Awesome Pawsome 2022 Year of the Tiger Concrete Automatic Watch Limited Edition
Year of the Tiger, four-dimensional space transformed into a fearless tiger out of the mountain. Dormant for the moment, leap a thousand miles in the next.
22STUDIO X 只是ZISHI
For the first time, concrete craftwork is merged with oriental fashion trend; the tiger image on the dial of the watch comes from the well-known Taiwanese design studio「只是ZISHI」. Traditional and elegant oriental aesthetics such as the “tiger” and “pine tree,” commonly seen in calligraphy and porcelain painting, are subtly reconstructed into a three-dimensional figure, fearlessly crouching on the classic spiral staircase of our 4D automatic watch.
只是ZISHI is well known for combining traditional motifs with contemporary vibes, its innovative and artistic presentation is unforgettable after a glance. The oriental tiger has frequently been depicted in the works; therefore, no one else can take its place as the design partner of 22STUDIO for the year of Tiger. （Find out more about只是ZISHI： https://www.zishiart.com/）
Tiger Concrete Dial- Challenging the limits of in-mold formation
「Integrated formation」is the fundamental principle of fair-faced concrete design, with an emphasis of making things perfect all at once; it is the pride of the craftsman. This time, in order to fully present the image of a jumping tiger out of the shadow under the stairs, the designer decided to make a whole piece of cavity directly protruded from the silicone mould; a creation that in most cases impossible to demold, highlights the stylish details under the shadow.
In this way, it not only tests the skill of making molds and the elasticity of silicone molds, but also challenges the strength of concrete structures. In the end, we are very happy to have successfully overcome this hurdle, showcasing pleasant styling details infused at once.
NEW “Screw-in” case design
The bezel and case have been assembled by our new 「screw-in design」, four screws hidden in the groove of the strap screw-in upwards to lock in the bezel. The innovative structure eliminated the old maintenance opening at the 12 o’clock position, improved its performance in water resistance, and simplified the disassembling and repair process when necessary.
In the past, the design of our bezel applied the method of pressing and tightening. In fact, 22STUDIO has been researching how to make the structure more concise and neat, and finally developed a new structure for the case with our supplier in Tainan, which was used for the first time in the Year of the Tiger limited-edition watch. We will include this structure for other automatic watches in the future.
NEW「虎」Chinese character (Tiger) represents the 22nd of the date window
The one and only Year of the Tiger limited offer, the 22nd of every month on the date plate is represented by the Chinese character 「虎」(Tiger) for this limited-edition watch, also intended to echo with the year of 2022 and our brand name 22STUDIO. The founder Sheng-Yao founded the brand when he just graduated at the age of 22, hoping to always maintain the enthusiasm described by a Chinese proverb: Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers.
Horn-shaped crown guard
Sold out as soon as it was released last year, the horn-shaped crown guard of 【Explorer】limited edition is used again this year for the Tiger-year watch. We made a notch by CNC process around the original crown, screwed in the horn-shaped crown guard, therefore creating a protective barrier. This design can reduce the initial impact by an extreme collision and prolong the service life of the watch, providing you with peace of mind when engaging in physical activities. The details of craftsmanship also enhance the overall appearance with sporting spirit and mechanical aesthetic.
Super-LumiNova three-dimensional hour marker
The luminous feature: Super-LumiNova®, a product of the Swiss manufacturer LumiNova AG Switzerland. Excellent chemical stability, a green luminous of high brightness, no matter how dark the environment is, the time can be checked quickly and precisely. Three-dimensional hour markers are made by metal CNC process, each topped with pigments of Super-LumiNova. The tiny hour marker is only 3.9x1x0.8mm, which must be precisely mounted on the concrete dial; an extreme challenge of demolding and alignment skills.
Stable and durable Swiss automatic movement
We use Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic winding movement SW200-1: vibrations per hour 28’ 800bph, maximum power reserve is 38 hours, accuracy of +/- 20 sec/day, standard three hands of hour, minute and second, date display.
Hand-cured concrete dial
22STUDIO developed its own formula of concrete, which can quickly solidify and form, with low shrinkage and high strength. Moreover, after each dial mold has been manually filled with concrete, it will be placed in 『concrete curing room』for 14 days with constant temperature and humidity. Similar to aging beef or red wine, this process can maximize the structural strength of concrete, as well as producing a uniquely natural texture on the surface.
Sapphire crystal glass and case-back--Tiger head totem with limited edition serial number
22STUDIO uses sapphire crystal glass for all of our wristwatch series. The hardness of sapphire crystal glass is second only to the hardness of diamonds, with a Mohs hardness of 9. With high degree of hardness, it’s less likely to leave scratching marks. Optical permeability helps time reading fast and easy, along with other advantages such as low friction and high temperature resistance.
For the year of Tiger, we offer only 100 concrete automatic watches each for the limited edition in two styles: 『Shadow』and『New Classic』. The transparent case back is printed with「只是ZISHI」tiger-head logo and laser-engraved serial number, making this watch one of a kind and highly collectable.
