Icklers are a third generation of German watch case makers. They now run the family business by supplying quality watch cases to some of the nicest European watch companies. Besides the traditional case making and watch assembly, the Icklers also run several watch brands such as Limes, Autran & Viala, Defakto and Archimedes.
It seems to me that Limes, Autran & Viala and Archimedes do slightly overlap each other. The Ickler family probably wants to offer a broad choice to their customers, but it could help differentiate each brand by assigning them to different price or finishing levels – similarly to what the Swatch Group had done with their brands. That being said, Defakto clearly stands out with its characteristic design, and all the Ickler brands are characterized by the family’s quality assembly and competitive pricing.
The Archimede watch company, which I briefly presentend in the Flieger chronographs article, will soon release their upgraded Outdoor model. Based on a 1980’s case design with covered lugs, the Outdoor was released in both a Valjoux 7750 chronograph, and an ETA 2824-2 three-hands calendar watch. The latter met with success and quickly sold out.
Together with his team, Herr Thomas Ickler set on to upgrade the automatic model. On March 15th, he released the first picture.
The crown shoulders were slightly increased, and the crown was much bigger cogs than the previous version. The dial shared with the Outdoor Trekking model was dropped in favor of a new, original one. I personnally hope they will keep the previous dial as an option.
According to forumer Jean Patrick, the price will likely be situated between EUR 395 and EUR 495.
