- Casio release M-Edition digital watch with Leica design inspiration
- The watch is available in two variants, a Chrome style and a black version, like many Leica M-Series cameras
- The watch’s retailer, PPP Cameras, has already sold out of both versions
Leica cameras are among the most desirable photography products money can buy. Despite the seemingly astronomical prices, they are built for a specialist audience and often sell out within minutes of being announced. But if, as is the case for me, owning a full M-series system is beyond your current budget, the new Casio M-Edition watch may scratch a red dot-related itch.
Available in Chrome and Black versions, the digital watch features a custom red dial that not-too-subtly references the iconic round of red paint that adorns the body of many popular Wetzlar-made Leica cameras, such as the Leica M11 or the Leica M-EV1. The echoes of the M brand do not stop there. Even the watch strap is done in a faux leather pattern that should make the wearer (or a jealousy-laden observer) think of the look and feel of Leica camera bodies.
While the watch stops taking pictures, it is additionally equipped with special red LEDs that are functionally used for the watch light, but serve the double role of paying tribute to a camera’s internal light meter. As I haven’t tested a sample yet, I’m not convinced that a red LED would make me think of a light meter in the first place if I hadn’t already been informed that this watch was camera-themed. I mean, there are plenty of other household appliances that use red LEDs. My TV remote control e.g. Or the status light on my blender. Leica doesn’t make blenders though, so it must be a light meter…
The magical Leica touch
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If you thought it was all a bit of a gimmick, you’re probably not alone. But that doesn’t stop it from selling like hotcakes. It seems that just as actual Leica M-series cameras fly off the shelves just because they are emblazoned with familiar iconography, so does a digital watch that the manufacturer tells you is inspired by the famous German brand.
As of the date of this writing, PPP Cameras, which is stocking the Casio M-Edition Watch, has already completely sold out of all versions, with another batch expected in March. PPP is run by Pierro Pozella, who some may recognize as the camera expert on the popular BBC show, The repair shopso it’s clearly made and sold with love.
To its advantage, the $205 / £150 / AU$295 price tag is brilliantly affordable, so unlike the cameras it’s modeled after, you don’t have to choose between buying one instead of a car or putting down a deposit on a house. Also, it appears to be a variant of the Casio AE1200, a watch that already has a following thanks to its resemblance to James Bond’s far more expensive Seiko watch in the film Casino Royale.
It may not be the luxury product that a Leica M11-D or even a Leica Q3 Monochrom is, but the styling, gimmicky as it may seem, has a market all its own. If you love all things Leica, there’s a good chance it will become something of a curiosity in the future, which could mean its value increases well beyond its current retail price. Right now it’s cheap, cheerful and, if you’re into that sort of thing, quite endearing.
It even tells the time.
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