Ophion is Back with the Vesper, Featuring a Design Inspired by Neoclassical Architecture

To this day, one of my favorite reviews that I’ve written for the website is that of the Ophion 786 Velos. Sometimes, you get a watch in your hands and it just kind of blows you away, shifting your perspective about what’s possible in a particular genre or price bracket. It can also subtly change your own taste. I still think about those Ophions fondly, and have been excitedly awaiting new work from the brand. Today, Ophion introduces the 411 Vesper, which feels like a significant step forward for the brand in terms of their ambition and the levels of intricacy introduced into the manufacturing process, particularly with respect to the dial. 

The Vesper’s design inspiration comes from an influential work of architecture that was never actually built. The Newton Cenotaph, a conceptual work by the architect Étienne-Louis Boullée designed as a tribute to the English scientist, is dominated by an enormous spherical structure 500 feet tall, surrounded by two circular barriers dotted with cypress trees. Boullée was particularly interested in spherical shapes, and his work includes a study referred to as his “theory of bodies” which asserts that the sphere is nature’s most beautiful and perfect shape. 

Ophion’s new Vesper incorporates many of the key design ideas from the Cenotaph into the watch itself. First and foremost, spheres and circular shapes are everywhere. Not just within the dial, but the case (39mm in diameter, 11.45mm tall) , lugs, and crown all help to reinforce a spherical motif throughout the piece. As with previous Ophion releases, the case has been produced in collaboration with Voutilainen-Cattin S.A..

The dial itself is a series of circular rings, modeled after the view of the Cenotaph from the top of the structure (although it was never built, Boullée left detailed drawings of the building from every angle). The most dramatic element of the dial is the use of “micro indexes” throughout for the minutes and seconds. It’s easy to draw a comparison here between these small polished cubes and the cypress trees that were intended to serve as borders around the Cenotaph’s central sphere. 

One of the things I was so impressed with when I reviewed the Velos was the level of finishing on every element of the watch, and it would appear that this has been carried over to the Vesper. The rings create a natural dimensionality on the dial (always a strong suit with an Ophion) and each individual element has been meticulously polished and chamfered. Between the sector-like layout and long polished hour markers that intersect with the double rings, there are a lot of visual elements to consider here. 

The Vesper runs on the Schwarz Etienne ASE 200 micro rotor movement, a caliber we’ve seen an increasing number of brands employ over the last year or so. Ophion has customized the appearance of the movement to a large degree, with a gray sandblasted mainplate, machine chamfering on the bridges, and a customized rotor with the brand’s logo. A total of six variants will be available, including dials in turquoise, navy, salmon, silver, and black, with markers in nickel, silver, and blue PVD. 

The retail price of the Vesper is 7,950 Euros. More information can be found at the Ophion website.