The single most differentiating feature of a watch is perhaps the design of the case. It is the body of the watch which houses the hands, dial, and movement. It is the most tactile component that sits on top of your wrist all day and is usually the one feature distinguishable even from across the room.
One of the most important aspects of a case design is the lugs. It is very easily overlooked but it is a major part of the wearing experience, aesthetics, weight balance, and ergonomics of the case. The lugs on the Serenity case are long yet curved downwards significantly. Lugs on watches are usually stubby because they extend horizontally from the case so that if they are long they start to jut out when placed on the wrist. Naturally, our wrists have an oval sectional profile. To accommodate this, the lugs curve down past the bottom line of the case to flow along the wrist and offer a fitted sartorial wearing experience.
Proportions are a delicate balancing act between all elements of the design. The case body, lugs, bezel, crown, crown guards, and caseback must all be proportioned harmoniously to each other and to the overall form. Only then could you reach a design that has the quality of timelessness.
The height of the case is also a significant point to consider because it influences the wearing comfort and weight distribution of the watch head. The thicker the case, the higher the center of mass, which means the watch head is going to wobble more while on your wrist and becomes uncomfortable to wear throughout the day. The Serenity offers a case height of 9.2mm, which provides ideal stability and comfort on the wrist. It also slips under the cuff with ease.
The Serenity case is sized at 39mm. For most men's wrists, 39mm is a well-proportioned, understated, and elegant case size. The lug-to-lug is 50mm, which creates a beautiful 1:1.28 ratio (top-down view). 50mm might sound long but because of the Arching lugs that curve downwards along the wrist, it does not disturb the wearing experience. It wears similar to a 47-48mm lug-to-lug case. We wanted to find a case proportion that works on both the steel bracelet and leather strap. Watches with steel bracelets, especially integrated steel bracelet designs, usually do not look as good on a leather strap. This is mainly because of the short stubby lugs which are not elegant when paired with the more formal leather strap. The ratio of 1:1.28 offers versatility by looking proportioned on both a steel bracelet and leather strap, and this ratio is only made possible because of the design of the Arching lugs.
The bezel, lugs, and case body all share a cohesive curvilinear design language to create a uniform aesthetic. The angular case side is a distinctive feature of the Serenity, which offers a unique down-the-barrel view when worn on the wrist. Overall, the Serenity case is a contemporary design with refined proportions and a timelessness that is rarely introduced.
