KONSTANTIN CHAYKIN WRISTMONS (JOKER) JOKER - LIMITED EDITION OF 99 - SELF-WINDING CAL. K07-0

The Konstantin Chaykin Joker is a characterful and relatively friendly homage to the famed Batman villain of the same name. The point of the watch isn't just to remind watch collectors of the Joker character, but to use his theme in order to present a timepiece with a "face" that has about 20,000 distinct "facial expressions."

Accent colors such as green, purple, and red, as well as the cartoonish visage of the dial with its elongated red smile are what most hearken to the Joker of the Batman universe. Playing card symbols decorate points around the bezel, and the overall watch seems to be themed around the idea of tricksters (whether they are mischievous or benevolent in intention). Concepts like this can go from attractive to ugly very quickly, and from tasteful to cheesy even faster. I'd say that Konstantin Chaykin cleverly mixes aesthetic and technical elements to keep the Joker watch on the correct side of the "taste fence."

Inside the Joker watch is a movement called the caliber K07-0, which starts with a base Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic that is then modified in-house by Konstantin Chaykin. The movement has a lot to power, so the power reserve is down to 38 hours, and it still runs at 4Hz. Functionally, you have two discs for hours and minutes with hands that represent the eyeballs. These move around dedicated hour or minute tracks in each of the two "eyes." This allows for a range of "expressions" which are constantly changing.