Count Dracula, skull or ghoulish pumpkin on your wrist, as precious accessories. With Halloween being one of the most creative contemporary holidays, the Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin has, over the years, created several audacious, enigmatic pieces specially for Halloween.
In 2022, the master’s collection was expanded with the addition of the Calavera, a Wristmon dedicated to El Día de Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2.
Dracula’s kiss
Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker watch shows his fangs with its incredible ability to reincarnate. Under the light of day it is masterfully disguised, so you can’t distinguish the new watch from the impressive Joker watch with blackened steel case and dial-face in contrasting colors. But during Halloween, after 10 pm, the permanently grimacing, volatile, but familiar face begins to transform. The famous Joker’s moon smile assumes a sinister look closer to midnight. Dracula’s vampire fangs appear, then start to disappear at the crack of dawn, at six in the morning. Halloween will pass, but the Dracula watch continues to show its essence every night— such inventive mechanical tricks of Konstantin Chaykin.
Dracula, 121 years later
A year ago, the first model of the Halloween series in the Konstantin Chaykin’s Wristmons collection of “mechanical monsters” was presented. It was the Pumpkin Head watch, a unique piece with a bronze case and an orange dial. Chaykin intends to continue the fun tradition of celebrating every Halloween with the invention of a new watch dedicated to this holiday.
This year, the prototype chosen was the classic character of horror films, the legendary Count Dracula. Vlad III the Impaler, prince of Wallachia, got the nickname “Dracul” from his father, who in the legends was revered as the son of a dragon. Actually, the only link to dragons was the fact that he was a knight of the Order of the Dragon (Ordo Draconis, established in 1408). Dracula, the son of a knight of the Order of the Dragon, was made famous by the Irish writer Bram Stoker, who made him the main character of the novel Dracula, first published in 1897. From that time, the aristocrat and vampire has figured in novels, historical research, computer games, theatrical performances and, movies. Now, 121 years later, Count Dracula steps into high watchmaking.
Dracula is not simply new design of the Joker watch. The new Caliber К.18-7 Dracula has a more complicated version of the original indication module of Caliber K07-0, used in all models of the Joker family. The new movement is based on the tested and proven Caliber Eta 2824-2, a workhorse for Joker watches. Dracula’s fangs are, in fact, day/night indicator, modified by Konstantin Chaykin especially for this watch. The new version uses 16 additional parts, with the dial twice as complex. All “mechanical monsters” of Wristmons are produced by Chaykin according to strict haute horology rules and traditions.
Every Dracula watch demands attention, time, and handiwork—a nightmare for their creator. That’s why the production of Dracula Special Limited Edition Halloween-2018 will be only 13 pieces, each in a PVD-blackened stainless steel case. Each watch comes with high quality alligator straps, or as a by-order exclusive “Dracula strap” with an elegant white bow tie.
The dragon was on the reverse side of extremely rare Hungarian royal coins minted by Prince Vlad’s father. Konstantin Chaykin gives the future owners of Dracula watches the opportunity to touch and feel the dragon engraved in relief around a sapphire window on the case back.
Calavera
For the Calavera Limited Edition, Konstantin Chaykin talks about how the Calavera is “a story about folk imagination and the ability to create convincing, emotionally charged images, which for the last 300 years have been realized in a very fragile medium of cane sugar.”
The Joker watch and the Wristmons collection celebrate their fifth anniversary this year. That’s not a long time, especially by the standards of watchmaking, which often operates in terms of centuries. But even in this short time, some traditions have emerged in the collection. The Halloween watch began with a unique Pumpkin Head Special Halloween in 2017, with its pumpkin-lantern shaped dial. A skull would be an obvious choice for continuing the theme, especially given one of the historical inspirations for the Joker and other Wristmons, Fritz Oswald’s Rolling Eye clocks, first patented in 1926, which were frequently skull-shaped.
The idea that drove the creation of the Calavera watch was existential. The point of origin of this idea was the calaveras, sugar skulls traditionally made in Mexico for the Day of the Dead, El Día de Muertos. They are an important part of the country’s cultural heritage, a collection of remarkably emotional artistic images based on a long tradition: It’s believed that making calaveras goes back to the 17th century, roughly 300 years ago.
Calavera is the first watch by Konstantin Chaykin dedicated to Mexico and its amazing cultural heritage. The Joker-indication module he invented was a perfect fit for the new “sugar skull” Wristmon.
The traditional calaveras are richly and colorfully ornamented, but Chaykin decided, for the El Día de Muertos style, to use a minimalist approach. The ornaments are only hinted at, and the color pallette is limited to four main shades: red, blue, deep blue, and black, as well as the essential silvery-white, “sugary” background. Deep black eyes serve as time indicators; the signature moon-shaped smile of the Wristmons shows the moon phase through the black web that traditionally signifies the teeth of the sugar skull.
The caseback has a sapphire crystal which showcases the self-winding rotor, decorated with circular brushing. The same rotor design was used in the Dracula and the Grimaldi the Clown watches. For the Calavera, a variation of this design was created with additional decorative plates with the name of the model and the manufacture logo.
The Calavera watch is produced as a limited edition of 20 pieces, which was presented at the SIAR (Salón Internacional Alta Relojería) exhibition last October 18-20 in Mexico City.
Joker Halloween
Pumpkin Head
For the Halloween holiday, Konstantin Chaykin adds the Pumpkin Head to the Wristmons collection. The pumpkin wristwatch tells the time by rolling its eyes, points to the current time, and grins at the passing moon phase indicator. The bronze case adds a stylish touch to a special watch. Halloween can make over 20,000 different facial expressions and grimaces.
