Indie Watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin Releases the new Kolobok 2

The Wristmons series has been an almost endless source of inspiration for independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin – who’s also known to be a pretty talented master of complications. From classic Joker watches to Minions, Clowns, complex models or even a prototype that could well be the thinnest mechanical watch ever created, the collection has expanded to impressive levels… But all have in common this relaxed style based on an original display and an in-house module. Less than a year and a half has passed since the premiere of the Kolobok watch, the first wristmon dedicated to the character from a Russian fairy tale. And the concept is now back with the new Konstantin Chaykin Kolobok 2, which is now released as part of the permanent collection. 

The concept of the Wristmons series by Konstantin Chaykin has become highly popular over the years, with its fun approach to watchmaking, yet with serious mechanical credentials underneath. The idea has been to create a display module using off-centred discs for the hours and minutes acting as the eyes of the character – should it be a Minion, a Joker or in the present case Kolobok – as well as a moonphase display used to represent the mouth. And since all of these indications move at various speeds and in different directions, it results in times of the day where your character can look a bit… silly. But this is part of the fun with these watches.

A bit over a year ago, Chaykin released a new Wristmons watch based on the Russian fairy tale Kolobok, which he says is known by all since childhood – which he calls the “first Russian smiley.” Chaykin believes that the story of this character in the Wristmons collection should not be limited to a single model. So it comes back now in a slightly improved version, with new mechanics, a refined dial and no longer limited. The case retains classic Wristmons design, with its notched bezel featuring 12 screws, and measures 40mm x 12.2mm. But that’s not really what matters with these watches.

Chaykin has, however, refined the dial and display with this Kolobok 2. The anthropomorphic dial with the moon “smile” and the constantly rotating hour and minute indicators in the shape of the character’s eyes, is back to the classic layout of inaugural Wristmoms. By abandoning the integrated display of the moon phase and day of the week invented by Chaykin, the Kolobok 2 watch received a more expressive, restrained and laconic design with a classic moon “smile”, with which the history of the Wristmons collection began. The multi-layered lacquering of the dial with a color gradient effect recreats the feel of a toasted bread crust – this is one of the key design elements of the Kolobok 2 watch. The playful character of the figure is emphasized by the use of gloss varnish in the eye decoration – it gives the eyes a vibrant shine that undoubtedly sets the Kolobok 2 watch apart from other wristmons. Further design improvements, such as the removal of the frame around the Kolobok’s smiling mouth and a reshaped set of teeth for the character, ensure that Kolobok 2 feels unique.

Another important difference with this Konstantin Chaykin Kolobok 2 is the movement that powers the 85-part in-house display module. Replacing the modified ETA 2892-A2 base movement is now a La Joux-Perret G200. This automatic Swiss movement benefits from an extended power reserve of 68 hours, a full balance bridge and a free-sprung balance with variable inertia.

Worn on a leather strap with in-house made pin buckle, the Konstantin Chaykin Kolobok 2 is now available as a non-limited-edition – note that, however, production capacities are limited to 100 pieces a year. It is priced at CHF 17,900. For more details, please visit chaykin.ru.