When you first see one of Konstantin Chaykin’s “Wristmons” pieces, it’s hard not to think it’s an elaborate prank. The imaginative and mechanically complex character watches do not have the aesthetic trappings of the serious horology that is at work under (and above) the hood. They look like children’s toys, with familiar “faces” often borrowed from popular culture or our shared iconography. A truism in the watch world is that if you see someone wearing a Joker or any other Wristmons piece out in the wild, go talk to them. The conversation is certain to be more interesting than with the guy wearing the vintage Sub.
The latest entry in the Wristmons lineup is the Joker “Fiat Lux,” a limited run of just 38 pieces made for the Chinese market. This one is only barely recognizable as a Joker, though, as the dial has been heavily skeletonized, allowing the wearer to see the mechanism that allows for the watch’s unique display. The idea of “skeletonizing” a dial that depicts a face has a certain meta quality to it, and is probably worthy of an analysis all on its own, especially once you realize that the eyes in this edition have been hollowed out. For now, though, we can simply admire the Joker layout as if it’s been given an x-ray.
The skeletonization itself has been well executed and draws the eye across the dial in such a way that legibility isn’t really a problem, and you kind of naturally admire the craft inherent in the dial work. The centerpiece is a Clous de Paris guilloche pattern in the dial’s upper section, along with silver plating, and a multi-layered varnish coating across other dial elements. Essential Joker features, like the character’s signature teeth and that genuinely creepy smile, are still present thanks to the creativity of the skeletonization process.
One aspect of these watches that often goes under reported is that the movement, at its core, is just a very heavily modified ETA 2824. Chaykin shares something with Ressence here – it’s hard to think of two independents that get more mileage and are capable of doing such creative things with such a common base movement. In the case of the Wristmons pieces, the ingenuity is all in the module that allows for telling the time via the character’s eyes (and the moonphase via the mouth). This is accomplished via an 84 piece module of Chaykin’s own design, that we get a rare view of via the skeletonization on the front side. The rear also has an exhibition caseback, but the rotor design is such that the view of the movement is mostly obscured.
Along similar lines as other Wristmons pieces, this one comes in at 42mm in diameter and is about 12mm tall. It’s crafted from stainless steel and features a playing card themed bezel. Whenever I’ve had the chance to see one of these in person (a rare treat) I’m always a little surprised by how imposing they are – 42mm seems like a standard size, but the Joker is a big 42mm in my opinion. But that seems appropriate, somehow. This is one of those statement pieces that no one who wears one will want to go under the radar.
The Top Three Wristmons Watches
For no reason in particular, now seems like as good a time as any to pull together a highly unofficial list of the top three watches in the Wristmons collection. Everytime we write about one of these watches, we dig back into the archives and are reminded of the variety (and, frankly, insanity) of some of Chaykin’s creations. This list could change from day to day, and it’s not exactly scientific. But for these purposes we’ll exclude the new “Fiat Lux” as well as the original Joker.
Pumpkinhead
This bright orange Wristmons piece made its debut in 2017 and began a tradition of limited edition versions of the watch made specifically for Halloween. It’s a horological Jack-O-Lantern, and was one of the first Wristmons releases to expand the vocabulary of the collection in a meaningful way. It set a standard of slightly menacing, but fun.
Andersen x Chaykin Automaton Joker
The first collaboration between Svend Andersen and Chaykin, this is simultaneously the most refined Joker and the most patently ridiculous. Housed in a red gold case of Andersen’s design, the dial is about as clean an interpretation of the Joker motif as you can get. Some elevated finishing goes a long way here and makes this Joker almost dressy.
But then you flip it over, and you’re literally in Dogs Playing Poker territory. Well, one dog, and three esteemed members of Batman’s classic Rogue’s Gallery. We’ve got the Joker, of course, plus the Penguin and Poison Ivy playing against a border collie that we can only assume is meant to be Lassie. It’s an automaton, and it runs for up to two minutes when fully wound, and is quite simply one of the craziest complications we’ve ever seen.
Minions
Believe it or not, there are actually two Minions Wristmons pieces, one in steel and another released two years later in titanium. I’m a purest, clearly, so I’m partial to the original steel that first saw the light of day in 2021.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a Despicable Me movie and don’t even really have a solid grasp on what a “Minion” is. All I know, I’ve learned from movie trailers. But I’m kind of obsessed with the very idea of this watch existing. The fact that one of the most niche independent watchmakers in the world has made two watches that feature characters from one of the most popular movie franchises of our time is an incredible thing, and speaks to the surprising reach of fine watchmaking, and that “fine watchmaking” can, in fact, be just about anything we want it to be. Konstantin Chaykin
