What We Know
If there’s a young brand that’s certainly made an aggressive push in the realm of industrial-aesthetic haute horlogerie, it’s Vanguart. Mark Kauzlarich told the brand’s founding story last year, highlighting a team with an absolutely stacked resume in high-end watchmaking. So today, we’re taking a look at the brand’s newest take on its second watch, the Orb, with its newest treatment—pink ceramic.
It’s a unique offering in the space, certainly due to its all-pink livery, but also thanks to its collaboration with retailer Material Good for this 25-piece limited edition. The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic’s exclusivity with the retailer is probably no surprise, given the large push by Material Goods’ Yoni Ben-Yehuda to promote the upstart brand through its sales channels.
Here, what was originally an aggressive machine in black and silver gets toned down in shades of powdery pink thanks to the inclusion of colored ceramic within the 41mm by 10.5mm titanium case, seen in both the side of the case as well as the function selector pusher in the crown (more on that in a little bit). The accent extends onto the openworked dial of the watch, which is more a three-dimensional city of components that puts the flying tourbillon on full display. The handset, skeletonized and filled with lume at the ends, sits above everything else.
Though telling the time probably isn’t the strict mission of the Orb, a nicely decorated minutes track sits between strips of pink, color and texture matched to the exterior ceramic. Those strips are the rehaut and the exposed peripheral rotor, which embeds a brilliant-cut diamond for a bit of visual flair. It spins around freely during the watch’s automatic mode, but can be locked during manual mode, just… cuz. Sitting right at 12 o’clock is a large floating barrel, with the function selector indicator impressively integrated right on top. At each push of the ceramic button within the crown, the mode switches between three: automatic, manual, and a third that allows turning the crown to set the time.
Looking deeper into the caliber, and you’ll see that the cage of the 3Hz tourbillon, the mainplate, and the bridges are all cast in grade 5 titanium, a notably more difficult metal to machine and finish (especially in this case, by hand). Yes, there is a lot of sandblasting for the bridges to add another textural component, but hand-beveling contrasts it nicely and gives a bit of glimmer to an otherwise very matte movement. Select parts are black polished for additional light reflections. My favorite little touch is probably the pink PVD treatment on the mainplate itself, which adds a bit more of that pink theming while still retaining an industrial look.
Turn the watch around, and the caseback shows off more of those aggressively designed titanium bridges, with the winding gears on full display. A frosted “MG” signature for the retailer sits towards the bottom of the sapphire casaeback, right above one of the quick-release pushers for the interchangeable strap system.
The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic is priced at CHF 170,000 and available only at US-based retailer Material Good.
What We Think
The Orb from Vanguart offers a very interesting aesthetic, one that my colleague first called a hybrid between a Richard Mille and a Royal Oak Concept. What the Orb does successfully, however, is offer a smoother silhouette that feels a touch more balanced, helping offset the captivating aggressiveness of the flying tourbillon movement architecture. At this price point, Vanguart continues to pursue a mentality of “the more complicated the better,” with a resulting watch that has perhaps an overwhelming number of things going on inside. But with folks running the brand with extensive pedigrees from places like Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi, it’s probably no surprise here that the philosophy is about doing as much as possible.
While the Orb looks quite gigantic in renders, on the wrist, it’s actually quite wearable. It’s probably because watches with a similar look tend to wear much larger, but here the Orb offers better thought-out ergonomics. As I’d imagine collectors considering the Orb are also cross-shopping against watches like the Royal Oak Concept or some models from Richard Mille, this may prove to be an advantage for the much younger brand.
Will Material Good be able to find twenty-five eager buyers yearning for an extravagant mechanical machine clad in pink for their wrists at a price point of approximately $215,000? Only time will tell, but it would not surprise me if they’re all spoken for in a surprisingly short amount of time, knowing the collector base that the high-end retailer has cultivated.
The Basics
Brand: Vanguart
Model: Orb Pink Ceramic
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 10.5mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium and pink ceramic
Dial Color: Pink
Indexes: Engraved
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber with quick change system
The Movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon, function selection between three modes
Power Reserve: 60 hours
Winding: Automatic (or manual-only)
Frequency: 21,600 VpH (3Hz)
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Grade 5 titanium mainplate, bridges, and tourbillon cage
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 170,000
Availability: Material Good
Limited Edition: Yes, 25 pieces.
For more, click here.
