The Whimsical Konstantin Chaykin The Minion (Live Pics & Price)

Watchmaking should be about having fun, but what constitutes “fun” is very personal, of course. My fun is different from your fun and the next person’s interpretation of fun. One thing is for sure, though, the most humorous collection of watches, often bringing big smiles to people’s faces, is Konstantin Chaykin’s Wristmons. The latest character to join a long line of watches is the Konstantin Chaykin Minion.

I think most people have a sense of what a Minion is and have perhaps seen one of the animated movies they appear in. What started as clumsy little helpers for Gru, the main character from the Despicable Me movie, has turned into a global sensation. Minions have appeared in countless films, including their Minion spin-off. The dorky-looking characters speak their own language, Minionese, and often get into all sorts of comical trouble.

Konstantin Chaykin has adopted the Minion for his Wristmon collection, the series of watches with a face for a dial. It all started with the Joker watch has become immensely popular with watches like the Clown, Mouse King, Minotaur and Grimaldi the Clown. The series even landed Konstantin Chaykin the Audacity Prize at the 2018 GPHG.

This Konstantin Chaykin Minion watch is housed in a slightly smaller case than others, with a 40mm diameter and a height of 13.5mm. The dimensions demanded some changes to movement as the module had to be reworked. The result is that the eyes are now closer together than in the Clown watch, for instance. The bezel is adorned with relief letters spelling “Minion”, and there’s a sapphire crystal on both sides.

The dial of the watch is an almost perfect representation of a Minion, complete with a set of goggles and that goofy smile. The yellow dial displays hours, minutes and the phases of the moon. The left eye uses a disc to display the passing hours, and the right eye indicates the minutes. The moon phase is shaped like a mouth and uses a bright red moon disc. As time progresses, the expression of the watch changes into more serious or downright silly faces. And that is precisely why this collection has been such a hit! No other watch comes close to this whimsical display, really.

Inside is the calibre K07.3, which uses an ETA 2892-A2 base movement topped with an in-house module for the unique display. With 29 jewels and an additional 61 parts for the module, it is quite a complex movement. It runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and provides 42 hours of power reserve. The see-through caseback reveals a special rotor with another Minion in relief.

The Konstantin Chaykin Wristmon Minion is worn on a distressed denim-style fabric strap with yellow stitching, a calf leather lining and a pin buckle. This looks just like the coveralls the Minions usually wear in the movies, complete with a small front “pocket”. It is presented as a limited edition of 38 pieces, costing EUR 13,800.

For more information, please visit Konstantin Chaykin.