Feynman One Eclipse

Sponsored

Manufacturer: Feynman Timekeepers | Price: $955 USD (£830 GBP, €895 EUR (approx))

I was contacted by Feynman a few weeks ago, to originally see if I could review their upcoming Feynman Cove compressor diver. I said yes, as I’m always open to review dive/sports watches, especially those with a unique design. Unfortunately, due to shipping issues, Feynman sent me their dress watch first with a view on sending their diver at a later date. A dress watch isn’t something I’d normally review, but I thought, sod it, at least it’ll give me an idea of their build quality etc…

Feynman One Eclipse Review

Specifications

  • Dimensions: Diameter – 39.3mm, Thickness – 12.4mm, Lug to Lug – 46.6mm, Lug Width – 20mm
  • Movement: Swiss ETA 7001 Top Grade, Manual Wind, 17 Jewels, 21,600vph (3Hz), 42hr Power Reserve
  • Case Material: Brushed & Polished 316L Stainless Steel
  • Strap: Lizard Skin, Calf Skin Backing, 120/75mm, Signed SS Buckle
  • Crystal: Sapphire, Underside Anti-Reflective Coating
  • Bezel: Fixed, Brushed & Polished
  • Water Resistance: 100m / 10ATM
  • Lume: Nil         Crown: Push/Pull, Signed
  • Caseback: Screwed Down, Exhibition Display
  • Warranty: 1 Year    Overall Weight: 80g      Where to Buy: Feynman Timekeepers
  • Options: Dial Colour – Classic Black, Eclipse Blue, Olive Green, Panda White, Wine Red

Feynman Timekeepers - A Brief Introduction

"We are primarily, watch lovers. Feynman is a collective of collectors and artisans, who share a common passion for watches. We believe in the art of mechanical timekeeping, and work towards sharing our reverence with the world, starting with the communities closest to us.

What we aspire towards:
1) Creating mechanical timekeepers for watch lovers.
2) Inculcating an appreciation of watches in new watch collectors.
3) Spreading the passion for mechanical timepieces.

We are inspired by the prevalent beautify that is all around us, in both natural and urban environments, extracting aesthetic inspiration from all that is beautiful in our surroundings. We seek guidance from natural design principles, as well as architectural practices, creating silhouettes which are aesthetically pleasing, coupled with synergistic colour palettes, to create designs which will stand the test of time.

In the inaugural release, Feynman introduces the Feynman One, a mechanical hand-winding timekeeper which seeks to revive our interaction with our watch. The Feynman One is a modern interpretation of classic silhouettes and design cues, creating an entirely new visual take on the dress watch. With the Feynman One, we were able to achieve our idealised vision of a modern dress watch, with a multi-layered dial design, unconventional case, and a venerable Swiss movement."

Case & Crown

The case of the Feynman One has an overall diameter of 39.3mm. The lug to lug is 46.6mm and the overall thickness, including the sapphire crystal, I measured in at 12.4mm. The entire case, bezel and crown are all 316L stainless steel with the caseback showcasing an exhibition display. As you can see in the images the build quality is very nice indeed, although there is a little too much polishing for my tastes, but obviously suits the overall dress watch aesthetic of the Feynman One. The overall weight of the watch, including the supplied lizard skin strap came in at a rather light 80g.

The Feynman One has a water resistance rating of 100m, thanks to the screwed in caseback which is more than acceptable, and is actually well above the average WR for a dress watch. The proportions of the watch are great and it’s very comfortable thanks to the supplied 20mm lizard skin strap with calf skin backing. Some people might consider this watch to be a little thick for a proper dress watch, but taking the movement and layered dial into consideration, I think 12mm is more than fine and should fit under any shirt cuff in my opinion.

The signed crown is really nicely done and looks great with it’s coin edge style grip that matches the mid case perfectly.. There is absolutely no wobble either when the crown is in use and predictably, it’s only a push/pull crown, but that’s to be expected. The exhibition display caseback shows off the ETA Top Grade movement very well and I’m pretty sure it’s done with sapphire, although don’t quote me on that, as Feynman doesn’t actually state what it is in their product description.

Strap / Bracelet

The Feynman One Eclipse comes fitted as standard with a kind of blue/grey 20mm lizard skin strap with a very nice signed, brushed & polished stainless steel buckle & tang. The underside of the strap is calf skin and generally speaking the strap is very soft and pliable, making it very comfortable. I will add though, the strap on this one is well broken in. So, if you buy this watch and think that the strap is quite stiff, give it a week or two, as it will become comfortable over time.

Movement

The movement selected for the Feynman One Eclipse is the Swiss made 7001 caliber, by Swiss manufacturer ETA. It is a manual wind movement running at 21,600vph, 3Hz, 17 jewels with a 42hr power reserve. The 7001 movements used in the Feynman One collection are all rated ‘Top Grade’ and fully decorated and they really are stunning to look at.

Dial & Bezel

The Feynman One has a fixed bezel with polished sides and brushed on top. It is of very good quality with excellent finishing that matches the case perfectly. There is no text on the dial as such, giving the dial a very clean appearance. The Feynman logo is situated at around the 5 o’clock position. You will also notice a waffle style finish in the centre of the dial. The chapter ring is printed as far as I can tell, with VI and XII markers at the 6 & 12 positions respectively.

As you can see in the images, the hour and minute hands are nicely done, quite slim and finished in silver, although in some light they can be a little difficult to see and not very legible. The small seconds hand has become a large problem for me though, as when I first posted up pics on Instagram of the Feynman One, a friend of mine messaged me to say, “What’s with the SPERM shaped small seconds hand!?” And to be honest, I just can’t unsee that now.

Conclusion

The Feynman One is a very nice dress watch with great finishing and very good overall build quality. It’s just not for me though, mainly due to the reason I pretty much never have the need or reason to wear a dress watch. That small seconds hand too… I just couldn’t live with that staring back at me everytime I look at the watch.

On a slightly more positive note though, the chosen movement is excellent and I actually prefer looking at that through the display caseback rather than looking at the dial itself. Maybe I should’ve wore it upside down? I can just imagine the conversation, “What time is it Will?” – “F**ked if I know, check this gorgeous movement out though!

Yes, I’ve been bumping my gums regarding that seconds hand, but there’s also another issue I have with the Feynman One, and that is the price. Not exactly cheap is it! $955 USD… That’s a LOT of cash, hence why my value score is a bit low.

Design
8/10
Quality
9/10
Value
7.5/10
TOTAL
7.5/10
8/10 - NOT FOR ME PERSONALLY,
BUT DEFINITELY WORTH A LOOK IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR A DRESS WATCH.
A massive thank you to Yong Keong Lim for sending me the Feynman One out for review. Much appreciated!
 
To view the Feynman website, or to join their mailing list to be informed of new models etc, visit Feynman Timekeepers.
 
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