YEMA LED KAVINSKY
It was in 2014 when I first heard the famous “Nightcall” song from Kavinsky. It was a hot summer day in Paris. Close to the Notre Dame Cathedral, a few street performers were doing some crazy acrobatic tricks and they were listening to Kavinsky. Since then, I am a big fan of the French DJ.
I am also a huge fan of Yema Watches, so it is a pleasure to collaborate with the popular French watch brand.
In the 1970s YEMA launched its first LED display watch, and they have recently reissued it. The YEMA LED KAVINSKY is a transformed successor of it I can safely say.
Kavinsky is a world-famous French electro music artist who came back as a “Zombie” after his Testarossa car crash in 1986. Since then, he is a music producer and he worked with The Weekend, Daft Punk and made a lot of famous songs.
Kavinsky’s new album called “Reborn” is out now. So, for this event, the DJ made a collaboration with Yema, and he designed a watch himself. I could say, the Yema Led watch was also “reborn”!
The Yema Led Kavinsky watch will be a limited timepiece and it will be available only through a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign will start on 18 March and will end on 31 March. The watches will be limited to the number of backers that will fund the Kickstarter campaign. You can check out the campaign here.
Check out my new review video of the watch here! Hit the like button if you like it and subscribe to my channel as well!
The watch came in a nice travel pouch, both the Yema and the Kavinsky logo are displayed on it. Inside of the pouch, there was the Yema international warranty card, which duration is 2 years long! I have to tell you that the warranty card itself is also an eye-catcher. It is made of brown leather and all the writings on it are golden.
The watch was inside of a case, it also feels and looks high-quality, and it also has the Kavinsky logo on it.
I immediately fell in love with the watch when I saw it. It looks like it came from a different century, and I am not thinking of the 20th right now. If Marty McFly had had the choice, I bet, he would have chosen this watch to travel in time! We could bravely say that it is a retro-futuristic watch and a real unique piece!
It has a 316L stainless steel integrated bracelet and it nicely follows the shape of my wrist. The surfaces are smooth, satisfying brushed finishing, it feels really good quality. Although the links look like three-piece links, they are only one-piece push pin links. The “Kavinsky clasp” with the “K” on it is in total balance with the whole bracelet.
The case is also made of 316L stainless steel. On the case back you can see both the Kavinsky and the Yema logo. I have a prototype watch, so the production watches will have some differences. For example, above the Kavinsky logo, there will be a “Limited Edition” sign and the serial number.
It has 50m water resistance, so you should not deep dive in it, it is basically splash-proof.
The dimensions are quite retro sizes. The case width is 35.5mm, the lug-to-lug size is 42mm, and it is 9.6mm thick. A little bit bigger than the similar retro quartz watches were back in the days, but not as big as the watches nowadays.
The watch has a mineral crystal above the LED display. I think it would be better and more modern with a sapphire crystal. To get the whole retro vibe, the mineral crystal is a good choice. Even though, I still miss the scratch resistance of the sapphire crystal.
The shape of the case is octogonal, which is pretty unique. With this shape, more surface arises, it reminds me of a diamond. Every angle breaks the light, each surface is brushed and polished, and all I could see is enjoyable finishing everywhere.
You can see two “grills”, above and below the display, it is like the car moldings in the ’70s and 80s.
There are two buttons, a silver and a red one. The watch only shows the time when you push the silver button. The other button is called the “Red Kavinsky push-button”, which allows you to go to the settings. With this button, you can change the time, the date, the year, and the 12-hour format to the 24-hour time format. The red Led display and the red numbers are also representing Kavinsky’s color codes.
Inside of the watch works the same Led-Quartz movement as in the similar Yema Led watch. Although the movement is the same, the two styles are different. Kavinsky’s watch was born with the 80’s style, while the Yema Led brings back the 70’s.
There will be two color options available, a silver and a black one. You can see the silver one in the new “Renegade” video clip when Kavinsky reveals the new timekeeper. Check out the video here.
The prices will be really friendly, I would say. 196 euros for one watch, and with a collector’s vinyl, you only have to pay 222 euros. But the real business is two watches for 374 euros!
This watch is Kavinsky himself, it represents him. The 80’s style, the retro-futurism, and everything. I can’t decide if it is more retro style or futuristic. Listening to his incredible music feels the same for me. It travels me in time, and the watch does the same. This feeling is like a dream you don’t want to wake up from.
I am sure of one thing: this is a real unique piece and a must for both watch collectors and Kavinsky fans!
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