We have had a few watches from Amsterdam. We have had KANE Watches and DUKUDU, both were equally stunning and their craftmanship was impeccable. Now we have found another gem from Amsterdam. This watch brand is called LEFF Amsterdam, and they produce simply stunning yet unconventional watches.

LEFF Amsterdam

LEFF Amsterdam was founded back in 2011 by Arno Ruijzenaars with his brother Dennis and designer Erwin Termaat. They first started in creating very iconic interior time pieces such as the Tube Clock, Base Clock and Brick Clock. Slowly they shifted their focus on mainly watch-making with a little focus going to create amazing looking speakers.

In the tradition of dutch design, we believe concept is king.

When they started out in the watch-making industry, watches was not a big deal with everyone possessing a smart phone. This was a challenge for LEFF Amsterdam and they liked that challenge. The used this challenge as their motivation and created something beautiful that everyone still wants to have around their wrist, LEFF Amsterdam Tube Watches.

To create the Tube Watches, they were joined with the world-renowned Dutch designer, Piet Hein Eek. Piet is more notable for his scrapwood furniture and joined LEFF Amsterdam at their early stage in watch-making. This collaboration was a perfect fit and the Tube Watch collection was born. They first started working on clocks but took the design of the Tube Clock to Tube Watches.

All the watches are made their studio in the city center of Amsterdam. Their design team shapes and engineers every detail, resulting in completely custom designed products that stand out from the crowd.

LEFF Amsterdam Unboxing

Tube Watch D42 Review

Before we start our review of the D42, let’s find out about its specification;

We won’t talk much about the packing of the watch as you can watch in our unboxing video above. But to summarise, it is very simplistic rectangular box.

In terms of our first impression, this watch is stunning. Your eyes are drawn straight to this amazing looking dial and you will not be able to take your eyes off it.

Casing

The casing of the watch is 42mm and it is a great choice for this watch. It is a bit large but you will want that because of the brass colour and the dial. The width of the casing is 10.6mm and this complements the diameter of the casing. It is not too thick and it does not stick out on the wrist when worn.

The back casing is very minimalistic with LEFF Amsterdam’s logo at the centre. One feature of the back casing which we really like is that it is completely flat. Because of this, the watch does not stick out from the wrist and sits very well.

Dial

The dial is the main talking point of the D42 Tube watch. Around the inner ring of the watch, the index, you have this gorgeous extruded ring, which looks like a teeth cut design. At the hour interval the teeth is longer while the minutes are smaller. Rather than using the norm and following the same design, LEFF Amsterdam with Piet Hein Eek’s unparalleled vision, created something out of the ordinary and something people would want on their wrist. This amazing dial will definitely be conversation starter anywhere you go.

At the back of the dial, you have Piet Hein Eek’s name engraved under the 12 O’clock hand and the brand’s logo engraved at the 6 O’clock hand. The dial itself is very minimalistic and nothing else added inside. By doing so, this makes sure the extruded ring is at the centre of attention. Similarly, the dial is also a bit deeper to make the extruded ring stand out.

The hands have a baton design to keep with its minimalistic design. They are easy to read as the hands have a lighter colour compare to the dial and casing.

Glass

To show off this amazing dial, you have a mineral glass. It is very clear to see and it has minimal reflection. When looking at the dial, you may forget that there is a glass and try to extruded ring.

Strap

The strap is very comfortable. It is made from genuine leather and it is quite wide, 22mm, and it is really thin in term. In a way it looks like the same strap which was used in the TID watch No.2. The strap does not need to be broken into, which is a bonus, and it is supple and soft. It molds around the wrist and will fit a smaller wrist easily.

Crown

The crown has been well thought of and flows really well with the rest of the watch and it’s design. The crown is pull/push and has a tooth cut edge to match the extruded ring. The crown is also quite large to match the dial of the face and has been signed with Piet Hein Ekk logo.

Movement

The movement inside is a reliable Japanese Quartz Miyota 2035. You can expect a battery life of 3-4 years. The quartz movement is a good choice. An automatic movement will be impossible as it would remove the design aspect of the watch and also make the watch much heavier than it currently is, 70g.

Last thoughts

This is a well designed watch and you can clearly see the impact and influence of Piet Hein Ekk. Personally, we think this watch has been solely designed for the fashion industry and it will be well adored too. Priced at €189/ £166/ $220, some may think this is quite an expensive watch and one can even get a world-renowned watch such as a Citizen for even a cheaper price. But you have to bear in mind that you are buying a watch which not a lot of people in the world have and you will not just be wearing a watch, but a piece of immaculate design from a world-renowned Dutch designer.

That being said, there are a couple of issues which LEFF Amsterdam could address and make the watch even better. Quick release pins will be great if the strap need to be changed. Also we believe that if the watch wants to be taken seriously across to watch enthusiast, a date window will be great, may it be small but it will be greatly appreciated.

Overall this is a stunning watch and the design is flawless. If you would like to see the D42 Tube watch is greater detail, do visit LEFF Amsterdam.

This was the review of the D42 from LEFF Amsterdam in collaboration with Piet Hein Ekk and we would love to know what you think about the extruded ring design on the watch. Do let us know in the comment below.

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