CIGA Design Mechanical Automatic Watch - Blue Planet U Series Wristwatch Round Stainless Steel/Titanium/Ceramic Case Sapphire Crystal for Men and Women with Fluororubber Strap

Product Information

I don’t think they’ve given it a proper name, but they refer to it as an “asynchronous follow-up” system. I’ll explain how it works shortly. The specs feature 30 jewels, a 40 hour power reserve and an accuracy of -15/+30s a day. It’s also nice to see a little perlage finishing on the movement. CIGA Design was founded in 2013 by Zhang Jianmin, a Chinese industrial designer. The brand’s mission statement is to “redefine the aesthetics on your wrist with modern mechanical art.” The outer ring is stationary and displays the 12 hour layout, with each hour subdivided by 5 minute markers. The globe acts as a typical hour hand, rotating 30 degrees every hour.

CIGA Design Blue Planet - BEYOND THE DIAL Hands-On Review CIGA Design Blue Planet - BEYOND THE DIAL

This is why I believe it’s best suited for a specific buyer. One who loves the craft of watchmaking and is looking for something truly unique. If that’s you, then you probably already know if you want one or not. In 2021, CIGA won their first ever watchmaking award at the Swiss GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève). The globe is carved in relief and looks great from all angles. The contrast between the electroplated ocean and topographic landmasses serves to create a real sense of depth. Framing the Earth are the minute and hour scales.The etched surfaces recreate elevations, mountains and so on. This isn’t quite at the level of, say, a hand-painted enamel Patek Worldtimer dial, but then what is? Taking in the price of the Blue Planet, however, and the level of detail is rather remarkable. The effect wearing the watch is that there is a world down under the crystal. CIGA Design Dares to Dare Admittedly, I was a little confused by this when I first opened the watch. Until I flipped it over and peeked at the movement, I wasn’t sure if I got it up and running or not. The crown action feels nice and smooth when you’re setting the time, but it’s a little difficult to grip when the crown is recessed and you just want to wind the movement. I think it would have been amazing if the designers were able to incorporate a moving seconds indicator into the dial somehow. Strap

Series U – cigadesign.official

Water Resistant - Suitable for daily use. Splash/rain resistant. Not available for showering, bathing, swimming, snorkelling, diving, fishing, and water related works. The Chinese firm worked with Seagull to create a movement which differs from a typical three-hander by moving the inner minute-ring 390-degrees (rather than 360-degrees) every hour. This extra travel sets the inner minute-ring an extra 30-degrees forward, so that it can accurately tell the time vis-a-vis the stationary outer hour-ring. Meanwhile, the inner disc’s (or globe’s) compass-rose points to the time. The only other watches that work this way that I know of are the French Trilobe asymmetricals. A Unique Case (in titanium or steel) After having the Blue Planet on my wrist for a few days, I found it really comfortable to wear. This is mostly due to the light weight titanium case and the soft and flexible rubber strap. The piece doesn’t look huge on the wrist despite the 46mm case size, as there are no lugs. My only complaint about the watch so far is that the crown is a bit too tight to wind. Although this is not a big issue for an automatic watch, I hope that CIGA may improve the crown winding operation for the future shipments. What makes this design unique is that the time can be read with only one hand. Instead of rotating 360 degrees every hour, the minute ring rotates 390 degrees. This means its origin point, 00, advances with each passing hour. If that sounds confusing, it’s much easier to understand visually.

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If the product has no quality problems, the cost of returning the product such as freight, customs duties and other costs shall be borne by the consumer. Comparing it to a stone made smooth by erosion seems fitting of the theme. While the case is practically featureless, I think it suits the watch. The titanium render portrays a much darker gunmetal finish, but in person it doesn’t look much different than a stainless steel watch. The only other difference between the two models is the 20 grams in weight. Design It’s time to rethink Chinese watches. There is still a cloud that hangs over watches from China, a cloud of dismissive judgment that automatically assumes that if it’s (openly) made in China, it can’t be of any merit. The irony, of course, is that many of the high-end brands we hold dear outsource some or most of their manufacturing to the country. But more and more, Chinese brands are proving those assumptions wrong and demonstrating that the country has horological prowess beyond shadow manufacturing. In fact, brands like CIGA Design are winning awards–and not just participation ribbons. For the incredibly novel CIGA Design Blue Planet watch, the brand was the first Chinese winner of any award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève—the Oscars of the watch world—beating out the likes of Oris and Doxa to take home the Challenge Award in 2021. Inspired by our responsibility to preserve the world around us, the Blue Planet doesn’t just impress with its three-dimensional representation of our planet—it presents a new way of displaying the time. CIGA, which stands for Chinese International Great Art, has won several design awards in their relatively short career. Looking at their catalog, they seem to have a penchant for skeletonized designs.

CIGA Design U Series Blue Planet Hands-on Review of the CIGA Design U Series Blue Planet

Under most lighting conditions, it’s not detectable to the naked eye. Still, since I did notice it, I thought it worth mentioning. Movement The ceramic strap comes with a push-button butterfly clasp. Modern design ergonomically frees every move on your wrist. Origine & Riconoscimenti: Non lasciatevi ingannare dall’origine cinese dell’azienda. Questo orologio ha vinto il Challenge Watch Prize del GPHG 2021, affermando la sua posizione nel panorama globale degli orologi di lusso. Overall, the design is cool, but I find myself missing the sense of motion you get from a traditional three hander’s second sweep. Since there’s no seconds indicator, there isn’t really a way to know if the watch is running at a glance. The case is made of more expensive and more environmentally friendly recycled titanium material. Reduce carbon pollution, contribute your effort to protect our blue home. The case is polished and brushed to present a beautiful glossy texture.

Included is a matte blue fluoro rubber strap. FKM is a high density rubber known for its durability against harsh temperatures and chemicals while being soft and supple. On the wrist, it’s perfectly comfortable.

Blue Planet | GPHG Blue Planet | GPHG

The crown is recessed into a cutaway in the case, and the underside of the crown hangs just below, giving you a spot to pop it out with a fingernail. The design of the crown is pretty unique as well.

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Taking first place in the Challenge Watch category, the Blue Planet went up against well established brands like Doxa and Oris under the price point of 3,500 Swiss francs. A refine ceramic case with a sense of wholeness, lustrous finish, smooth & silky touch, resistance, and lightweight. The World on Your Wrist - Inspired by "Blue Marble" the first photograph of Earth as a whole taken from space in 1972. Micro-engraved the earth's terrain on the dial, showing natural elements such as land, mountains and oceans. Unique single pointer design, indicating the time in a way that simulates the rotation of the earth. Means to awaken people's awareness of protecting the earth's environment. In my opinion, the Blue Planet we’ll be reviewing today is the standout piece in their collection, both for its aesthetics and mechanics, and we’ll see why. As far as aesthetics go, you’ll either love it or hate it. Personally, I think the watch is quite a pretty sight, but the innovative design comes with its own set of problems.