Watch Review: Ollech & Wajs OW 8001 Tundra
Visit the website of historic tool-watch maker Ollech & Wajs, and many of its products look similar, save for the relatively new OW 8001 “Tundra” model. The OW 8001 Tundra doesn’t look like most other Ollech & Wajs timepieces because it wasn’t designed by them. This watch is the result of a collaboration between the Zurich, Switzerland-based timepiece brand and an art studio based in Norway known as the Norwegian Architectural Design Collective (MIR). Anything that comes from a design center like that is probably going to be interesting, though (by definition) the MIR center focuses on architecture as opposed to anything related to horology. So, how well-made is the Tundra, and does it make a good wristwatch?
According to Ollech & Wajs, the outcome of the OW 8001 was a timepiece that explores the intersection of Brutalist human architecture design and “rugged” natural landscapes. The Norwegian Architectural Design Collective chose the tundra as a climatic region (one that can be brutally cold, of course) as the thematic inspiration for this watch. The timepiece also fits into the larger category of steel watches with integrated bracelets, though I don’t believe the MIR design team intended for the OW 8001 Tundra to merely be an entrant in that product style category.
Architecture and watchmaking do actually make good bedfellows. Both disciplines are interested in creating attractive, functional structures where visual perception matters as much as performance. I’ve often likened better watches to being akin to miniature buildings. Their primary purpose might be utilitarian, but their emotional value is based on how they look. Also, one measure of a good watch is the quality of its surface finishing. You should be able to be shrunk down as though you were entering the watch like a building, and the surface finishings and polishes should all appear good, even on that tiny scale. While there are notable differences, people who design buildings and who design watches will more than likely claim a lot of shared experiences and processes. In fact, when I recently saw the movie “The Brutalist,” I felt that the plot should have replaced the building he was creating during much of the film with a complicated wristwatch… and the story and reactions would have been largely the same.
Brutalist design in architecture is very popular right now, but is it popular in watches? There are disagreements as to what a brutalist watch design even is. Since the MIR and Ollech & Wajs teams say that brutalism is a large part of the OW 8001 Tundra design, we will, of course, take the brand’s word for it. There are a lot of hard lines and surfaces, with bold proportions and little to soften the thick shapes and brushed surface. I actually like the design, though I’d not want to have to look at it on a daily basis. What’s more, the design of the OW 8001 Tundra is very quirky. The case is quite thick by comparison, and despite being water resistant to 300 meters, the dial is only moderately sporty with SuperLumiNova luminant material covering only the upper half of it. In fact, aside from the hands, only three hour markers provide any luminant. Ollech & Wajs was smart to have some applied hour markers on the dial, but the lack of luminant on the flat parts of the dial seems like a strange oversight.
Nature is represented by the moss green gradient color on the dial of the OW 8001 watch. This color is inspired by everything from forests to fjords and is a fresh color while also adding a handsome approachability to an otherwise very aggressive design. The case itself feels large, but it isn’t super big. Rather, it has a monolithic style to it with steep walls, and a deep dial which is made more dramatic by the bezel, which feels like a mixture between Rolex’s fluted bezel and a drafting instrument (Ollech & Wajs clarifies that the bezel required laser cutting to properly render). The OW 8001’s steel tonneau-shaped case is 39.5mm wide and 12.7mm thick. With a screw-down crown, it has 300 meters of water resistance, and over the dial is a thick, AR-coated sapphire crystal. Ollech & Wajs points out that in addition to being a “Swiss Made” product, components like the case of the OW 8001 are also produced in the watchmaking country of Switzerland.
One of my favorite design elements of the dial is the compact square of text on the dial that uses three symmetrical rows to read “8001, 300M, and COSC.” The neat style and shape of this text should be something other designers pay close attention to. This is a tiny element, but one of the best-done design elements on the watch when compared to how clumsy such text feels on even many “famous” luxury watches. The rest of the dial is equally symmetrical (forgetting the lume that is), with the date window being located at the 6 o’clock position.
Inside the watch is once again a Swiss Made Soprod Newton Precision caliber P092 automatic movement. The movement operates at 4 Hz with 44 hours of power reserve. The watch actually has two certifications for accuracy and performance. The first is COSC Chronometer certification, which is just an evaluation of the movement itself. The watch also appears to have an even more elevated certification standard in the form of being “Chronofiable.” This is a different performance and accuracy standard, which I believe tests the entire watch (not just the movement) and is performed in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. All together, Ollech & Wajs offers a fair bit of assurance that your mechanical watch with be as accurate as it can be.
Coupled with the tapering three-link brushed steel bracelet is a hefty folding deployant clasp. It uses a slider-style micro-adjust feature that allows you to expand or contract the bracelet back down to its original size. In fact, with 22mm of adjustment, this is more of a diver’s suit extension than a simple comfort micro-adjust. The rear of the watch has a simple engraving like most other Ollech & Wajs products, so the overall contribution from the MIR design center is not very apparent if you have only the timepiece in your hand to understand its story. The OW 8001 Tundra Watch will also be produced as a very limited set. It is possible that future dial color options could be available, or this under 100 pieces limited series could be the only OW 8001 pieces that Ollech & Wajs makes.
Despite the novel case and bracelet, the OW 8001 Tundra doesn’t cost appreciably more than other Ollech & Wajs products. Also, even though it is a “designer product,” it is also a sports watch at heart with a lot of water resistance and pickup truck-like attitude. The Tundra isn’t perfect, but overall, it combines a lot of personality with something novel. Ollech & Wajs is only making 56 pieces of this limited-edition watch it crafted in collaboration with the Norwegian Architectural Design Collective (MIR). Price for the Ollech & Wajs OW 8001 Tundra watch is 1,956 Swiss Francs. Learn more at the Ollech & Wajs website.
