Meet Leica’s new luxury watches, the LEICA L1 and LEICA L2, two remarkable timepieces that pay homage to the brand’s iconic cameras.
For more than 150 years, the Leica name has been synonymous with quality and design, functionality and durability, engineering excellence and long-term vision: these are the guiding principles of Leica Camera AG. The company that produces some of the world’s most iconic cameras, has also decided to focus on luxury watches. Meet the LEICA L1 and LEICA L2 – two remarkable timepieces with a patented push crown.
Inspired by Wetzlar engineering excellence, the watches’ exterior was conceptualised by Professor Achim Heine, who has designed numerous Leica products in the past. As a result, the LEICA L1 and LEICA L2 contain subtle references to signature features from Leica’s rich history. These include, for example, the delicate design of the watch hands and applied indices, the shape of the intricate stainless-steel case, the special knurling on the crowns, and the domed watch glass that recalls the front element of a camera lens.
Both models are powered by a complete newly developed mechanical movement with manual winding. The movement is visible through the transparent back made of resilient sapphire crystal. Maintaining the ‘Made in Germany’ designation was extremely important to Leica, which is why the company entered into a partnership with Lehmann Präzision GmbH. As a result, the movement and most of the watches’ components were developed and produced in the Lehmann factory in Germany’s Black Forest region, ensuring an exceptional level of vertical range of manufacturing.
The Leica watches are a perfect combination of design and mechanical engineering. Besides the domed front crystal and the flat transparent back made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating, both watch models are distinguished by the patented push crown and its correlating status indicator on the dial. The push crown’s ability to reset the small second hand to zero is also a unique feature and adds yet another practical purpose to this aesthetically pleasing design element.
