A growing trend in the watch industry is to have timepieces designed not by corporate stylists but by the collector enthusiasts themselves. Such is the case with the new ICON Duesey Watch ($11,500) created by Jonathan Ward of Los Angeles-based ICON4x4. He is usually busy restoring vintage automobiles which is one reason the watch is based on the long-defunct Duesenberg.
Besides wanting a completely unique watch design, Ward wanted it to be Swiss made. Power comes from a Dubois-Depraz automatic 14400 module with an ETA 2892-A2 top base featuring a customized tungsten oscillating weight with a 2-day power reserve. The 42mm case is made from a combination of Grade 2 & Grade 5 titanium with a polished onyx stone face that houses two brass rimmed windows rather than traditional hands. The top window features the hour on a jump movement and the lower window scrolls the minutes under a domed sapphire crystal.
The sleek, minimalist ICON Duesey watch is limited to just 50 pieces which are numbered on the case back where another crystal shows the movement underneath the ICON lizard logo. It is matched with an Italian made “rolled edge” matte alligator strap.