When Susan Galvin, watchmaker, and founder of the Galvin Watch Company, offered to send me not one but two samples of her upcoming Loimu model, I jumped at the chance. Her debut, the Alku (which I reviewed here) was a refreshingly clean watch brimming with personality, and I crossed my fingers that inspiration would strike twice. I wasn’t disappointed.
For those unfamiliar, the Galvin Watch Company is one of the welcome success stories out of the pandemic, a woman-owned watch company operating out of Australia. The Time Bum conducted an interview with her last year which you can read here. Originally hailing from Finland, Galvin imbues her watches with a bit of that heritage, from the Finnish names to the Scandinavian simplicity of the products. The Loimu (which is Finnish for “Blaze”) is inspired by the Northern Lights of her homeland.
Some years ago I spent time north of the Arctic Circle (in Norway rather than Finland). It was a memorable trip for many reasons – weeks without the sun breaking the horizon, exploring ruined bunkers left over from the Second World War, enjoying beer from the world’s northernmost brewery … the list goes on. What I remember most, however, was looking up at the sky and seeing the Northern Lights nearly every night, green and blue ribbons rippling across the heavens. No matter how many times I saw them, the auroras inspired nothing less than awe. The Loimu does an incredible job of capturing that sense of light and movement.
Where the Alku had a simple, no-nonsense dial that allowed the colors to shine through, the Loimu is a considerably more complex piece. That’s not a bad thing, although at first glance there is a lot to take in. Let’s ease into it.
The case is made from 316L stainless steel and is 38mm in diameter. The Galvin Watch Company has unisex aspirations for this watch, and 38mm is a perfect balance for both narrower wrists and larger. On my 6.5” wrist it looks great, and my wife also tried it on her slightly more slender but significantly more photogenic 6.25″ wrist and it looked even better. The Loimu does sit a bit taller than its actual 11.6mm thickness would suggest, owing to the pronounced bezel. The lugs are 19mm apart, which may be a turnoff for anyone with a grudge against odd-numbered lug widths. The good news is that the included bracelet is quite nice and features a signed, push-button clasp that’s easy to operate. The watch is good for 100m of water resistance, which is great to see in a sport watch like this.
A note about the bracelet: I wasn’t sure what to expect from the vintage-inspired single link, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be so well articulated. Resizing is simple, and it fits wonderfully and feels light on the wrist. It might be one of my most pleasant surprises about the watch.
The case shows some nice attention to detail in the finishing. The top of the bezel and the sides of the case are brushed, as is the bracelet. The side of the bezel and the chamfered cuts along the lugs are polished, providing some nice contrast and making the watch feel a bit more delicate.
The Loimu is driven by the Miyota 9015 movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Unlike in the Alku, the movement is hidden behind an embossed caseback with a pattern that echoes that on the dial, with the Galvin G logo in the center. Around the edge is some basic specs text. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I like the caseback, which has quite a bit more character than an exhibition back would have.
Okay, we’ve gone long enough without talking about the dials and the colors. The Loimu samples I was loaned came in Midnight (dark blue, almost black) and Polar (a bright lime green). The Loimu will also be available in Frost (white), Glacier (ice blue), Tundra (purple), and Black (guess what, it’s black). Taken as a collection, the Northern Lights inspiration is easy to see. No doubt, the Polar will be the most … polarizing, but in person it’s not overwhelming and could absolutely make a fun accent piece. The other colors are much more traditional and quite attractive. If I had to pick a favorite it would likely be the Glacier as that baby blue dial really shows off the guilloche finishing.
While hard to capture in a photo, in motion that spiral pattern plays with light in fun ways beneath the flat sapphire crystal. Indeed, it seems to drift and reform like the Northern Lights themselves. The entire dial has a welcome depth and is kept clutter-free to let the guilloche pattern do the talking. Lumed pips mark the hours, supplemented by applied Arabic numerals for the cardinal hour markers. The numerals are proportionate and clean, while a framed date window sits at 3 o’clock. The stamped “G” logo is the only other element occupying the dial aside from the printed minute track along the raised outer edge. The dial has depth and charm aplenty, though I wish a no-date option was available to maintain symmetry (that is a matter of personal preference). The lance hands and spear-tipped seconds hand are well lumed, as well. In fact, compared to the lume-free Alku, the Loimu has quite a bit Superluminova, including on the signed, screw-down crown. In daylight, the effect of the lume on the crown is a bit odd, but when charged it’s quite striking. On the Frost model, the numerals, hands, and date window frame are all electroplated, giving it an extra bit of contrast.
There’s something very playful about this watch that begs you to put it on for a fun evening out. It certainly got a lot of comments from colleagues, friends, and family during my time with it. Under a macro lens the guilloche finishing really pops on both versions of the dial. There’s no question that under most lighting conditions the lighter dials will better showcase the texture of that dial, but the navy blue is not to be underestimated: the way light spills across the raised edges can be quite enchanting, and I expect this will be one of the more popular options, appealing to more conservative tastes as well as offering some extra flair.
When the time came to send the samples back, I was reluctant to part with them. To me, that’s the mark of a good watch, and I’m excited to see what Susan Galvin and the Galvin Watch Company have in store for the future. The Loimu collection launches on Kickstarter this week, with early bird pricing as low as $250 USD. The watch will retail for about $500 USD which feels right in line for what you’re getting. In fact, given the design creativity of this watch, it seems like a bargain compared to other watches with similar specs that I’ve come across. To learn more and sign up to be notified when the Loimu launches, visit www.galvinwatchcompany.com.au
