I’ve said it before, and I’ll be happy to say it again: Behrens is one of the most exciting independent brands working today. Few businesses are holding me in a chair when emails jump into my inbox, and Behrens is one of them. The deep Shenzhen-based team has built a reputation for making watches that make equal parts that are playful and mechanically original. I own a few, and this is probably the most obvious indication of how much I enjoy working with the brand. Still, when I first heard that new pieces were being brewed for the Master Collection, I didn’t think they would become like today’s KWH watches.
Having spent dinner with Lin Bingqiang and Eric, I got a glimpse of some rough renderings somewhere between my attempts to properly pronounce the second beer and French dessert in last year’s clock and wonder. There was no context or explanation. Now, a few months later, the curtains are lifted and we find ourselves looking at KWH. Honestly, that wasn’t on my bingo card.
Meet the heart
If you spend time around independent watchmaking, you will see that the name Vianney Halter carries weight. He is one of the people you heard early on, and usually has praise and slight adoration. He is very “If you know, you know.” As a so-called “relics from the future,” his ancient times have remained one of the most famous indie watches of the past 30 years. Halter’s work is an equal part of mechanical, industrial, futuristic, and littered with steampunk.
KWH’s story begins with something beautiful and mundane: an antique electric meter. Halter had one in his workshop. Lin had gone home. That spark of recognition turned into a conversation about guiding the visual language of these instruments to the clock. It sounds almost too simple, but in the true Behrens way, execution is nothing. An electric meter that stimulates the design of high-end watches? Also, it’s not my bingo card.
Pixels and power meter stimulate KWH
This case quickly tells you where inspiration came from. It is square and compact with a diameter of 35mm, length of 41mm, and 10.9mm profile, and looks like a shrinking control panel. However, because Behrens is Behrens, the team was layered into another slice of nostalgia in the old-fashioned video game. To be precise, it’s Snake and Tetris.
Time is displayed through a microchain system containing patented rubies. Think of it as a mechanical pixel snake, sliding around the dial and moving seven dots every hour. It’s nerd in the best way possible, like a collector sneaking grinning at another snake on the Nokia 3310. The package tilts the hat to Tetris with blocks placed in small game-inspired scenes. It is a clock that refuses to take oneself seriously, and that is exactly why it works.
Serious mechanics behind the fun
Beneath the playfulness there are several heavy-duty watchmaking. The BM06 caliber was jointly developed by Behrens and Halter, but it is not a small feat. Manual windings, twin barrels provide a 72-hour power reserve, with a total of 870 components. It includes a temperature compensation system that is beaten at a frequency of 4Hz and stabilizes the microchain wherever you are.
The dial uses Behrens roller display system. On the left is a vintage meter marker followed by a style power reserve and day/night indicator. On the right side, minutes will be displayed digitally on the roller. Turning the watch over reveals more fun. The 12 o’clock moon phase indicator and calendar are adjusted to a neatly integrated case with the quick set pusher.
This is not a quirky design exercise for it. I’ve handled enough Behrens pieces to know that brands always back up the theatrical elements with real watchmaking chops, and KWH is no exception.
Two flavors, both rare
As if the design wasn’t bold enough, KWH comes in two colorful editions. It comes in the 18K white gold model with a nebula purple dial and matching strap, and the 18K rose gold version with a moonlock grey dial set by a twilight orange flash. Each is limited to just nine units worldwide, with a price of USD 49,000. It’s hard to pick a clear winner, but when you push it, the rose gold version is slightly reserved (as if this watch could explain it that way).
The strap is double-sided hand-sewn leather with quick release fitting. Again, we can see the idea of making the whole package easier to put together. The colour could have easily gone up, but instead it feels surprisingly wearable. Purple and orange may sound like a suspicious 1970s kitchen makeover, but they actually pop out the right way.
Behrens shows its intent
Since its launch in 2012, Behrens has been on a mission to prove that China’s independent watchmaking can compete with Swiss. The brand’s willingness to experiment has gained a lot of fans, including myself. By working with Vianney Halter, Behrens planted the flags in a wider landscape of independent clocks.
What makes this release exciting is that KWH doesn’t feel like a bodied compromise. It’s still a very, very many Behrens watch, and it’s just a stirring Halter’s mechanical imagination, it should not work on paper, it’s a mashup that’s absolutely done with metal.
KWH is just a working fever dream
Back at dinner last year, you probably didn’t think this was the direction things were heading. Electric meter, snake, tetris, viannee halter…sounds like a fever dream or the world’s most niche pub quiz round. But here we are, and it somehow clicks. The final design has evolved slightly from the early concepts I saw, but the results are very impressive. I often wondered what Behrens could do if they jumped to a higher price, and whether the brand wasn’t disappointed.
Does everyone like this watch? Probably not, but that’s the point. Independent watchmaking is about personality, risk and storytelling, and is not a broad appeal. KWH has all three in spades. It owns only 18 people, but the rest can still enjoy it as proof that Behrens refuses to play safely. And honestly, that’s why I’m back more.
