I’ve been digging this piece for quite some time, and am glad that the maker has finally released some pr imagery. While more than a concept watch, the concept behind this piece is that the watch is available only to martial arts, black belt holders. The maker’s tagline hits, “The first watch in the world that money can’t buy!”, but I think the concept is too cool to be so limited. I know many people who are digging this piece but venture no closer to martial arts than a bug to my footprint. Anyhow, check the piece out….
Developed and manufactured in Switzerland, the Black Belt Watch is solely reserved for black belt holders, regardless of the martial art style. Each practitioner has to provide an official rank certificate. It’s also very cool to note that Black Belt Watch supports the “Little Dreams” foundation and donates a percentage of its sales to the “No Difference” cause. This is a program that aims to grant young people with a handicap, the chance to realize their passion for a martial art.
As a tribute to the Bushido code of conduct and its 7 virtues, the black belt fighters, Claudio Alessi and Yvan Arpa, teamed up with Swiss watchmakers and created a timepiece cloaked with Gi Rectitude – Yu Courage – Jin Benevolence – Rei Respect – Makoto Honesty – Meiyo Honor – Chugi Loyalty. Claudio Alessi gained the World Championship title along with those of several European and Swiss Championships. This multi style Sensei who is a Mixed Martial Arts instructor has also developed a specific technique to teach Martial Arts to disabled people. On a related note, Yvan Arpa decided to leave the tournaments’ tatami mats and join the challenging Swiss watchmaking scene. His marketing vision fueled for success Sector No limit, the Hublot Big Bang and Romain Jerome, where he created an overnight sensation with the “DNA of Famous Legends” concept. He produced two collections “Titanic-DNA” and “Moon Dust-DNA”.
specs for the Black Belt…
• self-winding mechanical movement manufactured in Switzerland
• water resistence to 100 meters
• steel case, satin-finished and PVD treated
• dial’s background pattern emulates the fabric used for kimonos;
• hands replicating a Shinai, the traditional bamboo sword used for practice in Kendo
• steel bezel, sandblasted and stamped with polished Kanji characters
• engraved caseback with “For Black Belts Only” in 5N rose gold
• waterproof” calfskin and rubber strap resembling the texture of a kimono
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