Why I bought my Electricianz Blackout, a well-made novelty piece that’s full of quirky fun
Jason MarsdenI bought my Electricianz Blackout as a novelty souvenir, but it has proved to be an enjoyable and well-made watch that shares its lineage with another well-known brand.
In September of 2019, I flew from my home in Christchurch, New Zealand, to attend the very first Watchfest in Sydney Australia. This was a great, locally organised event showcasing some well-known international brands such as Oris, who gave attendees a sneak peek at the very first Oris Big Crown Propilot X, as well as some lesser-known brands. One brand I was previously unaware of was Electricianz, on show as part of The Independent Collective’s booth. I picked up one of their affordable and unique watches as a memento of the show.
The Electricianz brand was created in 2017 and their online showreel videos have a gaming feel, with heavy use of CGI along with a sense of being slightly subversive and underground. Their brand is definitely going for the horological equivalent of the Anonymous hacker group. In their own words, Electricianz’s aim was to break the “sterile homogeneity” and to “defend inventiveness”.
The company was set up by Laurent Rüfenacht from his watch-branding and design company, Studio Divine. Based in Switzerland, one of their most successful in-house creations was Sevenfriday. They have also been involved with product design for Luminox and REC along with some other well-known brands.
Aside from an intriguing brand story these watches share a strong design language across the various models. Round cased with a high bevelled mineral crystal, they house a small LED illuminated dial with the balance of the space dedicated to showcasing various electrical themed components, some functional – such as the battery – and others used primarily to tell the story.
Today the original 45mm nylon case range has been complimented by a metal case option. The singular quartz movement line is about to be augmented with a 43mm hybrid option that co-hosts a Myota automatic movement with an LED module that offers dial illumination plus a five second retrograde seconds simulation.
Electricianz are not afraid to use bright yellow and other primary colours as found in electrical components in their watches. But I went with the more steampunk-themed Blackout with its faux-aged bronze dial, black hands and cut out displaying the coil. The dial is washed with cool white light from four LEDs when the button located at 2 o’clock is pushed. The LEDs stay on for two seconds after the button is released, but you will find yourself holding the button down longer to fully enjoy the dramatic effect. The thick mineral crystal sits proud of the case and features a broad edge bevel that does a great job to further enhance the Victorian steam-punk feel of this watch. One of the nicest features of this watch is the very comfortable calfskin NATO strap that is soft but without any stretch.
My watch came in an appropriately themed large cylindrical, battery-styled, box. Newer watches swap this out for a much more streamlined, but still electronics-themed, anti-static bag type of packaging.
In my opinion, Laurent and his designers at Studio Divine have created another great brand with Electricianz. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.