Hands-On With The Well-Balanced Lebond Souto Moura
A little over a year ago, Lebond Watches unveiled its inaugural Siza model to the public. The Barcelonian brand works with famous architects to create each one’s take on a watch. After world-famous architect Álvaro Siza was the first to do so, the brand’s second effort debuted earlier this year. This time, Lebond founder Asier Mateo worked with renowned Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura to develop his concept of what a wristwatch could be, resulting in a minimalist take on the classic driver’s watch. I had a chance to go hands-on with the two versions that came out.
In some of the articles I’ve written over the years, I have repeatedly stated I’m not much of a purist when it comes to watches. However, when it comes to designers, I firmly believe that they are specialists. Not every designer can design anything. After working in design for almost two decades, I greatly respect designers who truly understand their craft. Whether they design buildings, typefaces, watches, or whatever else, what makes them great at their jobs is understanding the context in which their designs fit. While form and function are equally important aspects, the context often creates the heart of the story the audience connects to.
Design is all about context
It takes time to understand the context of a design discipline. After that, it takes more time to develop designs to see how they work, study more, and try again. In addition to time spent, the efforts someone puts in generally result in a better understanding and better designs. Essentially, I am advocating specialist designers, which is hardly a purist take if you ask me. But that doesn’t mean I am against designers from different disciplines having a go at something different, even if it is something as specific as designing a watch.
Surprising ideas often come from people who have not been cultivated by the context in which they have worked for a long time. Great things can happen if you use their design concepts and create the right context in which they can come to life.
It’s this idea that led to the founding of Lebond Watches. The brand from Barcelona collaborates with famous architects to develop new, surprising takes on watch design. So, what happens if you let an architect design a watch? The first result was the Lebond Siza, a watch conceptualized by famous Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. He used his work — namely, the Leça Swimming Pool completed in 1966 — as the inspiration for the watch’s case. As I explained in my hands-on review, the watch was surprisingly comfortable despite its remarkable shape and construction. I also greatly appreciated it as a design object imbued with Álvaro Siza’s story.
Experiencing the Lebond Souto Moura
The second model from Lebond is the Souto Moura. In March, I wrote the introduction article that explained the idea behind the watch and its designer. If you are interested in the full backstory, I suggest you read that article. In this one, I would like to focus on the hands-on experience. But that also needs a bit of introduction. The famous Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura designed the new Lebond watch. He won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2011 and is famous the world over for his minimalist creations.
This time, Souto de Moura decided to use his minimalist style to create a classic driver’s watch. He wanted it to be as slim as possible, and it was up to Lebond’s Asier Mateo to make that come to life in a watch that could also serve as a comfortable daily wearer. It has resulted in the Lebond Souto Moura, a lightweight timepiece with a 38.5mm Grade 5 titanium case, a micro-sanded finish, and an anti-fingerprint coating.
As it is a circular case without lugs, it’s also 38.5mm long, and it’s a slim 7.6mm thick, including the double-domed sapphire crystal. Due to the absence of real lugs, the 18mm strap attaches via T-bars to the underside of the case.
Two versions of the Lebond Souto Moura
Lebond has combined the case with two dial options. The first is the one in the Original Edition, which is lacquered light beige (RAL 9001) with lacquered matte black numerals and markers. Complementing this is a navy Nappa leather strap with a titanium deployment clasp matching the case. The second version is the Dark Edition, which features a lacquered matte gray dial with black numerals and markers. It is matched with a black Nappa leather strap for a proper stealthy look.
Straight out of the impressive packaging, these watches look completely different. During my time with them, I gravitated more toward the Original Edition, and I think the lighter colors and summer season played a big part in that. As both are driver’s watches, the dial, movement, and crown all sit at a 30° angle. It is a design based on the principle of being able to read the time while driving with one’s left hand on the steering wheel.
Souto de Moura combined that classic idea with his signature minimalist style. The element that immediately catches the eye is the large hour marker at 12 o’clock combined with a much smaller Arabic numeral “2” to form the “12” as an important reference point on the dial. The markers at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock are notably smaller, with shorter and thinner lines for every five minutes and dots for the individual minutes in between.
A date window that instigated debate
Located next to the marker at 3 o’clock, you find a date window. It is placed rather far inward, and not having it would have given the dial more balance. I know Souto de Moura made it part of the watch for practical reasons, which is perfectly understandable, but the position is debatable. Additionally, the date disc is white on both versions, making it stand out, especially on the Dark Edition.
Using color-matched date discs might have led to better integration and a more balanced design. Another element that I wasn’t sure about was the handset. The length difference between the hour and the minute hand is enormous. Perhaps a slightly longer hour hand would have looked a bit better. Overall, though, the dials have a minimalist, straightforward design with a quirky twist in combination with the case, the materials, and the colors.
If you turn the watch around, you will get a good view of the movement and how the strap pieces connect to the case. The movement is visible thanks to a sapphire window graced with Eduardo Souto de Moura’s signature. Both watches are powered by the automatic ETA 2892-2, which operates at 28,800vph, has 21 jewels, and offers up to a 50-hour power reserve.
The movement is finished neatly with blued screws, Geneva stripes, and perlage. In addition to Souto de Moura’s signature in the center, you will find the individual number of the watch engraved on the edge of the case back.
Wearing the Lebond Souto Moura
This brings us to wearing the watches. As I said in my introduction article, I love their style, but they must also be wearable to win me over as a proper daily watch. I had hoped that this would happen because the Lebond Siza was very easy to wear despite its odd-shaped case.
The first thing that stands out is that the watches are featherlight. They weigh only 46 grams, which is impressively light but somehow matches the aesthetic perfectly. Though not necessarily related, the combination of the minimalist design and the low weight feels like it was meant to be.
Another thing that stands out is the size. At 38.5mm, it is perfect for various wrists. Once I strapped the Original Edition to mine, it felt right at home. The super comfortable strap also played a big part in that. The leather is supple, and the titanium clasp is super light and easy to use. Plus, it feels very well made.
All these elements are great proof that Asier Mateo puts great effort into creating the best watches possible. I must say that it’s impressive to see how well the individual components and the watch as a whole are constructed. Mateo has clearly not cut corners here.
Two different watches for different occasions
Once on the wrist, the Original Edition wears like a charm. I wore it for roughly a week and mixed it up with some other watches that were in for review. But I wore the Souto Moura watch quite a lot compared to the others because it perfectly suited the warmer weather. Thanks to its lightness, comfortable fit, and colors, it was the perfect choice.
Due to its darker colors, the Dark Edition has less direct visual impact than the Original Edition. It does fit the mold of a designer’s watch a bit more, and it is a stylish one. I could see myself wearing it with an all-black outfit, and it would look great. Practically speaking, it was also fun to see the rotated dial. I found that it’s not just useful for reading the time when your hands are on a steering wheel. While working on articles on my laptop, I could also easily read the time with my hands on the keyboard. As it turns out, the angle is perfect for that too.
Final thoughts on the Lebond Souto Moura
The one thing that left me somewhat unsure was the dial’s extremely minimal look. It has a nice little twist with the “12” marker, but other than that, it is pretty straightforward. This is something that comes with minimalist design, of course, but that’s why it can benefit from a bit of visual sparkle to make it stand out. While the rotation of the dial is a nice twist, it doesn’t change the presence. Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast wearing both watches and preferred the Original Edition.
With the Lebond Souto Moura, Asier Mateo shows once again that he perfectly understands how to take a creative idea from a collaborative partner and turn it into an incredibly well-executed watch. At €2,700 before taxes, this watch certainly isn’t cheap, but the materials, build quality, and an incredible eye for detail make it a standout effort. On top of that, even the packaging shows this is truly a labor of love.
No, this is not a watch for everyone, and that is fine. Lebond is not in the business of creating watches for everyone. The brand focuses on people who love a watch designed by prominent architects. That is a niche, but I am convinced Mateo will find increasingly more fans in it. I, for one, can’t wait to see the brand’s third and fourth models as follow-ups to the remarkable Lebond Souto Moura.
For more information, visit the official Lebond website.
