Oracle Time

At first glance the Nove Craftsman is a confusing piece. Not because of an overly technical dial – it’s a wonderfully minimal, pared-back affair. Not because of the case shape, which is tactile in a cool, industrial way. But because of the crown – more specifically, where is it? The Craftsman looks like a watch that’s completely unadjustable. That’s because of the brand’s unique setting system, which is actually located on the underside of the watch. Rather than the usual screw-down caseback, flip the watch over and you’ll see what looks like a lock and key at the centre. This is the crown, and it’s more satisfying to use thanit has any right to be.Having the crown there is more thanjust novelty of course; it streamlines thewhole watch, keeping a svelte silhouetteand accentuating the curvature of thebezel – which in the case of the Craftsmanis one of its more charming features.The bezel is actually made from wood,which you can see pretty clearly fromthe visible grain. It’s a naturalistic touchand a contrast with the metal cases, bethat plain steel or black, blue, yellowgold or rose gold-coloured. It’s alsowhere it gets the whole Craftsmanname; you can’t industrialise wood inquite the same way as metal. The ebonybezels are individually polished to getthat perfect, lustrous shine.All of that comes with 200m waterresistance and a quartz movement.That last fact might sound a bit oddcoming from a watch with an artisanethos, but it’s still a Swiss calibre andit makes things far more practical –not to mention accessible – than amechanical timepiece.In fact, despite the unique settingsystem on the back or the unique natureof the bezel (no two are exactly alike)the Craftsman won’t set you back muchat all. It starts at just £419 in plain steeland doesn’t go up substantially fromthere. If that’s not an impulse buy,what is? nove.com