We see many watches here at The Time Bum, and most fall comfortably into established styles. This is not a bad thing. If you want a dive watch or a field watch, for example, there are certain elements you should reasonably expect. We consumers also tend to go with the flow, so I certainly can’t fault watch companies for giving us what we want. That said, I do like it when a watchmaker gives me something I didn’t know I wanted. Something fresh that reflects a singular artistic vision that is then beautifully executed. Something like the Neucarl Sept Mai Founder’s Edition I recently sampled for this review.
Neucarl’s website describes the aesthetic as “retro-futuristic,” and you can certainly see mid-century modern influences. Still, it is not a “vintage style” watch that seeks to recreate or reinvent an iconic watch from the 1960s. Rather, the owner and designer François Carlier has drawn upon those influences to create a fresh, exciting watch in a market full of familiar faces.
The Sept Mai’s polished stainless steel case is 41mm wide and not quite 49mm long. It is a scant 8.35mm thick or 10.5mm when you include the double-domed, AR-coated sapphire crystal. The sides taper sharply to 33mm case back, creating a bowl shape to the center barrel. Cradling this center section is a second section that includes the lugs. Neucarl describes it as a floating case, and that is an accurate representation because, except where they are screwed together on the underside, the two sections do not fit flush against each other. Rather, there is a slight, yet clearly defined, gap between the lugs and the barrel.
I found it wore a little larger than I expected on my 6.75″ wrist, possibly due to the high lug position, but more likely it is just a function of the dial. Usually, polished cases with tapering sides or smooth curges tend to appear smaller, but the Sept Mai’s expansive face fills it from edge-to-edge creating the illusion of size. I initially wished it had been closer to 39mm, but that would have ruined its profile.
Slimness is often a function of movement choice, in this case, a wafer-thin (3.35mm) hand-winding Sellita SW215-1. It is visible through the sapphire case back, displaying tidy finishing and a Neucarl logo. Crowns get regular use on hand-wound watches, making ease of use paramount. The Sept Mai’s is just large enough to maintain proportions, signed, polished, knurled, and operates smoothly.
The lugs, in particular, deserve special mention. In defiance of all conventional watch logic, their most pronounced curve rises up from the bottom with only a gentle downward slope above. It is absolutely stunning. Those blunt curves, crisp edges, and smooth planes have an irresistibly tactile quality. I kept touching them like worry stones.
The dial is another multi-part affair, featuring a layer of brushed metal that echos the bowl shape of the case, bowing steeply upwards to meet the aperture’s edge. In this case, it is less of a bowl and more of a strainer as the central section is cut away to form 12 sections, revealing bright white BGW9 SupeLuminova beneath.
I immediately thought of the “eyeball” dial popular on the Omega Dynamic, itself an icon of mid-century design. Now, I love the Dynamic and own a gold eyeball model myself, so I say this with all due respect, but the Neucarl dial is better. I prefer the Sept Mai’s layering and dished perimeter, and where the Omega’s date window is a beveled rectangle, the Neucarl’s recessed frame matches both the overlay’s finish and the cutouts’ shape for seamless integration into the overall design.
Right now, buyers have a choice of the steel gray dial on the Founder’s Edition shown here, the silver-white of the Roma Edition, or the bold black and electric blue New York Edition. Three new variants should be coming soon.
Skeletonized hands reach right to their markers. Actually, they couldn’t possibly miss since the indices are printed on both the outer and inner sections of the overlay, but the minute hand does hit the outermost index while the hour hand ends midway between the splines bridging the two sections. Dial text is neatly wrapped around the upper and lower halves of the center section, and I applaud the way François maintained symmetry in the words and letters.
I received a variety of 20mm straps with the review sample, all constructed from quality Epsom leather with quick-release pins and signed buckles. Black is the obvious choice for such a modern watch, and the bright ble and petrol blue options were nice but I fell for the bright orange.
The Sept Mai is an exceptional watch and a master class in balance. I love the contrast between the smooth, sensuous case and the sharp metal dial overlay. It is at once industrial and organic. François clearly has a firm grasp of the foundations of Modernist design and as a result, has given us a watch that will still look cutting-edge 20 years from now.
I was blown away by this watch and if you have any affinity for Modernism, I suspect you will be too. You can purchase the Sept Mai directly from Neucarl.com for €599. Trust me. It’s worth it. ⬩
