Lebond Norman Foster

The Lebond Norman Foster costs $3,900, ex. taxes, and comes in two versions: Natural Titanium and Black. Both use a Grade 5 titanium case measuring 38.5mm across, growing to 40mm at the point where the strap begins, with a 10mm thickness. There are no lugs. The FKM rubber strap grows directly out of the case as one continuous piece, which is the whole idea.

Norman Foster designed it with his foundation's Innovation and Design Unit, and the bias is architectural rather than horological. The bidirectional bezel carries a 12-hour scale for a second time zone, a function Foster wanted because he has spent decades flying and traveling. The case is water resistant to 50 meters, which is unremarkable and not the point of the watch.

Inside is the ETA 2892-A2, a Swiss automatic movement running at 28,800 vibrations per hour with 21 jewels and a 50-hour power reserve. It is a known, thin caliber, and Lebond has fitted a display back so the rotor is visible. The Natural Titanium edition gets a blue rotor with five perforations; the Black edition gets red. The dial is sunray-brushed on one version and matte lacquered on the other, with a date window at 3 o'clock, which is the one element a minimalist dial cannot quite hide.

The strap system is interchangeable, so the case, strap, and clasp can be swapped across colors and finishes as Lebond adds configurations. That is a genuine piece of engineering, not a marketing line, because removing the lug means the strap attachment has to be solved differently, and Lebond built a whole modular kit around it rather than one fixed shape.