Independent watch brands have been increasingly experimenting with unusual themes and materials. In recent times, we’ve seen a birds-of-prey-inspired chronograph from Maystone (see the new release here), while Swiss brand Arsène Lippens has used Italian fabric for the dials of its Artigiano. In a crowded microbrand landscape, such ideas have become one way for smaller brands to distinguish themselves, although not every unusual concept necessarily results in an interesting watch.
The latest release from German independent brand Heinrich takes inspiration from something we don’t come across very often in European watchmaking: American football. The new Helicoprion Football Edition builds on the brand’s existing Helicoprion platform, but brings elements associated with the sport into its choice of materials.
If you’re not familiar with Heinrich or the Helicoprion, the German brand is known for creating vintage-inspired watches. When I say vintage, its watches don’t quite fall into the same category as brands such as Furlan Marri or Baltic, both of which often draw heavily from the classic watches of the 1940s and ’50s. Heinrich instead looks primarily to the bolder aesthetics of the 1970s. The Helicoprion is the brand’s take on a sports watch, and Heinrich already offers several interpretations of the model, including versions with stone dials and the rather distinctive Buzzsaw dial. The new Football Edition brings a completely different theme into the collection, while retaining the familiar design language of the Helicoprion.
The Unusual Choice for Dial Material
At the heart of the Football Edition is a dial crafted from genuine Horween football leather, the same type of leather used to make official NFL footballs. The inspiration came from founder Wolfgang Heinrich learning that his son would be spending a year as an exchange student at an American high school. For Heinrich, the United States and American football have always been closely connected, which gave him the idea of bringing the theme into a watch. Interestingly, what he didn’t know at the time was that his son would later end up playing football at his high school, making the story behind the watch even more personal.
The theme isn’t limited to the dial. The strap is also crafted from Horween football leather. It’s nice to see leather being used for a dial, particularly at a time when stone dials seem to be everywhere. I’ve seen so many of them recently that I’m starting to feel a little stone-dial fatigue, so seeing a brand experiment with a different material is certainly a welcome change.
The watch will probably be particularly interesting to collectors who follow the NFL and like the idea of a watch built around the sport. Personally, I know almost nothing about American football and I’m unlikely to become a fan anytime soon, so this isn’t a watch I would buy for myself. Still, I can appreciate the idea behind it and the fact that Heinrich has committed to the theme rather than simply adding a few football-inspired colours.
Colourful, With a Sporty Personality
Heinrich has a habit of creating brightly coloured watches, and this one doesn’t shy away from colour either. It certainly seems colourful, although not quite as bold as some of the orange and turquoise dials Heinrich has produced before. Here, both the dial and strap come in a rich burgundy-like tone.
Apart from the material and colour, the rest of the watch follows the typical Helicoprion DNA. It is very much presented as a sports watch, and the case design reflects that character. It is made from stainless steel and measures 40.5 mm in diameter, 10.5 mm in height including the crystal, and 48 mm from lug to lug. Super-LumiNova BGW9 is applied to the hands and indexes for visibility in the dark and a box-shaped sapphire crystal sits above them, protecting the dial.
For a sports watch, a decent level of water resistance is important, and the Helicoprion doesn’t compromise much on that front: it comes with a screw-down crown and offers 200 metres of water resistance. The watch is supplied with both the Horween football leather strap and the stainless-steel beads-of-rice bracelet for those who prefer to stick with a bit more vintage look.
How Much Power Reserve Would Make You Happy?
Heinrich offers the watch with two movement options. The first is the Sellita SW200-1 Elaboré, offering a 38-hour power reserve, while the second is the newer Sellita SW200-2 Power+ Elaboré, which increases that figure considerably to 65 hours. The SW200-1 version is priced at €1,199, while opting for the longer power reserve brings the price to €1,299.
Given that the difference is only €100, my choice would definitely be the 65-hour version. Having enough power reserve to take a watch off for a longer period and find it still running when you come back simply feels more useful to me.
