Exímio Watches: the Portuguese watch brand of João Batalha
João Batalha
The next session of World Time (registration open, booking required), on 30 April, will feature João Batalha of Exímio Watches, a Portuguese watch brand. João Batalha took up watchmaking early on, and a few years ago decided to trade part of his professional life for a dedication to watchmaking. He is currently co-owner of Relojoaria Portuguesa and of the Exímio brand, a student of the British Horological Institute and a member of the British clock and watch makers.
Exímio
In João Batalha's words, Exímio is “a Portuguese brand born with the ambition of creating exceptional watches. We want every watch we make to be a piece of timeless design, and not just one more watch brand on the national and international market. We design, develop and build watches that arouse curiosity and wonder, using calibres (movements) of proven quality.
The components of our watches are carefully chosen according to their characteristics and to the functions for which they are developed. Excellent in design, excellent in movement, excellent in conception, excellent in use. For this reason, and because we trust our products, they carry a 3-year guarantee, extended by a further 2 years from the date of the first maintenance service carried out in our technical workshops.”
Creating a watch brand in Portugal today calls for a certain spirit of adventure; João Batalha has overcome the first obstacles and is preparing the next collection.
The collections:
To date, 2 collections have been launched, one in 2018 and another in 2020.
2018 Collection
The Abissal houses an ETA 2824-2 movement in a 44mm-diameter case in 316L surgical steel, water-resistant to 50 ATM (500 metres), with a ceramic bezel. Abissal because this is the term used for creatures that live below the photic zone of the ocean, known as the abyssal zone.
The Prestige also received an ETA 2824-2 movement, but in a 39mm case in 316L surgical steel, water-resistant to 10 ATM (100 metres). The name Prestige pays tribute to the use of a Swiss-quality watch in a Portuguese brand. It is suited to more formal occasions without losing the possibility of more casual wear.
The Lady Diamond has a Sellita SW200-1 inside, protected by a 34mm case in 316L surgical steel, with sapphire crystal front and back. It displays the class and beauty of a mechanical watch, with a visible mechanism and a dial of diamonds and mother-of-pearl.
2020 Collection
The 2020 collection brought two new models, the Doctor´s Watch and the FAREY MKIII.
The Doctor’s Watch has a Seiko NH35A inside, a 40mm case in 316L surgical steel and a pulsometer scale on the dial. The pulsometer works as follows: let the seconds hand reach 12 o'clock and count the number of beats given as the reference, 30 pulsations. The seconds hand will then indicate the number of beats per minute.
The FAREY MKIII also runs on a reliable Seiko NH35A. The case is 40mm, in 316L surgical steel. On the case back you can see an engraving of the aeroplane that carried Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral on their crossing of the Atlantic. That aeroplane was a FAREY MKIII.
To find out more about how to purchase Exímio watches, visit the:
Comments