Armand Nicolet is a brand that remains unknown for many on the periphery of the watch world. The Tramelan based watch house is far removed from the hustle and bustle of todays watch zone and at the same time at the geographical epicenter of the birth of watchmaking. When you first see an Armand Nicolet timepiece, it's immediately apparent that a great deal of time and talent is expended in the manufacture of each watch that bears the Nicolet brand. No detail is too small to escape notice.
The Armand Nicolet L07 is a limited edition offering from Nicolet that relies on the venerable Venus 188 movement - a classic watch power plant that's a favorite of collectors.
The Nicolet L07 is a manually wound chronograph with a tachymeter scale on its outer track. Chronograph functions are activated via pushers in the traditional arrangement at 2 and 4 o'clock.
The dial on the L07 is decorated with guilloche and partially skeletonized to reveal a plate that's treated with cotes de Geneva, adorned with gold-filled engravings and that serves as the backdrop for the subdial of the hours counter that's positioned at 9 o'clock. The depth created by the openwork and the texture of the guilloche combines with the deep blue of the hands to create an exceedingly memorable topside presentation - the L07 is a stunner!
Turn the L07 over and the nicely finished Venus 188 is visible through its sapphire crystal display back.
The case of the Armand Nicolet L07 is 43mm in diameter. I really like the nicely finished dress watch / big case combination - for me it has all of the bases covered.... no thought required.
Armand Nicolet is a brand that's sure to get a lot of attention from watch collectors over the next few years. The Nicolet L07 is a great example of the work coming out of the Armand Nicolet shop.
