The New Konstantin Chaykin East Panda

What started as a whimsical project in 2017 with the first Joker watch has turned out into a highly popular series of watches with a striking facial appearance. And even almost a decade later, indie watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin is still brimming with ideas to expand the collection even further. Under the name of Wristmon, he’s gathered watches inspired by Minions, a Minotaur, the Joker, of course, and more. Even his record-breaking, ultra-thin ThinKing shows traces of this undeniable legacy. Now, though, a new series makes its debut, with the East collection. This series of five watches draws inspiration from animals popular in Asia, with the Panda kicking things off at Geneva Watch Days this year, followed by the Wolf, Monkey and Falcon, and the Tiger completing the set in 2029!

The East collection debuts with a new case, although it bears a resemblance to previous designs. It’s crafted from titanium, with carbon fibre Panda-like ears for top lugs. It’s 40mm across, and tops out at 12.20mm in height (12.55mm if you include the top lugs). The sloped bezel has the letters P-A-N-D-A spread evenly, and the crown to set and wind the watch is positioned between the bottom lugs. There’s a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on top, and another one set into the titanium caseback.

In every Wristmon, or East watch, it’s all about the dial. In this case, it’s obviously the charming and cuddly face of a panda bear. Finished in black, white, and brown, the dial is constructed from 13 parts, with the hours indicated in the right eye and the minutes in the left one. There’s no seconds indication, but there is the mouth-shaped moon phase indication at 6′, which gives each Wristmon/Each its signature smiling face!

Inside the Panda is the modular calibre K.18.22, which utilises a La Joux-Perret G200 automatic as its base, with the familiar in-house 85-part Joker module on top, providing the unique display. This beats at a rate of 28,800vph and has a running time of 68 hours. Details of the movement, such as the custom rotor, can be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback (see the image of the Kolobok 2 for reference below).

The new Konstantin Chaykin Panda, supplied with a black leather strap and steel pin buckle, is not limited per se, although it will not be made in the thousands. As explained, it’s part of a five-watch series with the Wolf, Monkey, Falcon and Tiger to follow in the coming years. The Tiger model will complete the set, and will come with a new manufacture calibre instead of the modular one that will power the others. Clients who complete the set when the final one is made available will be able to purchase it at the same price as the other four, which is set at CHF 18,800 (excluding VAT).

For more information, please visit KonstantinChaykin.com.