Phenomen Axiom Retrograde Jump Hour Titanium Driver’s Watch

Up for grabs is a Phenomen Axiom Diver’s Watch

This French, independent, watch brand was launched in 2018 with its debut model Axiom during Baselworld 2018. This watchmaking house was lead by Alexandre Meyer, Sylvain Nourisson, and Maxime Colson; a trio of professionals with an impressive track record in design, movement production, and the automotive industry. Only 60 pieces were supposed to be made of this model in titanium, however it is not known exactly how many were produced exactly as the company dissolved shortly after the 2020 pandemic.

The following description is mostly copied from “A Blog to Watch”‘s article about this piece:

Automotive-inspired watches are nothing new and pulling them off while resisting the urge to dump checkered flag motifs and racing stripes into the design seems to be something brands struggle with every year. With the Phenomen Axiom, the execution appears to be a little more subtle, with case lines and finishes that make the wearer feel like they have a concept supercar strapped on wrist. According to the development team, the challenge was to create a simple, and legible time readout in the angled driver’s watch style that is also practical enough for day-to-day use. Inevitably, comparisons to watches like the MB&F HM5 will be made. But, by maintaining a vastly more open dial surface and showcasing a portion of the movement on the uppermost “amphitheater” layer, I think Phenomen is on the right track if their hopes are to create a signature look for the brand.

As complex as the overall case design might seem, the inclined time readout actually appears quite simple. The two-level hierarchy is achieved thanks to a stacked pair of retrograde displays and red integrated “3D hands” dedicated to the hours and minutes. In addition to the retrograde approach, the Axiom also features a jumping hour complication for a readout that’s easier on the eyes. This is useful, considering that several wearers will have to make adjustments to how they usually read the time when wearing the Axiom. With a grade 5 titanium case that’s 42mm wide, 47mm lug-to-lug, and 17.3mm thick, the watch should also wear comfortably and I think these dimensions compliment the overall case design nicely. Water resistance is 30m… but really, who cares?

At the very top of the inclined display, we catch a glimpse of the manually-wound PH-010 caliber thanks to the fully visible balance spring, anchor, and anchor wheel. Interestingly, the balance wheel felloe is cut in the shape of a Celtic axehead, which makes for a cool little design touch while apparently reducing the coefficient of friction and improving balance wheel performance. Adjustments are made via the twin crown assemblies at 12 o’clock (a real Space Age look) and the 267-component movement delivers 100 hours of power reserve courtesy of the twin barrels. I’m actually curious to learn more about how the movement is built into the watch. Considering how complex the case architecture is, I doubt it’s just a simple insertion process. Besides that, the movement operates at 28,800bph (4Hz) and features different finishing techniques like hand bevelling, polishing, and more.

The watch is in excellent used condition and shows some minor signs of wear. The strap is in excellent sharp with double fold buckle. One of the sides of the buckle has a quick adjust feature for easier length adjustment during temperature changing days.

This watch comes with its original Phenomen box, a warranty card (which was never filled out) and its original hang tag with ~$66,500 original price tag.

On personal note, the watch feels and works very nicely. It legible, easy to use, the finishings are great and even small details like adjustable folding clasp make be believe that the watch itself was not the reason why this brand didn’t make it.