Let’s talk about black watches. There is no shortage of watches with black dials; nearly every brand offers every model with one. Then, we have our black dials with black cases. These are not as plentiful, but still abundant. The next incarnation is the “phantom” black dial in a black case with black lume, but that lume was useless, and that style is so 2015. I know some of you have considered all of those options and thought, “Not enough. I want it darker.” For you, I have the BOLDR Safari Vogelkop Superb I am reviewing today.
Now that you have laid eyes on this BOLDR, you are probably wondering, “What the hell is a Vogelkop?” It’s a bird, a Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise, to be precise. Also known as the Crescent-caped Laphorina, it lives in the mountains of Western New Guinea and, most relevant to this watch, the male is a study in dazzling contrast displayed most dramatically in its mating dance, where the inky black feathers of its cape swallow all features save for its electric blue eyespots and breast. It is pure nightmare fuel but apparently irresistible if you are a female Vogelkop.
“Hey, baby. How you doin’?”
The BOLDR Vogelkop, on the other hand, is less freaky. I did not test its effectiveness as a mating tool, although Ms. Time Bum did mention that it didn’t look like all my other watches, so there’s that.
This watch has much to love, but I’ll start with the glaringly obvious: the dial. It is coated in Superkuro Musou Black paint that absorbs 99.4% of visible light. This was my first experience with an ultra-black dial, and it did not disappoint. We know that black is the absence of color, and we also accept that there is no such thing. Every black I have ever seen has a little something to it, like a blue or red undertone. There are grayish blacks and greenish blacks. Some are cooler or warmer than others. It may be subtle, just a hint in the right light, but black is never truly devoid of color. Well, until now, that is. The Musou Black dial is eerie in its totality. There is just so much … nothing. BOLDR applied several layers of anti-reflective coating to both sides of the flat sapphire crystal to preserve the effect. Of course, it can’t banish all reflection, but it makes a good effort to ensure that nothing gets in the way of your nothingness.
Anyone who has argued whether a teal shirt is blue or green understands that color has a significant subjective component. Remember the dress that took over the internet in 2015? Another good example is Adelson’s illusion, which plays our expectations of shadow and pattern to make us see squares as nearly black or nearly white when they are, in fact, an identical shade of gray. The point is my idea of “blacker than black” may not be the same as yours, but certain environmental factors are in play, nudging you in that direction.
The lumed sword hands leap right out at you. It’s a dramatic contrast, nearly white-on-black, but a close look reveals the SuperLuminova is actually blue. Indeed, it is bluer than the blue cast one expects from BGW9. It goes far to make the watch more useful than those charcoal-on-black phantom dials, but better still, the lume color and the twin top center dots hammer home the Vogelkop reference when the lights go down.
“Hello, fellow birds. How are you doing?”
The bezel is set up for 120 unidirectional clicks, just like a proper dive watch, and its action and grip are both good. Does it matter? No. Let’s be honest; you will not use this watch to time anything. By the same token, that 200m water resistance rating will never be tested in the deep seas. BOLDR offers a wide range of Safari models with more conventional markings that are more suited to tool watch utility. This one is more of a statement piece, more show than go, although it’s nice to know it can go if required. Indeed, now that we have seen these unearthly pigments in watches designed to showcase them, I’d love to see them employed in more conventional designs as well. A conventional tool watch with white markers on an ultra-black dial could be amazing.
While a plain brushed stainless steel case would have set off the dial nicely, BOLDR went for DeepPVD, which they claim is darker than the usual coating. It is mighty dark, although I could not discern a difference between it and any of my other black PVD-coated watches. That aside, the case, bracelet, and bezel are black; you know they are black, and that dial still looks like it has an inescapable event horizon.
Relative darkness aside, the color works well on the BOLDR’s excellent Safari case. Measuring 40mm wide, 46mm long, and 12.5mm thick, it cuts a slim figure on your wrist. Smartly chiseled lugs and a pencil-thin bevel along the upper edge give it a taut, sophisticated look. I particularly like how the crown guards flow from the case in a smooth upward arc all along the right side of the case.
Flip it over, and you can glimpse the Seiko NH35A automatic through a stylized line drawing of a Vogelkop showing off his goods. I like the illustration, but those thin black whorls do not show well over a gray machine. It took me several different angles and much squinting before I realized I wasn’t looking at a topographical map.
The Vogelkop is a fine fit on my 6.75″ wrist. The bracelet is excellent. Those short links provide a wonderful flow and allow precise sizing. It has a low-profile, push-button release clasp engraved with both the BOLDR logo and … a crack? A fissure? I have no idea, but it looks cool.
Finally, I commend BOLDR for sending the watch in a practical clamshell travel case inside a simple cardboard box. As someone who hates big display boxes and similarly wasteful packaging, I give BOLDR’s approach a hearty thumbs-up.
The BOLDR Safari Vogelkop Superb is a mouthful to say, a paradox of a dive watch, and an absolute delight. I applaud the brand’s novel inspiration and unapologetically offbeat execution of the ultra-black concept. For $449, you are getting something that will be quite unlike any other watch in your collection. For more information or to place an order, head over to boldrsupply.co.
