The horological space is bursting with new names right now. The influx of watch microbrands in recent years has ushered in a new wave of creativity and design which has made premium watches more accessible to collectors than ever before. One particular brand that alchemizes several trends in emphatic fashion is Nezumi. The Swedish standout crafts gorgeous vintage-inspired timepieces that also draw inspiration from automotive culture, which is something about which you’ll never hear us complain. In just a blink of an eye, Nezumi is already celebrating its tenth anniversary and is taking a huge step to mark the occasion.
To have any business last ten years is a cause for celebration, but surviving in a ravenously competitive industry like the microbrand watch market is truly worth breaking out the good stuff. In this case, Nezumi is releasing its first-ever mechanical chronographs, outfitting its flagship Voiture with a hand-winding motor to create the VM1S. The new model boasts an ultra-reliable Swiss-made Sellita SW510 Mb manual wound no-date chronograph movement. This particular movement allowed Nezumi to maintain the Voiture’s slender profile, normally a bonus of the original watch’s meca-quartz caliber.
The design of the VM1S doesn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater, as it’s the same funky classic racing-inspired dial designs from the original Voiture. Each of the three versions of the VM1S has its own distinct contrasting pattern: the VM1S.201 sports a modified evil panda dial, the VM1S.601 features a resplendent blue dial with beige counters, and the VM1S.101 goes for the classic Voiture “masked panda” look. Aside from their different designs, the watches share the same brushed 316L stainless steel case with twisted lugs, double-domed crystal sapphire, Swiss C1 Super-LumiNova, and a handsome steel jubilee bracelet. Besides the bracelet, the other aesthetic difference to the original Voiture is the addition of “10TH ANNIVERSARY” text on the tachymetric bezel.
Given the mechanical magnitude of this release, Nezumi limited each colorway of the new Voiture to only 100 pieces. However, you can join its mailing list if they sell out before you can grab one. Nezumi’s Voiture ref. VM1S retails for $1,524 and is available only on the brand’s website.
