Hot Take: The New And Improved CIGA Design Blue Planet II
The 2021 GPHG-winning CIGA Design Blue Planet is a unique take on time telling. Its domed dial with an engraved depiction of the earth tells time in a novel way. A good design firm rarely rests on its laurels, though, and the Blue Planet II brings subtle but positive changes.
I remember the original CIGA Design Blue Planet from our review in 2022. Early in the text, the Seiko Think The Earth Wn-1 was mentioned, a watch I own. That’s a cool piece, but it isn’t easy to service — Seiko won’t touch it. Plus, it wears like the center of the old board game Trouble if that means anything. The CIGA Design Blue Planet II has a similar design, but the watch is wearable with water resistance to 3 ATM and a robust heart.
The CIGA Design Blue Planet II
The Blue Planet II features a 46mm by 46mm polished case made of recycled titanium (shown here), stainless steel, or black ceramic. That sounds large, but if you’ve never tried a lugless design, it allows larger cases to fit nicely. Plus, UFO-style cases are currently hot.
Speaking of flying saucers, the side profile reveals a beautifully smooth design with a sapphire crystal that blends into the case. Furthermore, the blue fluororubber strap feels like part of the concept instead of an incongruous addition. The watch measures 15mm thick, which is reasonable considering the dial topography.
Slight differences
CIGA Design has given the Blue Planet II small updates to improve legibility, wearability, and reliability. First, the indices are now 105% larger, which aids in telling time. Also, luminous material is now on both scales and the compass rose. Once again, the outer hour ring is static, but the inner minute ring and the dial rotate at different speeds. The outer point of the compass rose is used to read the time and points to the hour and minutes simultaneously.
Per CIGA’s normal method, the globe is shown on an accurate scale. Thanks to CNC engraving, it shows surprising detail, including mountain ranges and crisp coastlines.
Other upgrades
The Blue Planet II improves on the original version with a folding push-button butterfly clasp instead of the former pin buckle. Also, quick-release spring bars make swapping in optional straps and bracelets easy.
The Blue Planet II also has an updated, proprietary automatic movement, which is visible under a screw-in display back. This sapphire crystal proudly displays the Blue Planet’s title as the winner of the 2021 GPHG Challenge Watch Prize. After extensive testing, CIGA Design states that additional reliability has been built into the newest version. Furthermore, each movement undergoes two 14-day tests, which occur during and after production. The automatic caliber has a 40-hour power reserve and is accurate to -15/+30 seconds per day.
A unique choice
The Blue Planet II will be available soon from CIGA Design for US$1,199 in steel, US$1,399 in titanium, and US$1,999 in ceramic with 24K gold gilding on the dial. Each version will come with a two-year warranty. The Blue Planet II is certainly a unique choice, and I’d argue it has few direct competitors. That’s a nice attribute when so many watches look alike or are part of the same sub-genre. Plus, looking at the globe while it makes a slow rotation strikes me as a nice way to get through the day.
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