Limes Principio Chronograph + Integral

By Marc Levesque, as appeared in InSync Magazine

 

INTRODUCTION

Limes watches (pronounced Leem-ess) the most famous watch company you’ve never heard of! For the last couple of years, Limes watches have been the talk of the “on-line” watch community, with mechanical timepieces ranging from a rather reasonably priced stainless steel Pilot style watch to a solid gold chronograph with matching solid gold bracelet, these watches represent tremendous value. Limes watches offer many similar features as other companies at often a fraction of the price, characteristics such as: all stainless construction, sapphire crystals, display backs secured by screws, Swiss mechanical movements and some models also boast screw down crowns and expensive screw bar lugs. Limes watches are a product of Ickler GmbH, case makers since 1924, thus all of their watchcases are entirely produced “in-house”, which is an asset they can truly be proud of. I will be reviewing the Limes Principio Chronograph, an all stainless steel mechanical chronograph with a no nonsense feel and the NEW Limes Integral, a tonneau shaped watch with a dazzling dial.

 

 

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW!

 

The Principio is a large sized watch, measuring 40mm in diameter, 50mm from lug to lug and 14mm thick, the relative thinness of this chronograph can be attributed to the case back being secured by screws as opposed to a screwed in style, thus eliminating a millimetre or two. The entire case is made up of brushed stainless steel, with a beautiful coin edge finish on the bezel and case back, a very nice touch! The 6mm unsigned crown does not screw-down, but feels very secure and quite easy to wind and set, the water resistance is assured by a double O ring system. The pushers feel very reassuring, but are a little hard to depress, though this is nothing out of the ordinary for a Valjoux 7750 based watch. As I mentioned previously, the case-back is secured by 7 polished screws and it is written LIMES - MADE IN GERMANY - WR 50M – SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL – STAINLESS STEEL around the see-through back, which exposes a very highly decorated automatic movement. The lugs curve down at an angle that makes this timepiece extremely comfortable to wear and the edges are very soft, a credit to it’s maker. The immense heft of this watch is dispersed quite evenly due to its thick and solid bracelet, which leads me to wonder if it would be as comfortable on a leather strap?

 

The Integral is a very different watch, its tonneau shape measures 38mm by 33mm, 45mm from lug to lug and is only 9mm thick, relatively thin for an ETA 2824 based watch. The cakes itself is made up of brushed stainless steel, but the bezel is highly polished giving a very distinct look, I really like this touch. The edges on the bezel are slightly rounded, giving it a very smooth look even though it is a rectangular shape. The 5mm unsigned crown dopes not screw-down, but like the Principio it is also protected by a double O ring system. Just like its big brother, 6 polished screws secure the Integral’s case-back, its edges are polished which make for a really nice contrast to the brushed finish surrounding the display crystal and it’s written ST.STEEL – WR 50M – LIMES – INTEGRAL – SAPPHIRE – GERMANY. Another interesting feature is that the case is fastened with screws from the top, which are concealed under the bezel, an attribute unheard of in this price class. The lugs are slightly curved downwards, which is rarely seen and difficult to achieve on the tonneau shape, yet again Limes is showing its case-making prowess. 
 
 
 

CLEAN & FUNCTIONAL vs. STYLE AND PANACHE!

 

The uncluttered dial of the Principio measures 33mm in diameter, though not the largest, its purposeful design makes it as easy to read as any in its category. Its flat sapphire crystal, which rises ever so slightly from the bezel, does not have any anti-reflective coating, yet is readable at any angle. Its sub-dial configuration is typical of the Valjoux 7750 layout, with the constant seconds at 9 o’clock, the chronograph minute counter at 6 and hour counter at 12. Most of the hour markers, except those who are obscured, are identified by Arabic numerals, which are not coated with any kind of luminous substance. There’s a tachymeter scale on the outside wall, which is angle in order not to take up too much room on the dial, very tastefully done. The baton shaped hour and minute hands are rather slim, but long enough to touch the minute track on the outside perimeter. The day/date window is situated at 3 o’clock and the contrast of black on white writing make for very easy reading, but in my opinion, a white on black composition would have been much more aesthetically pleasing.

 

While Integral‘s dial measures 30 by 25mm, it appears to be much larger; its sapphire crystal does not have any anti-reflective coating and sits flush to the bezel. Its tritium-coated hour numerals are flamboyant in design and surely set this watch apart from its competition. The minute track is situated on the inside of the dial making a little difficult to set since the minute hand overshoots the markers, but this is a minor drawback to a very discerning look. The sword shaped hour and minute hands are also tritium-coated and the over all effect ion the dark is outstanding! The date window is situated at 3 o’clock and also black on white, unfortunately it sticks out like a sore thumb, again, since the main function of a wristwatch is to tell time, why utilize colours that attract so much attention to the date? I would think that with such a stunning dial, I wouldn‘t want anything taking away from it, so why not white on black?

 

CAN I WEAR THESE UPSIDE DOWN?

That’s what you’ll want to do when you see these movements via their respective display backs. They’re simply exceptional! Many other companies that house these rather common calibers offer display backs on their watches, but very few merit them. While I agree that being able to see what makes your watch tick is neat, but after the novelty wears off, there really isn’t much to see. Unlike those watches, the Principio and Integral both present a level of finishing found on watches costing considerably more. With the Geneva wave pattern, circular graining, blued screws and Gold engraving, these watches deserve to be worn wrong side up!

Here are the details of these two movements:

The Principio, Valjoux Caliber 7750  

Movement with automatic winding, with an autonomy of 44 hours, rotor mounted on ball bearings.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds; date and day with window at 3 [with quick change capability]; chronograph with three counters and chronograph central second hand.
Shape: round.
Diameter: 30.00mm [13'''1/4].
Thickness: 7.90mm.
Jewels: 25.
Balance: three arms, Glucydur.
Frequency: 28,800 pulsations/hour.
Balance-spring: flat, Nivarox 1, fine adjustment.
Anti-shock system: Incabloc.

The Integral, Caliber 2824-2

Movement with automatic winding, with an autonomy of 38 hours, rotor mounted on a ball bearings, base caliber 2801-2.
Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds; date [with quick change capability].
Shape: round.
Diameter: 25.60mm [11'''1/2].
Thickness: 4.60mm.
Jewels: 25.
Balance: Glucydur.
Frequency: 28,800 pulsations/hour.
Balance-spring: flat, Nivarox 1.
Anti-shock system: Incabloc.
Options: feature to stop seconds; fine adjustment.

 

I honestly feel that the technical modifications of these movements are just as important to mention as the wonderful decoration. By using the higher grade Nivarox One hairspring, the Glucydur Balance and adjusting them in 5 positions these movements make for remarkably precise timing. I’ve been rotating these watches for about a month and found that even though they are not chronometer certified, they both run within the specs. The Principio is a respectful +4 seconds a day and the Integral –3.
 

 

 

SOLID STEEL vs. SUPPLE LEATHER!

 

The Principio’s stainless steel bracelet is a full 4mm thick, making it very heavy and counterbalances the heft the watch handsomely. Its solid end links measure 20mm in width and the rest tapers down to 18mm at the clasp. The bracelet can be sized via screws, which is something anyone can do, provided you have the proper tool, I have found that the same screwdriver that I use on my eyeglasses does the trick. The butterfly clasp closes securely and is signed with the Limes name and logo. The entire bracelet is made up of brushed stainless steel, which accentuates the brush finish on the case; my only pet peeve with it is that there aren’t any micro-adjustment possibilities. The Integral’s leather strap has a simile-crocodile finish and is very supple. Usually it takes me a couple of days to get used to the leather feel, I usually wear steel bracelets, but unlike many other leather bands this one conformed to my wrist in an instant. It is stamped underneath with the Limes name and the tang buckles is signed as well, all in all a decent strap.

 

 

 

MONEY WELL SPENT!

 

The boxes in which these watches came in are not really worth mentioning, except that it’s nice to know that the money you spend on a Limes watch is not dwindled into a leather watch box or anything made up of hardwood, but spent on a well built wristwatch using quality materials.

 

 

 

MY CONCLUSIONS

 

If you are price conscious and are looking for a practical Chronograph with the finishing work of a watch costing thousands more, then the Principio is the watch for you. It is a well-crafted, timelessly designed, solid and a pleasure to look at from the front as from the back. The same can be said about the Integral; though its shape needs some getting used to, it sure gets a lot of attention and grows on you fairly quickly. Steven Walker is the US representative for Limes watches. Not only is he very approachable and easily accessible, he is a watch nut just like many of us and can be effortlessly found on the various internet watch forums where he is a regular contributor. The fact that he is close at hand and always willing to answer questions makes for quite the personal touch. In my humble opinion, there are very few watch companies out there that can offer so many attractive features at such low prices - if they can keep this up, it won’t be long before Limes is on the tip of every watch connoisseurs tongue.

 

Thank you for reading,

Marc