LS-1 – Land speed 1927

LS-1 Landspeeed is powered by the mighty Valjoux 7750 Swiss automatic movement giving it an impeccable time and chronograph function. Presented in a “Bulls Head” configuration, LS-1 has a stopwatch feel harking back to the dashboard mounted timing watches seen on speed record and racing cars of the era.

The main body is machined from billet 316L stainless steel and finished in matt black PVD with straight barrel knurl and brushed top chamfer. The backplate and lugs are billet machined from a single piece of 316L stainless steel which is then mirror polished to create a beautifully sculpted cradle for the body to nest into. Time adjustment is by an oversize diamond knurled and dome topped crown and the chrono function pushers are sculpted into the cradle to accentuate the flowing three-dimensional form of LS-1.

The dial has a contemporary feel with balanced vintage design. A satin steel index ring frames the ink black dial, which features white numerals in SuperLuminova X1 pigment along with the matt steel hour and minute hand.

LS-1 is fitted with a Zero West leather strap which is hand crafted in our workshop. We chose Horween leather for its beautifully supple and highly water resistant qualities. The result is a rugged, vintage feeling strap that will develop a lovely patina over time. (For sizing see strap + tab at the bottom of this page)

£2,995.00

Description

Strap

Description

Design Attributes

Latitude and Longitude reference Daytona Beach
Date code references the Sunbeam land speed record
1920’s period dial and hand design
Laser engraved watch back denoting record
Polished stopwatch cradle emulates vintage dashboard fixing

Case

44mm diameter body in 316L stainless steel billet and finished in matt black PVD with straight barrel knurl and brushed top

chamfer
Backplate and lugs are billet machined from a single piece of 316L stainless steel and mirror polished

Winding Crown and Pushers

Main Crown: Screw lock & sprung oversize straight diamond knurled and dome topped crown in polished 316L stainless steel with triple seal technology
Chronograph Pushers: Sprung & double sealed pusher at 11 o’ clock (start/stop red polished) & 1 o’clock (reset silver polished)

Crystals

Front: Custom double curved domed sapphire glass with blue AR coating on the internal surface

Movement

Valjoux 7750
28,800vph
25 jewels
Self-winding ball bearing rotor
Power reserve ~48 hours
Water resistance: 10ATM (100m) 100% tested

Dial

Black enamel over brass substrate with over printed vintage dial

numerals highlighted in Super Luminova X1 luminous pigment
Sweep seconds sub-dial & minute & hour Chronograph sub-dials
Steel satin dial ring with 0.2 second resolution indexes

Hands

Matt steel with inset SuperLuminova X1 luminous pigment
Red Chronograph function hands

Dimensions

44mm diameter
15.7mm thick
22mm lug width
52.5mm lug to lug pin spacing
Weight 150g including strap

Strap

For the LS-1 we have chosen a vintage ink black Horween leather with white waxed hemp stitching. All our custom straps are edge burnished and formed, traditional saddle stitched and crafted from a single piece of leather, thinned and folded at the lug end. Each one is fitted with a single sliding keeper loop and quality ARD laser engraved buckle.

When you purchase one of our timepieces you do so knowing every detail has been engineered. Ours straps look and and feel beautiful, they really set the watch apart from other brands.

Of course if you would like a different strap for your LS-1 from our straps page please add a note in the checkout window.

Spec

22/22mm Custom handmade Horween leather water strap in ink black
Single wide sliding keeper loop
Natural burnished edges
Waxed hemp hand stitching in biscuit
Polished 316L stainless steel buckle with engraved ZW logo

Size info

We craft our straps in 2 lengths

Standard – 180mm – 220mm wrist circumference (the most common)
Large – 200 – 240mm wrist circumference

THE RECORD

THE CAR

THE RECORD

Ever since the first motorcar took to the road, man has wanted to make it go faster. It’s a human trait, a lust for adrenaline, a thirst for competition. This compulsion to race cars has taken many forms but the ultimate goal is to be the fastest person on Earth, whether that was is in the air, on water or land.

The 1920’s saw great international competition in land-speed record attempts. The mechanised world was developing fast after the horrors of WW1 which included the advancement of the internal combustion engine and the motor industry and a fierce international rivalry existed for holding the much coveted land-speed record. During the 1920’s the land-speed goal was to break the 200mph barrier and during that decade, the land-speed record was broken no fewer than eleven times.

THE CAR

The elusive 200mph barrier was finally broken on 29th March 1927 at Daytona Beach, USA, by an Englishman called Sir Henry Seagrave, driving a British built Sunbeam car called “Mystery” aka Sunbeam 1000 hp. The speed recorded was 203.79 mph.

It was an incredible car built by the British Sunbeam Motorcar Company of Wolverhampton. A colossus at 24ft long, 8ft wide and weighing in at 4 tons it was clad in aluminium alloy and painted in a bright red livery. Two 22.4 litre V12 Sunbeam Matabele aero engines, synchronised and mounted in tandem powered the car, one in front and one behind the driver cockpit. Transmission was via a 3 speed gearbox, its final stage being twin chain direct drive to the rear wheels.

The record would not stand for long and was broken in February of the following year by another Englishman, Sir Malcolm Campbell, at a speed of 206.956 mph.

Seagrave however went on to retain the record again in 1929 in a car called Golden Arrow at a speed of 231.446 mph, and once again Britain’s dominance in leading the world in engineering and setting new land speed records was upheld.