We have said it before and now we say it again: a new color can transform a watch. While another dial can be considered a subtle change, dressing the case of a watch in another color is definitely more than just subtle! But then again, the Tread 2 by Devon Works is not really about subtlety. Granted, the watch is a tad more ordinary than the Tread 1, but even that is like comparing a Hummer H1 to a Hummer H2. Fortunately, the Tread 2 was never on a mission on becoming an ordinary watch, being perfectly comfortable with holding a unique position within the world of exclusive watches.

Although already available with a steel, ceramic and DLC coated cases, Devon Works now adds a brown PVD coated case to the collection. At first this may sound very uninteresting, but the Tread 2 is not your average watch and Devon Works did not put on your average color brown on the case. In fact, they went with a very deep and rich brown with purple hues – sounds kinky, but looks like the proverbial million bucks. This is also most likely the result of the thorough work Devon Works applied on the Tread 2. They did not only change the color of the case, but also went for brown time belt and complementing gold toned motor covers, indicator plate, pulley mounts and rocker. It is therefore somewhat of a mystery that such a high end watch is fitted with a brown croco-embossed calf leather strap. When you want it to look like crocodile leather, why don’t you just use crocodile leather? Fortunately this is a detail that can quite easily and inexpensively be corrected.

What hasn’t changed about the Tread 2 is of course that it is still a statement piece being 42mm wide, 44mm long and 14.5mm thick, and that it still runs 28 days on a single charge. In case you’re wondering why Devon Works christened this version of the Tread 2 Godiva, well, it was named after the Belgium chocolate brand with the same name. The chocolate brand took its name from the legend of Lady Godiva, who lived in the 11th century in Coventry, which, in the 18th and 19th century, was actually one of the watch and clockmaking centers of the UK. Being strongly opposed to her husband’s cruel regime as a ruler who imposed high taxes on its citizens, she obliged when her husband told her that if she would ride the streets of Coventry naked, he would lower the taxes. This self-sacrifice resulted in the taxes being eventually lowered and a higher standard of living for the people. When Joseph Draps founded his chocolate brand in 1926 he was looking for a timeless name yet with a certain boldness, and so Godiva it became. And as much as this is a suitable name for the chocolates, it is perhaps even more fitting for this special version of the Tread 2. Devon Works starts shipping the Tread 2 Godiva to its dealers later this May, to accommodate those of us with a particularly sweet tooth.

Martin Green
Eclectic taste in Haute Horlogerie, passion for diamond set watches, loves the classics

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