New CEO, new website, new signature, new collection: Kerbedanz is firing on all cylinders. After three years focusing solely on the Maximus, the largest functional wristwatch tourbillon ever (developed by Concepto), the brand has decided to expand its identity and, in doing so, avoid that well-known trap: becoming a one-watch brand, synonymous with a single movement and a single product. “We’ve spent nine years working on our legends. We’ve become a niche brand, positioned mainly in Eastern Europe and known exclusively for small series. Now we’re adopting a radical change in positioning,” explains CEO Guillain Maspétiol.
Small, medium and large: a Cadanz for everyone
Cadanz is the first visible sign of this change in direction. Limited series and supersized cases are no more, moving from 49mm to 32, 36 and 41mm. Nor is this just a question of millimetres. The 32mm and 36mm sizes open the collection to women, previously absent from Kerbedanz’s development.
With them in mind, the brand has combined classic features with the distinctive design elements established with the Maximus. For classic appeal, there is the round case, the three-hands and date functionality, the options of a mother-of-pearl dial and diamonds on the crown and/or case. For the Kerbedanz touch, the date is positioned at 2 o’clock – an unusual choice that appears entirely natural. Above it, also at 2 o’clock, is the crown – a tell-tale sign that the movement has been rotated 30 degrees. Then there is the partnership with Vaucher for the 36mm and 41mm models, something many wouldn’t have expected and which paves the way for a longer-term collaboration with this specialist in solid, reasonably complicated movements. Guillain Maspétiol even confides that “we’re working on a monopusher chronograph.”
On its own: the 41mm
The 41mm model is aimed more at a male audience, with its contemporary, bolder aesthetic. Date and crown are again at 2 o’clock… but this is where the similarities end. Hands, dial, font, strap, colours and finish are completely different from those on the 32mm and 36mm Cadanz. In fact, it would have made sense to give this series another name entirely.
As well as a boutique edition, there are versions in steel and a Signature version – which at Kerbedanz means a gold case. On the movement front, the 36mm and 41mm models share the same Vaucher calibre, which provides a comfortable 50 hours of power reserve: still in the lower echelons of what can be achieved but it’s always nice to go above the sacrosanct 42 hours.
Starting prices are CHF 6,300 for the 32mm model, CHF 7,800 for 36mm and CHF 8,200 for 41mm. Competition, on a manufacture movement base, comes from the Zenith Elite, Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Classic or Chopard’s Happy Sport. Omega’s De Ville offer more affordable options while Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda, together with the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony, carry a higher price tag. Kerbedanz has thus chosen to occupy a middle ground which hopefully will win over an audience in what is a new demographic for the brand.
