WORLDTEMPUS - 15 September 2011
Elizabeth Doerr
American watchmaking currently has little claim to the high-end watch market. When Devon began talking about the Tread 1 project two years ago, I had the honor of being one of the first to report on it – in fact doing so before it was ready to be strapped to a wrist.
Some of my colleagues chided me for reporting on a watch that wasn't serial-ready at the time, and even though that is not my usual style, I went ahead and did it anyway because I was blown away by the concept behind it and the audacity surrounding it.
My nose served me well, and I was very pleased to see working prototypes at Baselworld 2010. The pride of the Devon team – which includes designer Jason Wilbur, company owner Scott Devon, and managing director Ehren Bragg – must be immense. The Tread 1 is an amazing piece of technology and one of those modern wristwatches destined to attract a younger generation of fine watch wearers to the world of haute horology.
The chance to actually test one for a month was a chance I grabbed with two hands.
New technology
One thing about me is that I'm not a real fan of newer technologies. This is perhaps the root of my fascination with mechanical watches. They all work the same way and regardless where the watch comes from, I never have to “learn” how to use it when I put a new one on.
I have to say that when the Tread 1 arrived for its test period, I was not enamored of the idea of reading the instruction booklet (however short it was), so I decided not to. The first surprise therefore occurred when I tried to use the crown: the large grippable knob located at 6 o'clock is not utilized in the average way.
Ultimately perusing the instructions, I discovered there wasn't that much to learn after all. And one of the highlights of this watch actually came about when I saw what happens when you turn the watch on and off. This is done by pressing the crown in and holding it.
Doing this literally became an actual event, and by the third day, I was turning the watch on and off at meals and everywhere else to allow everyone around me to join in the fun. Which they willingly partook in – even if they could normally care less about watches.
What occurs when you turn this mini-machine on or off is that the fascinating belts go into a little dance. Turning the Tread 1 on, the belts rotate all the way around 12 hours before scurrying off to the current time. When turning it off, they take another ride around the clock before settling into the 12:00 position. The next time the Tread 1 is turned on, this begins all over again. Cool is that the watch remembers what time it is. The reason for this is that the electric step motor that powers it is outfitted with a little chip that functions much like your computer, another electronic appliance that remembers the time whether it is “on” or “off.”
T-t-t-ticking away
The next highly noticeable thing about the Tread 1 was its loud ticking noise. In fact, the ticking was so loud that I decided to contact Bragg to make sure there was nothing wrong. I could electronically hear his chortle as he explained, “The ticking is a result of the action of the micro-step motors we use to move the belts. They weren't made to sound quieter or louder than they naturally are because it's virtually impossible to alter their action. However, we did program a ‘quiet mode' into the Tread 1.”
This quiet mode, simply activated by twisting the crown in a counterclockwise direction and holding it there for four seconds, deactivates the seconds belt altogether and slightly slows down the movement of the minute and hour belts, which dampens the sound. This also functions as a “power-save” mode since, Bragg explained, the seconds belt actually draws as much as 80 percent of the power from the battery.
Bragg also added that there are wearers who quite like the sound. I can understand this, since I allow my iPad and digital cameras to make their artificial noises letting me know they are performing properly. I ended up leaving the watch in normal function in an environment with higher ambient noise and quiet mode at other times.
If looks could kill
Last, but hardly least, was the effect the Tread 1 had on people I came in contact with. I had men, and even little boys, all over me when they spied the watch. My aunt called the watch a “guy magnet,” which actually prompted me to wear it every time I went out. The reactions were always the same: fascination, utter incomprehension and extreme envy. Until they heard the price: coming in at a cool $19,000, the looks that followed contained a short bout of incomprehensible shock (remember, my conversation partners were generally average people not involved in the watch industry) followed by another round of envy.
For me and my little tiny wrists, the size of 53.3 x 47 mm was really stretching the limit. While the Tread 1 sat securely on my arm thanks to a very durable rubber strap, its rectangular shape and the movable lugs, the watch was without doubt very conspicuous. The curved stainless steel case was extremely ergonomic, and thank goodness it does not have a sapphire crystal, which would have made it far too heavy to wear, even though a pricey watch like that should by rights be outfitted with sapphire. The scratch-resistant, anti-reflective polycarbonate crystal it is outfitted with is far more practical in this case.
Each night of my test period ended with putting the Tread 1 “to sleep” in its “battery box.” This has to be the coolest thing ever: just set the Tread 1 down on its preordained pedestal, close the lid and plug the box into the wall socket. Voilá: your Tread 1 is all juiced up and ready to perform the next morning. No muss, no fuss at all. The company says just one such charge will keep it running for up to two weeks.
This watch will provide enough entertainment to compensate for the price of admission, and if you're single, you better believe it will get you into all kinds of interesting conversations with members of both sexes.
