Joker Watches

[Janean Mcconnaughhay]

Likemost Russian Joker watches, this Chinese Joker also has an in-house mechanical module built on top of a base Swiss Made automatic movement. In this instance, the movement is a Swiss Made Sellita SW200 automatic, which operates at 4Hz with roughly 38 hours of power reserve. Behrens places its own system on top of the base automatic, which creates the distinctive regulator-style layout that separates hours, minutes, and seconds into individual subdials. Overall, this is done quite well, especially for the eyes, which are now visible in the dark thanks to entirely lume-painted backdrops.

Attached to the case is a black-colored fluoroelastomer strap that is attached to the case with a solid quick-release system. The strap itself is comfortable and nice, and that includes the attractive buckle and quick-release hardware. That said, style-wise, I am not sure how the strap complements the overall composition of the case and dial design. It does seem that Behrens has thought of this, however, given the quick-release spring bar system, and additional straps should be available in the future. The strap release system is also not proprietary and allows you to put any 21mm-wide strap (an admittedly uncommon size) on the case.

I am about as neutral as you can be on the topic of clowns. I wasn't traumatized by one as a child, nor do I find them particularly frightening (or funny) as an adult. Honestly, I've really never understood the prevalence of clowns in our culture, particularly the presence and popularity of the "evil clown" motif that's best represented by the Joker character from the Batman franchise.

You can imagine, then, how the past few years have been unsettling for me as more and more character watches have been released that specifically highlight either the Joker himself or the "evil clown" genre more broadly.

It feels contradictory, then, that coulrophobia, a fear of clowns, has evolved into such a common occurrence today, when clowns were originally aligned with normality and the idea of an "everyman." I had to find out why.

Writing in Bad Clowns, researcher Ben Radford says it all has to do with the trust, or the lack thereof, engendered by men in clown suits. "Historically, the clown figure is generally devoid of allegiance; he has no masters and is a man in full and at his own command."

Because of their obscured faces and preference for pantomime, regular people had a hard time getting a read on the intentions and desires of the clowns in their midst. So it's understandable how a mistrust for clowns could permeate and eventually mutate into the creation of anarchy-loving supervillains like the Joker and murderous horror movie icons like Pennywise The Dancing Clown.

To get to the bottom of this ridiculous affair, I connected with Moscow's Konstantin Chaykin, the man behind what is easily the most famous Joker watch of them all. He debuted his first Joker wristwatch in 2017, secured a GPHG Award for it in the "Audacity" category the following year (side note: only the Swiss watch industry would have such a dramatic category), and has since expanded beyond the clown motif by creating the diverse "Wristmons" series.

The Joker watch was an unexpected smash hit for Chaykin. It was actually a back-up plan, a magic trick he pulled out of a hat after he had to unexpectedly retire the original project he had been working on in the months before Baselworld 2017. "We had incredible success," he told me. "All the pieces I made sold out very fast. I absolutely did not expect it to do so well. It was unexpected. I discovered something new."

Today, approximately 80 percent of Chaykin's annual production is dedicated to the Wristmons series, and they continue to sell out every time he introduces a new model. Chaykin says he even has collectors who only purchase Jokers from him.

Marco Tedeschi believes the rise of the Joker in watchmaking can be partially attributed to the crossover appeal of cultural phenomenons such as Pennywise from It and Todd Phillips' The Joker.

He would know. Tedeschi is the founder and creative director of Kross Studio, a small Swiss firm that has garnered recent attention for its highly complicated center tourbillon timepieces that riff on pop-culture franchises such as Star Wars and, yes, Space Jam. But before he was at Kross Studio, Tedeschi was the man in charge of RJ Watches, ne Romain Jerome, where his team had an ongoing successful partnership with Warner Brothers and created a string of Batman-inspired watches. Tedeschi was intrigued by the design possibilities, but he didn't want to focus entirely on the Dark Knight, instead he decided to open up the Caped Crusader's rogues' gallery. Starting with the Joker.

Tedeschi's Joker watch was based around one of the company's flagship pieces at the time, the RJ Arraw Marine Chronograph. The goal was to link the watch to the character, without going overboard. The hour indexes are playing cards, and the counter of the chronograph is the same color as the Joker's eye makeup. The purple and green alligator straps were a natural flourish.

"If today you ask me what my dream Joker watch would be, I would definitely go with something very different," Tedeschi said. "I would play with the movement and not only the case and dial. At Kross Studio, our approach requires the character itself to be a part of the movement. It's very difficult when you want to create a watch linked to a character because the last thing you want to do is create something too gimmicky."

A clue resides in Bad Clowns. I think part of us inherently admires the clown for exactly the reasons Radford points out. The clown figure is "devoid of allegiance," an individual with "no masters," and someone that is always "at his own command." In other words, clowns are free spirits.

Now, think about DC's Joker. His primary motive in the movies and comics is to cause chaos and anarchy in Gotham City. It's not about money or murder, he wants to challenge our idea of "humanity" and bring more people down to his perspective, a place where absurdity is a way of life.

I mean, look at these Invictas. They're clearly intended as objects of rebellion, designs meant to challenge our very comprehension on what a watch can be. Just as the Joker has to paint his face in order to transform from a human to a supervillain, Invicta has stretched the definition of a wristwatch to its limit in order to transform it into the face of a clown.

Similarly, when Corum leaned into the clown motif for inspiration, it found a natural home within the company's larger-than-life "Bubble" collection. Again, the Joker has been brought to life on a timepiece that pushes the boundary of traditional watch aesthetics into something nearly unrecognizable.

Corum partnered with the artist Matt Barnes on this Bubble, transforming the recognizable watch into a smoking, smirking riff on the famous American "Hobo Clown" trope that became popular during the Great Depression.

After thinking about it for far too long, I believe we're seeing the Joker spread into watch design for multiple reasons. Of course, the Joker is absolutely having a moment in pop culture these days, and it's natural for watch designers to want to experiment with his representation in their medium of choice. And I'll also admit it's all a bit of a gimmick, an opportunity for companies to jump on a bandwagon to make a quick buck. But to me what's most interesting, and what makes the Joker and his ilk such lasting symbols, is how clowns can serve as an excellent example of living in the moment.

For more information on Konstantin Chaykin, click here. You can learn more about RJ Watches and Kross Studio, here and here. For more information on Corum, click here. For more information on Invicta, click here.

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UPDATE: They are sending a replacement one. It was the best entertainment watching them try to find the noise. Only a 4 due to we bought 2 and the first one didn't work so we had to also use the second one. Still excellent though.

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