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.
All Phantoms will be shipped with a
22mm oil tanned strap. It is lightly padded with a contrasting tan
stitching. The brown leather has a nice pull-up effect. Its matte
surface picks up every scratch and scrape, but the blemishes rub out
just as easily. It is the sort of strap that will develop an age-worn
patina in no time. The warm character of the strap complements the
Phantom's throwback looks and creamy lume. The prototypes all had plain
polished buckles, but production hardware will be signed and will match
the cases.
The case back features wild artwork
courtesy of Francis del Mundo: a skull wearing a jet pilot's helmet with
a bomb-dropping F4 reflected on its top and a skeleton Sparky on the
side. Bizarre? Maybe. But Francis is a talented artist (just check out
the case back of the Tangramatic), so the trippy death's head pilot just
works. The image is cast in high relief with crisp lines and perfectly
suits the Phantom's badass nature.
I got a great kick out of the
Phantom series, collecting envious comments no matter which one I wore.
All six were on display at the recent DC Watchtoberfest Get Together,
and they were a big hit. Of course, because they are prototypes, they
are not perfect. The samples had a matte surface where the production
models will be brushed. The final product will also have drilled lugs, a
0.5mm broader crown, a notch in the case underneath the crown, a shade
darker red printing for the lume dials, and lumed minute markers on the
black dials. As mentioned above, the bezel action needs to be ironed
out. Finally, the date window may be enlarged by the tiniest bit to
prevent the illusion of it crowding the numbers. These are details, but
important ones that will make an already great watch even better.
As I said at the beginning if you
pre-ordered a Lew & Huey Phantom you took a risk but I predict you
will be more than satisfied. These are lovely watches and I cannot wait
to get my very own brushed, no-date, Phantom A in my hands. They are
also a great deal. You lucky bastards who snagged the first lot at the
absurdly cheap $250 early bird price already know that. I was stuck in a
subway car and could not get an Internet signal until 15 minutes after
the launch, but still managed to get one for $275. If you did not order a
Phantom, it is not too late. They are currently as low as $425 on the
Lew & Huey website. MSRP will be $550-570 depending on the model.
This is a fair price to be sure, but you will kick yourself for not
getting one while the getting was good. Head over to LewandHuey.com and check them out. You will thank me later.
Pro: They look amazing.
Con: They are not done yet.
Sum: Get one before the price goes up again. The Time Bum heartily approves.
