A Kinder Kraken: Linde Werdelin Octopus Yellow Titanium

Having fun with a watch shouldn’t raise eyebrows among regular visitors to watchuwant.com, but mention “fun” as the defining trait of a given luxury watch, and many purists will balk; they shouldn’t. Linde Werdelin’s Octopus Yellow Titanium is proof-in-metal that good times and haute time can coexist in the same 44 mm living space. Like fried calamari and steamed lobster, the Octopus’ union of jovial character and craft substance is a tantalizing tandem.

With all due respect to Marc Newson and his pioneering Ikepod postmodernist sports watches, nobody renders lighthearted fun in premium materials better than Linde Werdelin. The company emerged in 2002 following a multinational genesis involving Danish designers, Swiss manufacturing, and a London-based headquarters. From the outset, the firm specialized in building tool watches unlike any others, and the Octopus Yellow Titanium embodies every trait that has come to define the LW brand.

To be sure, designers Morten Linde and JornWerdelin borrow the ideas of others, but if you’re going to borrow, borrow from the best. The Octopus draws direct inspiration from contemporary oversize sports watches including Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore and Hublot’s Big Bang. The Yellow Titanium’s octagonal bezel is a direct descendant of AP’s 1993 icon, and LW’s use of rubber on a premium diver owes a debt of gratitude to Hublot’s ground-breaking hybrid material sports watches. Like every sports watch with an openworked dial, the Octopus pays homage to Richard Mille’s landmark haut-de-gamme trailblazers. Naturally, the postmodern irony of Newson’s aforementioned biomorphic and candy-colored Ikepods is present in force on the Octopus.

That final qualifier – the visual impact of LW’s design – is an appropriate departure point from which to explore how this Octopus Yellow Titanium defines itself on its own terms. The key to Linde Werdelin’s appeal is the company’s total lack of pretense. There is no attempt to fabricate a link to ages-old defunct brand names, no mass-market pander featuring bought and paid celebrity endorsements, and the company is frank about its use of customer movements.

What Linde Werdelin does best is engaging design. The livewire punch of this Octopus’ yellow silicone strap is the user’s first signal that LW rocks an avant garde sensibility. Grooved geometric forms on the strap grant it extra articulation for a wrist feel that approaches tailored comfort. Short lugs ensure that the 44 mm case will sit comfortably on all but the most delicate wrists. The five-piece case, which is water-resistant to 300 meters (1000 ft), is faceted to echo the relief channels in the strap, and the result is a highly integrated aesthetic.

The bezel and case feature complimentary hex bolts that visually unite the two largest components of the main assembly. Details matter to Linde Werdelin, and the Octopus departs from its AP and Hublot inspirations by extending the theme of expressed materials where the pioneers held back. The bezel of the Octopus Yellow Titanium echos the case in form and the strap in color. Whereas the AP Royal Oak Offshore raises its bezel to reveal a large sealing gasket, the Octopus Yellow Ti features individual signal-yellow gaskets to highlight the bezel bolts; each reads as a visual explosion from within the black of the facade.

Material innovation is a signature of Linde Werdelin’s design ethic, and the Octopus Yellow Titanium features construction as striking as its color palette. The case itself is a brushed titanium unit featuring a layer of Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC). In contrast to traditional physical vapor deposit (PVD) coatings, DLC is extremely scratch resistant. Due to the amorphous molecular structure of the carbon layer, DLC retains much of diamond’s scratch resistance without suffering from the shatter risk that compromises true crystals such as sapphire or diamond.

This variant of the Octopus actually belongs to the second generation of Linde Werdelin’s Octopus diving watch line. Unlike the original model of 2009, the 2012-present Octopus II features LW’s first use of ceramic, of which the fixed bezel is entirely composed. Circular brushing lends consonant definition to the arc of the bezel, and “U”-shaped relief channels around the bezel bolts create a directional emphasis centered on the dial.

And what a dial it is. The centerpiece of the Octopus dial is a laser-cut openworked top layer set over a solid metallic movement plate. The predominant color of the dial is black, and legibility is assured by large applied marks in bright yellow and white. At the 12 o’clock index, a twin disc grand date provides a ready reference to the calendar. Two of the largest trapeze hands in the business trace the hours and minutes, and a combination of polished metal and vast patches of luminova assure visibility in all light conditions.

Linde Werdelin’s trademark eye for detail is reflected in the subtle off-center asymmetry of the company name and logo at 5-8 o’clock; it’s there to remind the user that Linde and Werdelin are modern artists first and foremost. Look again: the white double-dot index at 10 o’clock reminds us that this is the Octopus II, after all. The result of these thoughtful measures is a dial that maintains a clean aesthetic despite its level of detail.

The Octopus is well-built, rugged, and looks the business. Normally that would be sufficient to stake its claim as a premier summer watch, but this timepiece has more than style and substance; it has real diving utility. Unlike most modern dive watches, which amount to refinements of professional dive references from the mid-twentieth century, the Octopus has been designed with contemporary diving technology in mind. The faceted case is designed to dock with Linde Werdelin’s “Reef” diving computer, which features dive timers, environmental sensors, internal lighting, dive metric calculators, and 28-hour data logging capability. Even more impressive is the fact that Linde Werdelin designed, tested, and validated the Reef with its own resources.

Retro grouches looking for rotating bezels and NATO straps should look elsewhere – like flea markets – because the Octopus is built to leverage the absolute state-of-the art in modern dive technology. As such, it may be the most committed diving watch available at any price point on the luxury watch market.

Within the case, Linde Werdelin employs a Caliber 14580 mechanism built to its specifications by Le Lieu, Switzerland-based movement specialist Dubois-Depraz. The automatic unit features a 28,800 bph (4 hz) escapement and a 44-hour power reserve. It is a contemporary and rugged movement that reveals its remarkable perlaged main plate through the openworked dial.

Linde Werdelin packs the Octopus with value-adding features, and the strap-swapping system is one of the watch’s great assets. The four case bolts at 1,5,7, and 11 o’clock are anchors for the ingenious quick-change strap. Simply remove the bolts with the included factory hex tool, and the strap is released from the case. Removing and replacing an Octopus II strap is easier than with most sports watches on the market – Panerai included. A black technical fiber strap is included with the Octopus Yellow Titanium. Many factory and aftermarket strap options are available to give the Octopus a makeover and accessorize the watch for all occasions.

The Octopus Yellow Titanium has been issued in a limited series of 88 units, so exclusivity is assured. Big Bangs, Offshores, and DeepSea Sea-Dwellers are downright common compared to Linde Werdelin’s tri-national brainchild, and the ability to swap to an understated black strap lends this watch versatility that belies its high profile on the standard rubber unit. This Linde Werdelin Octopus Yellow Titanium is available from watchuwant.com with all factory boxes, technical papers, a travel pouch, and a factory strap tool. Even the quixotic but long running manga-style Linde Werdelin promotional supplements are included.

Few watches can compete with the 1000-watt personality of the Octopus Titanium Yellow. Despite its extrovert style, the watch embodies the functional sensibility of Scandanavian design and the best traditions of Swiss watchmaking savoir faire. Possibly the perfect pool party watch, Octopus also carries the imprimatur of clever engineers. Think of it as the bronzed Muscle Beach mogul with a Ph.D.