A Brand New Chapter In Speake Marin History is being created with the release of the RIPPLES Skeleton!
The year 2024 marks a new milestone in Speake Marin’s history. Speake Marin was founded in 2002 by English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin, and its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. While the company has a relatively short history, during this time, the brand has already proved itself as one that is willing to push the boundaries by creating cutting-edge mechanical innovative timepeices whilst also making them stylistic to give them a unique identity.
The brand’s current collections, which consist of Openworkd, Academic, Haute Horlogerie, Heritage, and Art Series, have already found massive success. In 2022, the brand launched its latest collection, RIPPLES. This collection marked the introduction of the brand’s first-ever Sport-chic timepieces, which is a combination of sports and luxury dress watch style timepieces. The brand’s current RIPPLES collection has seven models, which vary from different colours to the addition of date complications.
Now, during Geneva Watch Days 2024, Speak Marine has updated its RIPPLES collection with the addition of the RIPPLES Skeleton timepiece. This is the first timepiece in the RIPPLES collection to feature a skeletonised automatic calibre, only 3.25mm thick, and performing at a frequency of 36,000 VpH.
While the case on the Speake Marin RIPPLES Skeleton looks to be the same in design as the previous models in the collection, it is anything but. The differences lie in the subtle details, which make for a new case with unprecedented style. The signature design of the iconic case created by Stéphane Lacroix, named “La City”, remains intact, bringing together two popular case designs in the world of horology: round and square cases.
The changes lie in the fact that, for the first time, Speake Marin is using 904 steel for the case material. Instead of the previously used 316L steel, 904 steel offers a much higher percentage of nickel, chromium, and copper, which increases the material’s resistance to corrosion and acids. The higher chromium content in 904 steel means that when it’s polished, it will shine a lot brighter! Perfect for the polish-finished bevelled edges on the bezel of the case, which, when paired next to the brushed finish surfaces, allows the watch to stand out beautifully.
Speake Marin has kept the case diameter the same as the other models in the RIPPLES collection, at 40.30mm. However, they have made a substantial change in the thickness of the case, which has been reduced from 9.20mm to 6.30mm. The brand states, “This is a significant reduction of 30% compared to the current collection, made possible by the new generation SMA07 calibre, which is only 3.25 mm thick.”
While the case design has subtle changes, the dial design is anything but. This new timepiece introduces the first skeleton dial into this contemporary RIPPLES collection. The brand already has experience creating skeleton timepieces, as they have already created some for their other collections, including the Openworked Tourbillon and Dual Time.
My issue with skeleton dials is that depending on how they’re designed, reading the time can be difficult. Speake Marin seems to have navigated this issue by first having the large hour and minute hands flame-blued by hand. This blue colour is also a first for the RIPPLES collection. It’s also worth noting that the heart-shaped tip of the hour hand has been created this way as a reference to London’s monumental Big Ben, a tribute to the brand’s origins. The hour indices can be read off the circling-finished minute flange, which has tiny black dots, with the large ones indicating the hours.
The movement’s finishing, which the wearer can clearly see from the dial, is exceptional. You can see the full mechanics driving the hour and minute hands, along with the 60-second counter between the 1 and 2 o’clock hour indices. As the movement is open to full view, Speake Marin has given it different finishes to make it stand out. For example, the rhodium-plated skeletonised main plate has a vertical satin finish, along with bevelled micro-beaded profiles and polished angles. As the timepiece dances with light, these different finishes come to life to glisten the dial beautifully! The constant seconds sub-counter is also finished in a ripple pattern, a reference to the RIPPLES collection.
With new aesthetics now adorning this latest addition to the RIPPLES collection, it’s only right that the movement received a major update as well. The RIPPLES Skeleton is the first timepiece in the collection to house the first manufacturing movement, that is, an ultra-thin skeleton design that performs at a very high frequency. As mentioned earlier, this movement, named SMA07, has a regulating organ that beats at a frequency of 36,000 VpH (5Hz), which ensures an accuracy of +5/-5 seconds per day. With this level of high frequency, what you’ll also notice is that the second hand operates ever so smoothly.
Another ingenious feat by the master watchmakers at Speake Marin’s in-house manufacture at Le Cercle des Horlogers is that with the movement, they were able to arrange the components in a way to achieve a total movement thickness of just 3.25mm! This is why the total case size has been greatly reduced in this latest RIPPLES timepiece. Even with the high frequency of the movement, with its micro-rotor, it’s still able to put out a decent power reserve of 52 hours!
Final Thoughts:
If you are after a skeletonised timepiece with a time-only feature, this latest Speake Marin is certainly one watch to consider. I would even go as far as to say that it’s one of the best-looking skeletonised timepieces on the market right now. The timepiece has many features that benefit it greatly. The newly crafted case, which still retains the signature RIPPLES design, now measures only 6.30mm thick, making it a delight to wear on the wrist.
The dial’s aesthetics are beautiful to admire. As mentioned previously, the main plate has many different finishing touches, which not only make it stand out but also add character to the timepiece. The other varied finishes between the seconds sub-counter and the winding rotor add to the aesthetic details carried out by the skilled craftsman at Speake Marin manufacture. This level of finishing is mimicked on the three-link bracelet as well, with polished bevelled edges combined with a satin-brushed finish to give a beautiful shine and luxury effect.
Speake Marin’s constant search for absolute time precision has yielded, this time, a very high-precision movement that only measures 3.25mm thick! Combine this with the watch’s futuristic design, and you get a unique and original timepiece that will certainly pave the way for future RIPPLES models!
References:
- RIPPLES Skeleton – Ref. 604020150
Specification:
- Case Size: 40.30mm
- Case Thickness: 6.30mm
- Case Material: 904L stainless steel
- Dial: Skeleton dial with hand-flame blued hour/minute hands.
- Movement: In-house manufacture skeleton self-winding calibre SMA07 with fully integrated micro-rotor
- Movement Frequency: 36,000 VpH (5hZ)
- Movement Power reserve: 52hrs
- Water resistance: 5 bar (50 meters)
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating on dial and case back
- Case back: 904l Steel screw-down case back.
- Bracelet/Strap: Three-row integrated polished/brushed steel bracelet with personalised folding buckle with the Maison’s logo
