Press Release: The return of Ikepod

Ikepod. Once a design sensation in the watchmaking world, always going against the grain of the established. Once bankrupt. Is now back. Twenty five years after the first creation, it bounces back with a crowdfunding comeback. With a new attitude. “The vintage watch from the furture is back.” is the blurb. The elliptic watch is reassigned a new mission. Same look. Same quality. New price.

 

Ikepod trailblazed the way for concept watches, design and haute horology in 1994, gone completely under in 2006, and revived in 2018 with Kickstarter.

Ikepod Returns

 

Changing everything to keep everything the same.

Out! Swiss Made and complicated movements.

In! The new Swiss designed Ikepod now carries a quartz movement, assembled in Hong Kong. Yes, Hong Kong, and announced out in the open. Could have said Swiss Made or Made in France, but no. Made in HK. No lies. They claim small margin. Direct sales. Lower price.

IN! Contemporary revision of the large dials with astrophysical allure. “Vintage watch status with modern cogency” is their battle cry. The design retains much of the Ikepod DNA. The smooth, somewhat bulbous curvy case. The bold dials. The integrated strap.

 

Close encounter with Emmanuel Gueit

The design of the new watches lay in the hands of Emmanuel Gueit. Gueit became well known as a “rogue” designed when he proposed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore. He was then a young designer in the AP studios. Initially lambasted for being overly loud, the Royal Oak Offshore went on to enjoy a great commercial success. Audemars Piguet still produce the Royal Oak Offshore today, variants of Gueit’s original design.

He also worked at Rolex for the Celinni project, in Harry Winston and Piaget And now the iconic Ikepod.

 

 

History

Ikepod goes into “Replay”: two decades condensed into these dates

1994 Creation.

The original company was created by Marc Newson, and was successful in melding the worlds of design and horology in retro-style timepieces with modern codes. Ikepod paved the way for “concept watches” and independent manufacture.

2006 Bankruptcy.

2008 Relaunch.

A team was assembled and created new products, true to Ikepod’s DNA: the Solaris which preceeded and became the model for connected watches and the Hourglass, an object which defied the concept of time itself).

2012 On Stand-By

Marc Newson stopped collaboration with Ikepod.

2017 Brand purchased by fans

Three collector fans, led by majority stakeholder Christian-Louis Col buys the brand, who says:

We bought the brand in 2017 and since are looking to make it more affordable as we strongly believe this is a design watch than an horology one.
We rationalized the case and ask Emmanuel Gueit to work on new faces, new dials and we are so happy with the results.

2018 Ready for launch

with a team of watch and design aficionados with simple goals for the modern market:
-Ikepod design
-affordable prices
-Swiss quality proudly made in Hong Kong
-unisex collection
-dials revisited by Emmanuel in 32 shades of Gueit.

10 reasons to follow Ikepod’s relaunch:

(From Press Release)

-Watch different: a manifesto at the wrist which discerns a different watch for a different
attitude.
-A Swiss icon often imitated, never equaled.
-High quality at an affordable price.
-Full transparency and no ambiguities over production place or process.
-A luxury brand which reconciled its conscience to a “premium” repositioning.
-Changing everything so that nothing changes. Pure design for a return to the essential.
-“Life belongs to those who live in the present” and Ikepod is set to conquer the new horological horizon.
-Emmanuel Gueit, inner circle star of the watchmaking world, never before seen on Kickstarter.
-An entrepreneurial adventure lead by aficionados of design and horology.
-A vintage watch back from the future.

The new Ikepod Watches

Ikepod Duopod

 

 

42mm which appears 39mm on the wirst
2 hands : hours / minutes.
Quartz Myota. Pure, simple. 316L steel, tribute watch strap.
5 ATM water resistant. Screwed back
2008 hemipode logo on the crown
Prices in : Euros 475 / USD 590 / CHF -550

Ikepod Chronopod

44mm which appears 41 on the wirst
2 hands and chronograph at 6. 60 sec / 30 min Chrono. 24 hour indication.
Myota JS 25. Lean design. 316L steel, tribute watch strap.
5 ATM water resistant. Screwed back
2008 hemipode logo on the crown
Prices in : Euros 590 / USD 725 / CHF -690