Nordgreen Philosopher Watch Review

Time is fickle, and that is why every man is reminded to focus on the now rather than on the past or the future. This is what Nordgreen had in mind when they came up with the Nordgreen Philosopher timepiece – to give the present all your attention so that you can build a better future while continuing to learn from the past. This philosophy is reflected in the design and the pieces that complete the watch.

For the project, they tapped the talents of Jakob Wagner who is a designer known for his global acclaim. In fact, it is said that every minute a Wagner designed watch is sold every minute of the day, making him the perfect man for the job.

Danish Design

As you lay your eyes on the Nordgreen Philosopher, the first part that you might notice is how its second hand is asymmetrically made. According to Nordgreen, this was incorporated into the design because they want it to figuratively slice through time. We see the allure of it, especially with the philosophy of time as its inspiration, the secondhand does look like a knife if you looked at it at certain angles, giving the metaphor justice.

As its canvass, the secondhand just hovers over a simple white dial with clearly marked indices as the black contrasts the white very well. In addition, they simply added their brand name and the aperture to complete the dial of the Nordgreen Philosopher. Simplicity at its core, just another way of conveying the message that classic designs are timeless.

Although, this might have also been the case because of how from the beginning, Nordgreen wanted a minimalistic watch which they clearly achieved with the Philosopher, and even more.

The Philosopher was also finished with a casing that is 7.84mm thick and 40mm in width. It is made out of pure stainless steel which gives that clean finish while the gun metal color gives it that combination of rusticity and class that is often seen in timeless classics.

However, what Wagner paid particular attention to, and we are not sure if you will notice it right away, is how the case is shaped like a cone. According to him, this is to give emphasis on the face of the timepiece because Nordgreen wanted to emphasize the importance of the present as it pulls your eyes towards the center of the watch.

Also, its tugging lugs allows the straps to be changed to whatever you want.

All these come together to complete the unique design of the Nordgreen Philosopher.

Technical Features

Let us start with the Nordgreen Philosopher’s movement.

Jakob Wagner opted for the Japanese Quartz movement to be incorporated into the time piece. This is what powers the “knife” that slices through time every second, and it works well with what Nordgreen wanted – a simple timepiece that could easily become a classic. This has been achieved with the quartz.

In addition, the Japanese quartz movement also works well for the Philosopher since it only has one aperture, and that is a tiny square which shows the date. Such a simple addition to its design does not require a complex movement, and that is why, in spite being designed by a world-renowned watchmaker, it is comparably cheap compared to other timepieces you might see in the market.

However, its simplicity comes at a cost.

The Nordgreen Philosopher only has a water resistance rating of 3 ATM. This means it is not suitable for swimming. The most it can resist is water splashes, and occasionally, rain. Other than that, this watch needs to be kept away from any water source, no matter what otherwise, you will not see it last very long.

Maybe, this is the only knock we can say about the Nordgreen Philosopher. Maybe, if it wants to be an everyday classic, it should have invested more in to this feature considering that there are times when coming into contact with water is unavoidable on an everyday basis. However, we cannot do anything anymore. At the end of the day, we just need to be very careful whenever we sport the timepiece when going out.

Conclusion

If you want a classic timepiece based on a very deep philosophy about time, designed in the modern minimalist way, the Nordgreen Philosopher is the watch for you. It is a watch that you can use on a daily basis while making sure that you do not look out of style. It is fashionable, and it can come in two different sizes.

However, if you are someone who is expecting to be in contact with water a lot, then, you should steer clear from this piece because it was not designed to resist too much water.

At the end of the day, the Philosopher can easily go down as a classic time piece, but only time will tell, but if we focus our attention to the now, and for its price, it is a timepiece that you should go out and get.  

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