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Today we are going to talk about new Alexander Shorokhoff Kandy Avantgarde 2 watch from the well-known German brand. Name might sound familiar to you because we have a second generation model with unusual design. It continues quite special idea with a slightly different take on colors combination. Surprisingly, sequel improves various things in original, and you would see it in this article. I have to mention that we deal with Limited Edition watch, only 100 pieces will be produced.
As a small intro it should be said that the first Kandy Avantgarde was the watch which actually got me interested in this brand. Unusual lines on the dial looked special, and that square case was a beauty to look at. Well, now German brand comes with fresh take on this great design.
New watch comes in beautiful wooden box. Inside you will find special certificate with watch number. Well, this is a Limited Edition, remember? Now let’s take a closer look together.
Here you can read about another interesting watch from Alexander Shorokhoff.
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Dial
The main thing in this watch is the dial. I highly doubt that you will remain indifferent – it is love it or hate it part. Bright design requires some bravery to wear such thing on your wrist. At first glance the overall composition might look the same as on the first generation of this watch, but it is not entirely true. 🙂 Take a careful look and you will notice change in colors and a bit more contrasting scheme overall. In my opinion this version looks a bit more “engaging” and should be easier to read. Here we should mark the size of the dial – 41×41 mm.
Handset is classic – three hands, all finished in black-and-white. I hope you remember that first gen featured yellow hands. White parts are easier to find on the dial, so this is definitely a welcome improvement over previous release. Next thing is date window which is accentuated with a spiral around. It is also white, while spiral now comes in dark tones. I consider this as another point to readability of this watch.
Next to this section you will find the only round index on the dial, which still looks a bit off on the “netted” section. I would rather change its place with the index on the opposite side of the dial. Well, maybe you would like such design.
Watchmaker name is hard to miss because it is situated right in the dial center and separates whole part into two halves. First release featured this element in light version, now we have classy black-and-white combo, which looks sharp. In my opinion this thing was quite dangerous to add, but somehow it looks just right in the place and doesn’t break the overall idea. Well, it is Avantgarde after all, right?! 😀
One more thing to mention is the traditional “60” at 12 o’clock mark. Second Kandy brings it in golden version with mother of pearl insert in the checkerboard underneath. Such design is a bit more contrasty and easier to recognize on the dial. I remember that first watch wasn’t that clear.
Case
I hope you remember size of the square case, so I will just mention the thickness – 9 mm. As usual, Alexander Shorokhoff decided to make the part a bit less “distracting from the dial, so we get classic part in black color. Well, there is a small feature in form of three lines on the walls, watchmaker placed golden wire in each. Such thing looks nice and makes case design a bit more playful. Crown can be found in its classic position. It is a large black part with engraved manufacturer logo. Again it is finished almost in the same thickness as case, so it is really tricky to take it out for time adjustment.
Top of the case is covered with sapphire glass. This is not a simple plain part, instead we get slightly bulged element. Combine it with square case, and it somehow reminds of old TVs with tube screens. I like this feature, it is definitely a good choice for Kandy Avantgarde 2. On the rear side you will also find clear section, well, there four of them actually. Each one is finished in different color, what adds visual interest to unusual cover design. The same part also carries watch number and small reminders about features in this watch.
Movement
Inside you will find 2892AS.ETA automatic caliber. This movement features 47 hours power reserve. I wouldn’t call it a big number, but it should be enough for everyday use. As you remember, part of the movement can be seen through the rear cover.
Strap
Alexander Shorokhoff Kandy Avantgarde 2 comes with leather strap. Moreover, this is not a one-color accessory, no. Instead you get black-and-yellow set with matte black pin buckle (can be also ordered with deployment buckle). White stitching is present on both parts, it looks fine, but I would rather prefer black stitching on the yellow part.
Overall quality is quite good – leather is soft and easy to wrap around your wrist. I like how it works with dial design, and continues unusual theme of the watch.
Nevertheless, you don’t get any additional strap inside, so don’t get your hopes high. I can see Kandy Avantgarde 2 on black NATO strap, such combo should look great in life. Definitely think about some additional options because they might come handy to open new sides of your unusual watch. One more tip to Alexander Shorokhoff would be to produce PVD-coated matte black bracelet. Such option would be true showstopper and should work great with large square case.
In Use
First things first – this is not the watch for small wrists and even textile straps won’t help. It is not difficult to draw approximate square in order to test the size on your hand. Don’t be lazy and do this in order to avoid any disappointment. We all know how difficult it is to give back nice watch which just doesn’t work with your wrist.
Next it is stupid not to admit that dial takes some time to get used to. It won’t take too long, and then whole dial becomes as legible as “normal” watch. You won’t be able to tell if it 47 or 48 minutes right now, but do you really care about such stuff while wearing this watch?
As for the overall comfort, watch sits nicely on my wrist and I didn’t have any issues. Yes, it is on bigger side of the scale, but soft leather strap helps with fitment. Kandy Avantgarde 2 is not to heavy, so it doesn’t feel like a brick on your hand. As I mentioned before, crown would be a bit tricky to work with. The only thing we can do is hope that you won’t have to adjust time too often. 😀
Alexander Shorokhoff Kandy Avantgarde 2 – Price and Availability
Manufacturer states that this release is a “watch against boredom”. Well, it is hard to argue with that because Kandy Avantgarde looks different that’s actually a good thing. Here it is important to remember that whole run will be limited to mere 100 pieces. Not more, not less, so it is better to hurry if you want one on your wrist. Price should be set at 3300 EUR – quite a tricky market segment with some rivals from the famous brands. Nevertheless, only few can offer the same rarity and special design on the dial.
Enameled part doesn’t look off and shows the whole progress of the main idea. I am glad to see that sequel is an actual proof that designers did their homework and improved the styling. Black case looks right in place here, and such watch would look good even with business suit.
In my opinion the main question is whether you would be brave enough to choose such dial over standard ones. If your answer is “yes”, then definitely take a look because Kandy would give something different from usual watches. I like the fact that Alexander Shorokhoff keeps playing with various features on his creations. Now the main question would be whether we would see third iteration of this watch and what will be on the dial. Well, how about white case for such release, huh? 🙂
Get this and other watches on Alexander Shorokhoff website.
