Linde Werdelin completes a remarkable trilogy with the Oktopus Volcano

Linde Werdelin has always been a brand that has chosen its own path in the watch industry ever since Morten Linde and Jorn Werdelin founded the brand in 2002. From creating the ultimate functional tools to releasing unique pieces of art, the brand has made some remarkable watches over the last 17 years.

The all-new Linde Werdelin Oktopus Volcano is the latest remarkable release that shows once again that the brand has great respect for craftsmanship outside the watch industry to create another exceptional timepiece.

It might be a little strange, but the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of Linde Werdelin is their highly creative press kit from years back that was developed with French cartoonist Dominique Bertail. It was part of the unique story that was built around the comic The Perfect Five that Linde Werdelin and Bertail developed as a unique way to introduce their brand to people. I still have the press kit, and it is still as impressive as back when it was released in 2010. At that time, the brand focused on creating a combination of beautifully designed functional timepieces and technological instruments that were inspired by exploring the deep seas and conquering the mountains. It’s a story that quickly gained the brand a lot of recognition, and it’s a story that also resonated with me. I loved how a new brand was able to tell an inspiring story that was used in the development of all their watches. And I simply love the design of a lot of their watches. Of all the watches that brand has created over the years, the Linde Werdelin 3-Timer has impressed me the most with its distinct style. That’s why it’s no surprise that I was thrilled to see that Linde Werdelin decided to reintroduce the 3 Timer in 2017 after it had been discontinued for quite some time. After the reintroduction, Linde Werdelin has created some stunning variations of the 3 Timer, most recently adding two versions with a cool grey dial.

Linde Werdelin Oktopus Volcano

I always thought it was a shame that the brand changed direction over time to focus less on the original story and introduce more exclusive timepieces at a different price point. These newer timepieces were still inspired by the original story but focused a lot more on exclusivity. They are often made of a combination of light materials and precious metals, and we also saw the introduction of some pretty excentric and uniquely finished watches that absolutely show skill and craftsmanship but are further removed from the initial idea the brand started out on. Still, some of the pieces that were released are absolutely beautiful and what the brand has done well over time, is keeping that distinct Linde Werdelin design for their watches. Regardless of whether you look at the Spido collection or the Oktopus collection, watches in both collections have always been easily recognizable as Linde Werdelin. With the reintroduction of the Biformeter collection the brand now has three collections that have the power to capture both the people that love the initial brand story that focuses more on functionality as well as the people that are looking for unique and more exclusive sports watches.

King Nerd

The all-new Linde Werdelin Oktopus Volcano is a watch that belongs in the latter category and sees the return of master engraver and artist Johnny Dowell. Linde Werdelin and Dowell have worked together before on creating two unique timepieces in 2015 and 2016 with the Oktopus Reef and Oktopus Crazy Universe. The Oktopus Volcano completes the trilogy representing the deep sea, outer space, and volcanic rock respectively. The unique thing about the new Oktopus Volcano is that it is an entirely newly created piece. For previous collaborations with Dowell, the brand chose to use the Oktopus Double Date Gold Titanium for the Reef and the Oktopus BluMoon for the Crazy Universe. This time around Dowell and Linde Werdelin decided to start from scratch to bring the idea behind the Oktopus Volcano to life.

Oktopus Volcano – Gold and Titanium

The idea behind the Oktopus Volcano is to create a watch that represents the toughest volcanic rock and to do so Johnny ‘King Nerd’ Dowell (we’ve seen his work before, here on a Speedmaster Schumacher) had the challenging task to come up with a design that combines different techniques to make the idea possible. The master engraver and Linde Werdelin worked together on creating a unique case that represents the boiling and cooling off of a volcano. To do so, they used Grade 2 titanium as the base material of the 44mm case representing ashes. The black engravings of grooves created by Dowell represent the cooling lava and the application of 24k gold into the titanium representing molten rock. The titanium back case is also engraved with a multi-layered lava motif and features Dowell’s nickname ‘King Nerd’ engraved in his recognizable style. The production of each of these cases takes weeks, and the result is a unique and colourful case that can only be described as a wearable piece of art.

The unique case is combined with a five-layer skeletonised dial that creates a beautiful contrast between the differently finished black dials and the gold of the three, six, and nine numerals and the date aperture positioned at 12 o’clock. The design of the face is finished with satin-finished titanium hands in cool grey Super-LumiNova and cool grey Luminova hour indexes and logo. Although there is a lot to discover on the dial, the overall look and feel of the dial is easy on the eye compared to the eccentric style of the case and therefore creates a fine balance that makes sure that this watch is not entirely over the top.

It once again shows that Linde Werdelin is not afraid to challenge any of the existing conventions in the watch industry

The Oktopus Volcano is powered by the Linde Werdelin Calibre 14580 automatic movement. It’s a movement that was developed in collaboration with renowned module specialist Dubois Dépraz, which offers wearers the mentioned big date complication and 44 hours of power reserve. There will be a limited number of 8 pieces available, and all of them come with a black rubber strap with a satin-finished titanium ardillon buckle. The price of the Oktopus Volcano is € 24.968, and for that money, you will buy a timepiece that once again sees Linde Werdelin and Johnny Dowell create something that can only be described as unique. It once again shows that Linde Werdelin is not afraid to challenge any of the existing conventions in the watch industry to bring their ideas to life and create pieces that are wearable art. And as with all art, the discussion is not just about whether the watch looks good. It’s the sum of the idea, the craftsmanship, the execution, and the result that counts. And if you connect to all of those, the Oktopus Volcano is one powerful personal statement.

For more information visit the Linde Werdelin website