Getting to Know Lebond Watches

According to Instagram, I started following watch brand Lebond sometime during the month of January this year.

The Lebond Attraction watch, photo courtesy of Lebond.

I'm not entirely certain how they came to my attention. I believe one of their watches appeared in the "Search & Explore" menu as a suggestion from the algorithm. I took a closer look, saw what I liked and decided to follow the brand. Sometimes the algorithm gets it right.

It was clear from just this first pass that Lebond is a design-forward brand.

The Lebond Siza, black dial.

The first reference which came to my attention was the Siza. The watch case is shaped as a square rotated 45% with truncated (flat) vertices. Attaching a strap to that shape is not straightforward but Lebond executes Vendôme lugs to do so. The case is titanium, the strap is FKM (Fluoroelastomer) leather, there is a display caseback, and the movement is both Swiss and automatic.

There are two dial options, both featuring printed Roman numeral markers at the four vertices. Both dials are matte lacquer, one is beige and the other is black. The current price listed on Lebond's web page for this particular watch is € 2700. In my opinion, you're getting quite a bit of watch for the money, especially given its unique design.

There are at least two ways to think about design-forward watches. The first is that some longstanding brands, almost by definition, approach watchmaking from this direction. Cartier comes to mind.

The Toledano and Chan B/1.

The catalogue is almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to case shape. Another way to think about design-forward brands involves the modern independent "micro brand" universe. For example, recently established microbrand Toledano and Chan drew inspiration from a very specific architectural feature (the Marcel Breuer's windows on the former Whitney Museum building) in order to offer a very unusually shaped watch (and it is a great bit of kit).

What I've learned is that Lebond is clearly in the second category. But the reasons Lebond has successfully joined the ranks of young design-forward watch brands are perhaps not as well-known as they should be. I learned this when Lebond's founder, Asier Mateo, spent some time discussing his brand with me.

Asier is, by training and profession, an architect. Around five years ago, he founded Lebond and he explained the brand name is a nod to the notion of "good design," ie "le bon d(esign)." Asier's career move was not an exit from the world of architecture, though. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He decided to use watchmaking as a sort of canvas on which he would express architectural design.

Each watch Lebon offers is developed in collaboration with an accomplished architect. Take, for example, the Siza watch I described above.

A white-dialled Lebond Siza on the left and its architectural muse on the right.

It is named after Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza, whose first built work was completed more than seven decades ago. The case shape was inspired by Siza's Leça swimming pool, which was built on the Atlantic coastline of Portugal. Additional elements of the watch design are connected to Siza's pool design, such as the v-shaped mark at 12 o'clock, which seems to evoke a wall to the north of the pool itself.

Asier's strategy of partnering with accomplished architects in order to develop watch designs is clearly resonating with collectors and the wider community. He shared that the watches are on display at the Museum of Modern Art Design Store (the watches can be purchased for delivery there). Lebond does not spend on marketing. Instead, the brand benefits from earned media coverage. Over five years, the brand has launched six collections and twelve watches.

A sketch from development of one of Lebond's recent releases, the Souto Moura. Photo credit Lebond.

In so many ways, Asier is doing the right things when it comes to establishing a compelling brand. Quality is there: the watches are assembled in Biel and run off a tried and true ETA 28292 movement. Prices are reasonable considering the quality of the product (in the neighborhood of €2,500). Lebond has also collaborated with a local artisan in Barcelona to craft a special case and stand for a watch (it is an optional add-on). Asier's passion for watchmaking, craft and design is a prominent throughline for his brand. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Lebond and its offerings.

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