Behrens X Konstantin Chaykin Ace Of Hearts Watches Hands-On: A New Face Of Avant-Garde Collaboration
Chinese Behrens and Russian Konstantin Chaykin have collaborated again on a new “face watch,” known as the Behrens x Konstantin Chaykin Ace of Hearts. Produced by Behrens, the Ace of Hearts uses Behrens’ fascinating and asymmetric “Ultralight” case, along with a bespoke movement inspired by Chaykin’s longstanding “Wristmons” series of watches with humanoid (or animal) faces on the dial. There isn’t just one version of the Ace of Hearts, but several limited-edition variants produced from at least two types of case materials in a series of different colors.
Behrens and Konstantin Chaykin first collaborated on a watch back in 2023 with the Behrens x Konstantin Chaykin Joker Limited Edition. At the same time the Ace of Hearts was announced, Behrens also debuted a much higher-end limited-edition collaboration watch known as the KWH with watchmaker Vianney Halter. The Ace of Hearts is meant to be a more affordable and playful product that still bears haute horology hallmarks, including hand-finishing, exotic materials, and a bespoke in-house mechanical movement.
Inside the Behrens x Konstantin Chaykin Ace of Hearts watch is a manually wound movement known as the Behrens caliber BM07. The movement is designed to be visibly interesting as well as “Joker-style,” meaning that hours and minutes are indicated via separate “eye” subdials. The movement operates at 4Hz with 46 hours of power reserve. The lumed eyes for the hours and minutes sit between a small power reserve indicator at the top of the face, as well as a “mouth-style” seconds indicator with a hand that traces the outline of the mouth aperture. This motion is based on a classic mechanical gearing concept originally designed for mills and stone grinding applications. In the middle of the mouth is where the BM07 movement has placed the highly visible regulation system. Creepy, but also captivating, this is another highly expressive and refined “face watch” from Mr. Chaykin, produced by the micro-mechanical masters at Behrens.
It is important to understand the nuanced position of Behrens’ value proposition as a brand. The company’s watches are by no means cheap, but they are vastly more affordable than most similar mechanical wristwatch creations from European brands. Konstantin Chaykin is often the same way, although its recent success has allowed the brand to charge a lot more for its complicated and novel creations. Behrens offers a lot (but not all) of the refinement and craft of high-end Swiss watches, for 80% or less of the price in many instances. That said, you can still purchase a roughly $50,000 Behrens watch, as evidenced by the above-mentioned KWH collab watches with gold cases.
The case design theme used for the Ace of Hearts was introduced by Behrens in 2023 when it launched its Ultra-Light collection. This asymmetric case comes in a few materials and is the basis for an incredibly light 11-gram Ultra-Light watch (which is also curved). The case is not only thin and elegant, but also visually eye-catching. The trapezoidal case shape is 42mm by 37mm, and 7.9mm thick, with about 50 meters of water resistance. I say “about” because Behrens offers the Ace of Hearts in three case material options. Those include titanium, SPSCF (which is a form of layered carbon fiber with beautiful colors as well as in black or white), and tinted sapphire crystal. The different Ace of Hearts case materials impact the price, but the difference between the least and most expensive versions is not as dramatic as you may think.
The face of the Behrens x Konstantin Chaykin Ace of Hearts is not a mug that you want looking back at you all the time. This is the face of a mad mechanical creation, and not a calming presence. You need to be in a particular high-energy, high-adventure mood to wear pretty much any version of the Ace of Hearts. Even so, the watch is comfortable enough to be a daily wear, and the asymmetric case, with a wild robot man on the skeletonized dial, sits low and out of the way against your wrist. Attached to the case is the same strap as on the Behrens 11G Ultra-Light watches, which are quick-release, removable fluoroelastomer straps in various colors.
Possibly the most interesting luxury versions of the Ace of Hearts watches are those with sapphire crystal cases. Behrens makes a few of these and has indicated that the Ace of Hearts will be a limited edition across multiple styles. It will produce 600 pieces in titanium, 150 pieces in each of the various SPSCF “diamond carbon fiber” versions, and 80 pieces each of the sapphire crystal cases; the pink-colored/tinted sapphire crystal version of the Ace of Hearts will be limited to 20 pieces. Price for the Behrens x Konstantin Chaykin Ace of Hearts limited edition watch starts at $7,500 USD in titanium, all the way up to $13,600 USD in sapphire crystal. Learn more at the Behrens website.
