By Guest Bum GUTuna, a watch enthusiast, Washington, DC resident, and friend of The Time Bum.
Maison Celadon
stepped confidently into the watch world in 2013 with its motto “Made
in China With Pride.” The tagline was both meant to inspire China’s
historic watch industry to climb to greater heights, and in turn
generated a bit of controversy within said industry which already
produces such a wide range of watches and components. This reviewer has
taken a special interest in Chinese watches, believing that, whether
publically embraced or cleverly obscured, China is the heart of the
global watch industry. And few, if any, watches embrace its Chinese
lineage more than the Celadon Imperial.
The Imperial First Series is a classic dress piece. The reviewed watch
has a stainless steel case of 38mm and a 9.2mm thickness, which will
nicely slide under any cuff. It has 20mm lugs which slightly curve
giving it a graceful profile. A small onion crown is also slightly
curved to warmly embrace the case. Its flat sapphire crystal sits flush
with the top of the case. It can be tricky to photograph in certain
light as the crystal does reflect a fair amount of light.
The dial is delicate and arresting. This watch has an “Imperial Red”
guilloche dial in a plum blossom pattern which harkens back to a
landmark in Chinese horologic history, the Wuyi watch of 1958. Small
black characters sitting between 5 and 7 o’clock proclaim it is the
“Pride of China.” The Celadon logo is made of stainless steel, as are
the hour indices and sword hands. The Imperial First Series contained 50
of these red dials and another 50 of “Rice Paper Cream,” again
guilloche in a plum blossom pattern.
The Imperial is also a wristwatch an enthusiast will need off the wrist
at times in order to admire a movement that is as attractive as its
dial. The 18-jewel B18 movement manufactured at the Beijing Watch
Factory (BJWAF) has nicely decorated plates and blued screws holding
them together. Its ¾ plate architecture offers a view of the balance
wheel and a glimpse of the workings beyond. The hand-wound movement of
21,600 bph has kept excellent time and is very well constructed and
beautifully decorated for a watch at this price point. The sapphire
display case back bears the Imperial model name, serial number, and the
Chinese character 首 meaning “first” (subsequent series also have a
character denoting the series number). The case back text is balanced
with Celadon’s “Made In China With Pride” motto.
In this reviewer’s experience, the buying process matched the quality of
the watch. Ben from Celadon was very helpful in explaining the pricing
and the possible options and was always very timely in his responses to
my emails. The watch arrived in a nice leather case accompanied by a
handwritten card bearing classic Chinese artwork. The small refinements
extended to a nice brown leather stock strap with the Celadon logo
printed on the inside of both the strap and 18mm buckle. With only 100
watches per series, it did not feel like an industrial purchasing
experience.
The Imperial First Series retailed starting at USD $920. The Imperial
Second Series features a “Midnight Blue” dial, again in plum blossom
guilloche, and a peacock-pattered guilloche “Blanc de Chine” white dial.
The Imperial Second and Third Series movements are now assembled in
BJWAF’s Grand Complications Atelier, the highest level of quality
control that the factory offers. The movement plate is also decorated
with Chinese poetry. The Second and Third Series start at USD $977 with
additional options like blued-steel hands and bespoke straps.
Pro: A richly-colored and beautiful dial that is matched by its
attractive movement decoration. The small details feel right with this
watch. I’m smitten.
Con: Crystal may need an inner AR coating.
Photos courtesy of Maison Celadon
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