Did you pre-order a Lew & Huey
Phantom? If so, then you took a bit of a chance. Sure, Lew & Huey
is a known quantity. I have reviewed every one of their products and
have been consistently impressed. Still, you (and I for that matter)
ordered the Phantom off of a spec sheet and a 3D rendering, not a
photograph of an actual watch and a lot can happen between concept and
reality. Well, you can rest easy. I just spent a week with all six
Phantom prototypes and they are absolutely freaking awesome.
A
3mm acrylic dome towers over the dial, raising the overall height of
the watch to 14mm. It looks magnificent. I like a sapphire crystal as
much as the next guy, but there is just something special about an
acrylic dome. I love the retro style, the crazy distortions around the
edges, and fact that no matter how badly you beat it up, you can polish
it out with some Polywatch. Hell, I even like the micro-scratches is
inevitably accumulates. It is the perfect choice for a vintage style
watch.
Three different dials are offered. The Phantom A has Arabic numbers at 12, 3, 6, and 9, with the option of a matte black or
full luminous dial. The Phantom B is matte black but with stick markers
instead of numbers. All have black sword hands and a red-tipped,
spearhead second hand. Porthole date windows at 4 o'clock are options on
all three dials. I like them all, but I kept going back to the black
"A" dial. There is just something about the slim cutouts for the light
weight font that draws me in, particularly as their wispy lines melt and
bend at the dome's edge.
Dial text is handled in a
particularly clever manner. At first glance, the dial appears devoid of
any branding, bearing only the model name in red. A closer look reveals
the word "Automatic" just below it, and the familiar Lew & Huey
brand and "Sparky the Dog" logo rendered in the dial color. Most of the
time the stealth printing disappears entirely until the light catches
its raised, glossy surface. It is a very cool effect and one that I
prefer to an unbranded, sterile dial. Now, I am well aware that some
folks like the dog and others detest it, but on these watches, Sparky is
a mere phantom himself.
The bezel is coin-edged with a black
insert engraved with 12-hour markers that are handy for tracking a
second time zone. It has 60 clicks and is bidirectional, as is common
among pilot's watches. The numbers are filled with the same khaki lume
as the dial and handset. A red triangle marks the top center. I found
the action varied between samples. All had a positive feel, but some
were noisier or looser than others. This is something that will be
nailed down before production.
One of the key elements of the watch
is it's "vintage" lume, but that can be a tricky thing. The term is
used to market a broad range of colors from cream to yellow-green to
dark orange. On-line photos don't always tell the story. I'll admit that
this is one of the main reasons I chose not to buy the full lume dial.
As it turns out, my fears were unfounded. In daylight, the khaki lume is
exactly the warm tan color I had hoped for, and it casts an intense,
green glow when the lights go out. The full lume effect is stunning,
prompting my young son to proclaim it "the most awesomest watch ever."
Bum Jr. is very picky and opinionated, so this is high praise indeed.
The kid is right - it is a mighty cool effect.
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