Oyvind Von Doren Asbjornsen wasn’t content material with slapping a rook or a bishop on a watch and calling it a chess-themed timepiece. A watchmaker who is also an avid participant, he needed a complicated design, but one which resonated with aficionados of the sport.
So in 2019, his model, Von Doren, based mostly in Oslo, launched a set of two quartz watches in brushed metal, referred to as the Reti.
The Reti assortment was named for Richard Reti, an Austro-Hungarian chess grasp who in 1910 received a well known match in simply 11 strikes. (A median recreation normally includes about 40 strikes.) And somewhat than utilizing typical hour markers on the dials, Mr. Asbjornsen used the chess notations for the 11 strikes.
What felt like a dangerous design choice on the time, he mentioned, paid off. The 225-piece restricted version bought out shortly — so this fall, he intends to launch a 42-millimeter mechanical chronometer model of the Reti, with a motion made by the Swiss producer ETA. (A chronometer is a time period for a extremely correct timepiece, initially utilized in marine navigation.)
The worth has not been finalized, however Mr. Asbjornsen mentioned it was almost definitely to be about 1,500 euros ($1,614). Von Doren watches are bought within the model’s retailer in Oslo and thru its web site.
Like the sooner fashions, the brand new Reti’s dial is to have the notations from the 1910 recreation and the case again is to be engraved with a numbered checklist of the strikes, too. “In order that,” he mentioned, “you’ll be able to truly take off the watch, sit down and replay that stunning recreation.”
He mentioned that the watch was additionally to incorporate “one different enjoyable design ingredient I want to maintain as a secret for now.”
Mr. Asbjornsen, who is also a filmmaker and tv producer, initially expressed his love of chess because the director of the 2005 documentary “The Prince of Chess” and the co-producer of the 2016 documentary “Magnus.” Each centered on Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian grandmaster now ranked the world’s prime participant by the Worldwide Chess Federation and broadly thought-about among the many greatest gamers of all time.
The Reti initially was created because the official watch of Norway Chess, an annual event the place Von Doren has been the official timekeeper since 2017. (The model additionally launched a 3rd watch on the time, an identical to one of many two Retis however with out the chess notations, referred to as Von Doren Norway Chess.)
“From quite a few interactions with Oyvind, I consider he’s very measured in his decision-making,” Steve Huyton, the creator of the guide “Unbiased Watchmakers,” wrote in an electronic mail. “Due to this fact, I consider there was minimal danger if any in releasing this restricted version.”
He added that the watch “subtly integrates chess symbols,” on its dial “while sustaining a standard aesthetic.
“Finally this delicate steadiness is integral to the success of the watch.”
