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A watch inspired by Duesenberg instrument dials

The Icon Duesey’s face has only two frames

Icon founder Jonathan Ward wears the Duesey watch. PHOTO FROM ICON

The man you see in the above photo rocking the watch featured in this story is none other than Icon founder Jonathan Ward. Icon is a US-based company that refurbishes and modernizes classic vehicles like the Toyota FJ40.

Ward, an avid fan of vintage design, also happens to be a collector of old wristwatches. He has been interviewed by Hodinkee for its “Talking Watches” YouTube series (watch the video after the article). And now, he has designed and made his own timepiece.

For the face of the watch, Jonathan got inspiration from the dashboard instrument dials of Duesenberg automobiles. Duesenberg, of course, was an American manufacturer of luxury cars that operated from 1913 to 1937.

Here’s a photograph of a Duesenberg’s gauges:

The black-and-white simplicity of a Duesenberg automobile's instrument dials is elegant. PHOTO FROM ICON

The result is the Icon Duesey, a 42mm automatic watch that uses titanium for the case, the bezel, the crown, the caseback and the strap buckle. Immediately noticeable is the simplicity of the black dial, which is made of polished onyx stone. Only two frames are laid out on this dial, showing off the watch’s two functions (jumping hours and wandering minutes).

“This is not some preexisting watch with an Icon logo,” says the company on its website. “This is a passionately developed project starting from scratch, from the singular perspective of one man. Countless sketches, models and samples, and hundreds of hours of consideration led to its creation. Every aesthetic element of this design, from bezel to buckle, is unique to the Duesey, crafted specifically for this one watch.”

Thanks to the clarity and the simplicity of design, the Duesey looks interesting from any angle. PHOTOS FROM ICON

The Duesey is powered by a Dubois-Dépraz automatic movement based on the ETA 2892A2. The crystal is double-domed sapphire with antireflective coating on both sides. The crown displays Icon’s lizard logo. The strap is made of genuine alligator leather. And the watch has a water resistance of 50m.

The caseback indicates that the Duesey is “designed in California, crafted in Switzerland.”

The caseback shows the serial number in the limited production run. Only 50 pieces will be made. PHOTO FROM ICON

Also visible on the caseback is the serial number of the watch, which is limited to just 50 pieces. Surely, a product this scarce must be expensive. And that’s exactly the case here, as the Duesey is priced at $11,500 (including insured global shipping). If you place an order on Icon’s website, you can pick your preferred serial number as long as it hasn’t been taken. Estimated delivery date for the watch—which will be hand-built to order—is first quarter of 2018.

At the time of this writing, only 25 pieces are left—or half the production run. If you’re loaded and you like unique wristwatches, maybe the Icon Duesey deserves a slot in your collection.

Icon founder Jonathan Ward talks watches



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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