Linde Werdelin is not your average Haute Horlogerie brand. Their constant path towards innovation combined with a very personal customer approach has not only let to some amazing watches over the years, but was also resulted in a customer base that would make many other Haute Horlogerie-brands green of envy. The reason for this is that the customers are actually so loyal that the term fan-base might actually be more appropriate. Many of them own multiple Linde Werdelin’s and they very rarely part from them. Linde Werdelin enthusiasts always value the fact that the brand always pushes itself to the limit, both in design as well as technical advancement. Yet when Linde Werdelin introduced the Oktopus Tattoo in 2010, even some die-hard fans did not know what to think of it. A bold diving watch, whose case was completely engraved with an artistically impressive octopus designed by Henning Jørgensen, the famous Danish tattoo artist. The Linde Werdelin fans that needed some time to get used to this unique and unusual approach to watch decoration are probably still regretting it. The Tattoo was sold out rather quickly, because as is the case with many Linde Werdelin’s, the edition was limited.

In the same year Linde Werdelin also introduced their Oktopus Moonphase. There are not many diving watches that feature a moonphase complication. Actually quite strange since the moon has a direct effect on the behaving of the sea. Just as the Oktopus Tattoo was also the Oktopus Moonphase powered by an automatic Frederic Piguet movement, although the moonphase complication was developed by AHCI-founder Svend Andersen. An for obvious reasons also this watch quickly reached cult-status amongst Linde Werdelin aficionado’s.

For their newest creation Linde Werdelin combined the two legends into one watch, creating the Oktopus Moon Tattoo. Despite some similarities with the two previous watches, this is an entirely different creature. This starts with the bold choice of 18K brushed rose gold for the case. Not the most common for a diving watch, but the perfect canvas to engrave the octopus on. The design of the octopus is once again from tattoo-artist Henning Jørgensen, and features painstaking details. Although the creature itself lives on the caseback, its tentacles come up all sides of the watch. It is like the Kraken wants to pull your watch into Davy Jones’ locker.

Engraving a watch like the Oktopus is quite a feature by itself. True to Linde Werdelin tradition does the case of the Oktopus has a lot of different edges, at different angles. This makes engraving of the case quite challenging since it  is vital for the overall result that the drawings of the octopus line up as designed. Perhaps this also explains part of the success of Linde Werdelin. They never seem to take the easy way out when it comes to turning their idea’s into reality.

The same can be said about the moonphase complication. For the Oktopus Moon Tattoo this module was designed and created in-house. The base caliber is an ETA 2892, modified so that the moonphase complication could be placed on top. Choice of movement also clearly indicates that although the Oktopus Moon Tattoo looks great, Linde Werdelin is not in the business of making poster boys, and expects future owners to take this watch through their paces. Actually Morten Linde, co-founder of the brand, sums it all up:

“In-house complication, painstaking engraving, precious case materials…these are just the technicalities. We wanted a really cool watch. Oktopus Moon Tattoo is out of the ordinary,” Morten Linde.

Out of the ordinary is also the attention to detail. Detail is one of the most important deciding factors between what is a good watch and what is a great watch. Of course the Oktopus Moon Tattoo has a lot of details because of the engraved case, but there is more. Instead of simply showing the phase of the moon, Linde Werdelin lets the moon quite literally age. From a young boy the moon matures into an old man. Details like this are what really matters, they give an extra dimension to the overall design of the watch.

To complement this Linde Werdelin fitted the Oktopus Moon Tattoo with a similar skeleton dial as the first Oktopus Moon, important difference is however that the center of the dial now also features an octopus drawing, completing the theme and adding yet another great detail to a watch that indeed seems to be out of the ordinary.

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

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