Latest Review
Zelos Watches is one of those brands that is a Kickstarter success story. Each of their releases has done quite well on the crowdfunding site, starting with the Helmsman, then the Abyss 3000M and most recently the Chroma. After some time since their last release, Zelos is back on Kickstarter launching their next piece, the Zelos Cosmos.
The selling feature of the Cosmos is visible right off the bat. Rather than using traditional hands fixed at the center of the dial, the Cosmos uses discs in a multi-level display to tell the passing of the hours and minutes. Each disc is made from thin sheet metal so as to be easily moved by the automatic movement. The minute disc floats above the hour disc which is cut out to show the hours below. The cutouts leave twelve stick “hands” one of which is colored differently to denote it as the proper minute hand. Also below that level is a minute chapter ring with five minute numeral markers and stick markers for the rest.
The topmost level has sick hour markers around the dial. Both the minute track and hour markers are made of sapphire glass. The hour track is held in place with four screws which are visible under the large, double domed sapphire crystal. Zelos states that they have been prototyping the sapphire glass mounting on the dial for a year to perfect the process. The center disc rotates at the top level to show the passing seconds.
While the Helmsman and Abyss shared similar traits so do the Chroma and the Cosmos. Mainly in the round stacked-style case, which is larger on the Cosmos at 45mm vs 42mm for the Chroma. Both share the stacked look on the side of the case which is matched by the Zelos logo carrying crown. The Cosmos has its crown located at 4 o’clock rather than 3 o’clock lie the Chroma. The case will be available in brushed, polished and sandblasted finishes. The dial has three color finishes in steel, rose gold and PVD blue. The movement powering the Zelos Cosmos is the Miyota 9015 automatic movement.
Thus far Zelos has a good track record with its Kickstarer projects. The Cosmos, while it shares traits with a sister watch, is still a unique enough piece to stand out on its own. Zelos has reserved a number of movements and has their suppliers ready to go. Wisely, they built in time during the manufacturing phase in the event any production delays arise. The project needs $30,000 AUD (about $21,500 USD) to get the project off the ground and into development. The first forty backers can get a Cosmos for $779 AUD (~ $549 USD / €510 EUR); after that level the next sixty can claim one for $849 AUD (~ $599 USD / €555 EUR); lastly the open pledge level is $919 AUD (~ $649 USD / €605 EUR). The campaign is live now and runs until Monday, December 14, 2015 at 3:52 PM PST. Head over to the Kickstarter campaign page for the full rundown and to secure yours now.
