For today’s review, I have the Timeless HMS 003, the second model from Maël Oberkampf’s offbeat Swiss microbrand. Yes, that’s right, the second model is called the 003. Designations 001 and 002 were two variations on a single model, and if you want to know more, you can read Mike’s review here, but the name isn’t terribly important. I’d rather focus on the HMS 003’s eclectic design and its distinctive balance between modern flair and antique charm.
Timeless has drawn upon an eclectic array of design elements, starting with a brushed, stainless steel, 41.5mm trench watch case with a matte-finished concave bezel and lugs. Strap swappers can relax; those wire-style lugs aren’t fixed. You’ll find a conventional 22mm spring bar in there. It is the sort of case you would expect to be used for a field watch, but polished, rose gold accents at the base of each lug say otherwise. The domed sapphire crystal and 50m water resistance rating confirm it. The HMS will serve nicely as an everyday watch, but was clearly built for the town, not the wilderness.
The case back is solid, clean, and relatively unadorned. Behind it beats a Swiss STP 1-11, a 26 jewel, 28.8k bph automatic based on the venerable ETA 2824 architecture. It’s a shame we can’t see it because the STP is one of the better decorated 2824 units.
A plaque affixed to the left-hand side bears the watch’s name. I’m not generally a fan of text on a watch case, but occasionally I find one that works. This is one of them. The slender plate, black background, sparse typeface, and gold screw heads lend the HMS an early 20th-century industrial quality.
On the opposite side is one of the more complex crowns I have encountered: black on the outside with a deeply recessed head containing a wheel that is, like many of the other elements on this case, decorated with a rose gold hub. I recall Mike calling it out as looking plasticky, and I must disagree. There is nothing cut-rate about this crown, although I did find the PVD black to be a bit much against the predominantly steel and gold case.
Things really take off when you dive into the dial. Oberkampf clearly appreciates a clever typeface. Like the other design choices on this watch, they exhibit two seemingly contradictory styles. I’m thinking, “Art Deco military stencil.” And the way they are literally sitting on the inner edge of that shallow rehaut with no space below them but a stylized railroad track index above? I’m not going to lie, I thought it was a bizarre choice at first, but I love it, especially the way it is ringed by the divot hour markers in the bezel. There is a very 1920s retro-futurist vibe going here.
The date window is another weirdly satisfying contradiction. Look at where it is positioned. While you are appreciating the fact that it is color-matched, also notice that is is well clear of the ring with the hour markers. The conventional decision would have been to frame it with a neat little porthole and continue the hours uninterrupted. Oberkampf chose the unconventional path and made the date frame bigger, nearly twice the size it needed to be. This accomplishes two things. First, it eliminates the 6, which, given the radial orientation of the numbers, would have been completely upside down and shown as a 9. Second, it looks cool. The oversize window creates another point of contrast on the dial and even has room for the model name. That is one of the departures from the 001/002 dials, which were labeled “date.” That struck me as a decision driven by a need to fill space. The model name makes far more sense there.
The primary surface of the dial is guilloché finished, and on this variant, gold. Timeless also offers it in silver-white with green, brown, or blue rings, or black with a black ring and gold markers. The hands are decorated with a keyhole cutout. Had they been polished and faceted, I’d say they were the sort of decoration that dressed up the watch, but given their flat, brushed surface, they appear antique but not formal, reminding me more of 100-year-old clocks than fancy wristwatches.
Below them, you’ll find a gold stabilizing bar, a movement window, and a gear floating in between that rotates with the hour hand. It’s a busy center. I like the look, although I must note that the shape of the gear and its slow rate of rotation makes noticing its trick nearly impossible. The brand logo is unchanged but relocated from the 001/002’s 9 o’clock position to a more symmetrical 12 o’clock.
On my wrist, the Timeless HMS 003 cut a dapper figure. The overall length is just 47mm, and the skinny lugs make it appear shorter still. At just over 13mm from the case back to the peak of the crystal, it is not what I’d call a slim watch, but it appears thin enough when that thickness is spread across its 41.5mm width. These are pleasing proportions for an everyday watch, even on my smallish 6.75″ wrist.
HMS straps are 22mm, leather, and minimally stitched. They are of good quality and come standard with a signed deployant clasp. While the stock strap is a fine choice, I’d be inclined to put the watch on something a bit more tailored to play up its more elegant features.
This brings me back to the paradox I’ve alluded to throughout the review. Because the HMS straddles different styles (dress and casual, modern and vintage, field and formal), you might struggle to find an appropriate place to wear it. I’d make the case that the HMS has set a style of its own and would be well-suited for those who do the same. It is a non-conformist’s watch, and in an industry where homages and revivals are the norm, that is not a bad thing.
The Timeless HMS 003 is available directly from Timeless for 1,450 CHF. Visit timeless-watch.ch for more.
