Sometimes good things happen really fast. It’s been less than two weeks since I wrote the introduction article for the new CIGA Design Time Cipher. In it, I expressed my wish to take the brand’s latest creation for a spin, and barely a week after publication, the watch landed on my desk. So for the past few days, I’ve had a chance to check out the Time Cipher, a watch with an intuitive wandering hours display. As it turns out, it’s a lot of fun, and that’s exactly what I expected. It’s nice when a watch fully delivers on its promise.
Straight out of the box, the new CIGA Design Time Cipher immediately stands out despite its black aesthetic. As I explained, the brand released the Time Cipher in a normal stainless steel version and another with a black carbon coating. The latter is the one that landed on my desk. The 45mm case visually pops with its mix of sandblasted and mirror-polished finishes. Add the large sapphire crystal, and you will understand that this new Time Cipher in black is not as stealthy as you might think when you read about it.
Going hands-on with the CIGA Design Time Cipher
As the introduction article was published only 13 days ago, I will focus on my observations and the daily use rather than rehashing all the specs and details. If you’d like to know all the details, please read my intro article. That said, this would not be a full review without mentioning some of the most important specs. As we know from CIGA Design, the watches come in special book-like packaging. Not only is it a fun way to pack watches, but it is also much more practical than traditional watch packaging, which takes up quite a bit of space.
Straight out of the box, the attention to detail is apparent. The quick-release spring bars are super easy to use, so it takes just a few seconds to fit the rubber strap to the watch. What also stands out is how supple the black fluororubber strap is. It makes the Time Cipher super comfortable to wear while keeping it perfectly balanced on my wrist. On top of that, I love how the strap connects to the lugless case. It’s simply very well designed.
The details of the CIGA Design Time Cipher
Once you have attached the strap, the first thing that stands out is the 45mm case’s reasonable 11.8mm thickness. Thanks to the pebble-like shape, the watch looks sleeker than the numbers suggest. It also makes wearing the watch a lot easier.
The round case is predominantly mirror-polished black, which emphasizes the sleek design. On the right side sits a 6.5mm crown, and shallow sandblasted capsule recesses at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock provide extra depth and detail. It is an interesting case and the perfect canvas for the rest of the watch.
A gently domed sapphire crystal protects the Super Black dial, which absorbs 99.3% of light, similar to the more famous Vantablack dials. This makes it a great backdrop for the large arrow-shaped indicator that rotates around the dial to indicate the minutes on the raised CNC-engraved minute markers. Set atop the large minute arm is a rotating disc that indicates the hours via a centrally mounted indicator.
Just one glance at the dial and this wonderful construction also makes you understand why CIGA Design opted for a 45mm case. The designers needed the space to ensure you could read the hour on the rotating disc properly. I must say that reading the time is no issue, and all the elements are big enough.
Wearing the watch and reading the time
When it comes to reading the time, though, you might have to get used to the fact that the wandering hours disc rotates counterclockwise. It took me about three looks before it felt natural to read the time. After that, it was smooth sailing for the remainder of the time that the Time Cipher was in my possession. The more time I spent with it, the more I came to appreciate this unusual, quirky way of displaying the time.
On top of that, the CIGA designers ensured the watch is legible in the dark via lumed indicators for the minutes and hours at the base and the tip of the arrow-shaped indicator. Additionally, the hour numerals on the rotating disc feature bright green lume. All of the lume glows bright green in the dark. That’s also where you see that the indicators for the hours and minutes look like an arrow piercing the hour disc.
The CD-08 caliber
Responsible for this horological magic is the newly developed CD-08 movement, which is based on the Miyota 9015. The automatic caliber operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, features 24 jewels, and offers a 42-hour power reserve. Before it gets the CD-08 designation, the CIGA Design team heavily reworks the base movement. Most of the development time was spent developing a solid structure to support the unique mechanism for the wandering hours and to ensure stable performance. This certainly explains this elaborate structure on the dial.
The substantial structure also gave the CIGA Design team the chance to add more detail to the finishing. The largely skeletonized arm features polished chamfers and even Côtes de Genève. The open-worked hour disc is predominantly satin-brushed but has a few polished accents for visual brilliance. Finally, the counterweight that balances the axis features a micro-sandblasted finish, which adds elegance to the arm’s overall shape. As a result, this seemingly stealthy Time Cipher actually features a string of intricate details that substantially increase its visual impact.
Final thoughts on the CIGA Design Time Cipher
Overall, I was impressed with this new CIGA Design Time Cipher. It’s a very well-considered conceptual watch with a clever design and wonderful execution. As a result, I had quite a bit of fun trying it out for a few days. Despite its substantial size, the Time Cipher is easy to wear. The slim profile and super comfortable strap make it fun to wear, and it also slips smoothly under a cuff. As you will understand, it is not a watch for small wrists. Then again, none of CIGA Design’s watches have been.
The larger sizes of the brand’s pieces help bring the interesting concepts behind them to life. The way CIGA Design’s team has accomplished that with this new Time Cipher is impressive. What makes it even better is that you can buy the watch for US$899 on the brand’s official website. If you ask me, that is a very reasonable price.
It’s particularly remarkable when considering the conceptual and technical development that went into creating the CIGA Design Time Cipher. This was one of the most fun recent hands-on experiences I have had, so kudos to CIGA Design for creating another standout release in the ever-flowing stream of new watches.
This is a partnership post. Learn more.