000 yen
"Gropius DF-9001-A2" is a model that was inspired by the philosophy of Walter Gropius, one of the masters of modern architecture and the founder and first principal of the Bauhaus. A white dial with long Arabic numeral indexes is equipped with a red hour hand, a yellow minute hand, and a blue small seconds dial at 6 o'clock. The index at the 10 o'clock position marked with "100" gives a sense of sleekness unique to the anniversary model. Case diameter 38mm, Japanese quartz, 316L steel case, 3 ATM water resistant. 35,000 yen
"Weimar DF-9006-0C" is a model with the index of being the most classic in the Bauhaus collection, and the name comes from Weimar, Thuringia, the birthplace of Bauhaus. In addition to a small window for date display at the 6 o'clock position, it has a GMT function that can display the second time zone using a wavy red hand. Case diameter 38mm, Swiss quartz, 316L steel case, 3 ATM water resistant. 35,000 yen
The "van der Rohe Chrono DF-9002-0D" is a model inspired by the aforementioned Mies van der Rohe. A bold design with the motif of "100" is incorporated by making use of the small red second hand and the 30-minute counter with the blue hand. Equipped with a 12-hour counter and a small window for date display at the 6 o'clock position. Case diameter 38mm, Japanese quartz, 316L steel case, 3 ATM water resistant. 45,000 yen (Scheduled to be released on November 29)
= Shop list = DUFA official website https://deutsche-uhrenfabrik.jp/TiCTAC Sapporo Stellar Place store 011･209･5170 TiCTAC Sendai Parco store 022･774･8130 SPINDLE Shin-Marunouchi Building store 03･3211･5117 TiCTAC Nagoya Takashimaya Gate Tower Mall Store 052･566･6421 Osaka Takashimaya 1F 06･6631･1398 TiCTAC Amu Plaza Hakata store 092･413･5464
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Interview and text: Kazuhiro Watanabe Photography: Shoichi Muramoto (BYTHEWAY)