At noon today, Lew & Huey will begin taking pre-orders for what may their most anticipated release yet: the Phantom. Named for the Vietnam-era warbird, this automatic pilot’s watch is powered by a Seiko NH35. It has a round stainless steel case 42mm across, 50mm long, and 11mm thick with a brushed or PVD black finish.
The watch features a high-domed acrylic crystal, 60-click bi-directional timing bezel with lumed steel insert, and drilled lugs. If you must unexpectedly ditch your plane in the drink, you will pleased to learn it is rated for 100 meters water resistance. The crown is signed and the case back will feature an engraved illustration that has yet to be finalized, but I have seen a sketch and it is, shall we say, totally bad ass.
Three different dials will be offered: black with stick markers, and black or khaki with Arabic numerals at 12/3/6/9. All three are sandwich style with the hour markers cut away to reveal the luminous layer below. The khaki dial is fully lumed in a custom color that will glow green. Date windows will be an option. All three will have the model name printed in red and all other text in low contrast. Sparky the L&H logo dog will also make an appearance but in “ghost” form. The hands are traditional swords. A lume filled and red-tipped spearhead second hand is a nice finishing touch.
The Phantom’s strap is 22mm wide and will be a red-brown oiled leather displaying a pull-up effect for a vintage look. If 250 orders are placed in 60 days, customers will get to vote on a bonus custom NATO strap from The Ague Trading Company.
Initial pricing will be $250 for the first 50, $275 for the next 50, and $300 for the next 100. Add 5.5 percent for DLC and 3 per cent for khaki. After the first 200 orders or May 20 (whichever comes first) prices will go up by $25 until production is complete.
I think the Phantom looks fantastic and is well worth the expected full $450 price, but at the early bird pre-order price of $250 it is a crazy bargain. I think I can safely assume everyone reading this owns a suitable timepiece so there is no reason to miss the launch. Head to http://www.lewandhuey.com/phantom-pre-order/ to get yours (inactive until 12:00 pm EST April 20).
[Update: The first two early bird pricing tiers were snapped up in minutes. As of April 20, at 5:45 pm only 73 remain at $300. Still a nice price for this watch.]
Images courtesy of Lew & Huey
