Kollokium - Projekt 02 Variant B
After months of anticipation following the closed Friends, Family, Fools & Flippers edition in September 2025, Kollokium—the boundary-pushing projects platform founded by industry veterans Manuel Emch, Amr Sindi, and Barth Nussbaumer—unveils its first publicly available Projekt 02: Variant B. And it was worth the wait.
A Dial Without Precedent
Where the original Projekt 02 FFF&F edition established Kollokium's mastery of topographical multilayer construction, Variant B executes a world-first: a vertical gradient dial shifting from light grey to near-black across nine distinct layers. Inspired by hypsometric mapping and echoing the beloved color scheme of Projekt 01 Variant E, this 299-piece limited edition quite literally gives "depth" new meaning in watchmaking.
The construction is staggering: 67 individual dial plates, each hand-painted with lacquer infused with Super-LumiNova, stacked and pegged vertically to create a terrain that transitions from sunlit peaks at the 12 o'clock markers to shadowed valleys below. Achieving a uniform tonal gradient across luminescent paint required extensive R&D—balancing grain sizes, opacity, and consistency to ensure the shift reads as seamless rather than stepped. The result? A dial that transforms under different lighting, revealing new topographical nuances with every glance.
Brutalist Artisanship, Perfected
Kollokium's philosophy of "brutalist artisanship" shines here. Each dial requires approximately six hours of assembly by specialized hands. The plates—prone to bending under pressure if mishandled—demand meticulous placement. This isn't industrial perfection; it's human imperfection celebrated. No two dials are identical, and Kollokium wears this variance as a badge of honor, offering an unobstructed panoramic view through the tall, rounded-edge sapphire crystal.
The Monobloc Case: More Crystal Than Metal
True to form, Projekt 02 Variant B employs Kollokium's signature die-cast 316L stainless steel case—a method virtually unheard of in fine watchmaking. Molten steel injected into molds creates forms impossible to achieve through CNC milling, yielding a raw, matte texture that requires no finishing.
The case architecture defies convention: no bezel, no caseback, no detachable lugs. Instead, a barrel-shaped central element appears held in place by four triangular lugs, creating an integrated, indivisible unit. The rounded bottom and downward-sloping lugs ensure surprising wrist presence—substantial yet wearable. Branding is minimal: only the project's internal designation K,P–n°02 appears in relief on the case flank, alongside the signature triangular valve-shaped crown.
Technical Specifications
Case
Monobloc steel case topped by sapphire glass box
Diameter: 39.5 mm
Height: 5.90 mm without sapphire crystal; 12.40 mm with sapphire crystal
Crown: Valve-shaped
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Dial
Style: Topographical with 67 dial plates
Finish: Black with sandblasted edges
Lacquer: Vertical gradient in 9 tones, infused with blue emission Super-LumiNova
Hour and minute hands: Black with applied Lichtblock™ elements in grey (blue emission Super-LumiNova)
Seconds hand: Fluorescent yellow with bent triangle counterweight
Movement
Calibre: La Joux-Perret G101 automatic
Diameter: 26 mm
Height: 4.45 mm
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Jewels: 24
Rotor: Uni-directional unsigned winding
Power reserve: Approximately 68 hours
Strap
Material: Anthracite elastic textile single-piece
Buckle: "Hook" buckle in die-cast steel
Edition: 299 pieces
Price: HKD 36,666