Well, this is sort of a first for kollokium. For the third iteration of Projekt 02, the brand project is stepping out of the darkness and fully embracing brightly saturated light. Summer vibes and all that. Projekt 02, with its unprecedented topographical dial made of 67 dial plates to create 9 distinct layers, perfectly lends itself to be reinterpreted in wildly different ways. More than just a shift of chromatics, Variant C highlights the towering volumes of the dial in a gradient of turquoise blue tones that beckons to plunge into its refreshingly cool tones. Projekt 02 Variant C is a limited edition of 299-pieces.

Just in time to bring some much-needed chromatic relief during the sizzling hot summer months in the northern hemisphere, Projekt 02 Variant “C” once again demonstrates that a shift in tones goes a long way in giving a watch a completely different vibe. The inaugural Projekt 02 FFF&F (Friends, Family, Fools & Flippers) edition from September 2025 set the tone with a warm metallic dial and off-white hand-painted elements, a wearable proof-of-concept for a dial made like no other. Variant B from March this year introduced the stacked gradient dial, or what horo-hipsters might refer to as the first vertical fumé dial.

While retaining the same overall design with an emphasis on volume as its predecessors, the third interpretation of Projekt 02’s topographical dial gets a bit more literal, with the color gradient of white to blue giving the impression of islands scattered in an archipelago, or even glaciers below mountain peaks.

Across nine layers consisting of sixty-seven individual dial plates (with pegs and all), Projekt 02 Variant C brings a different kind of panorama to the wrist. Within a case that’s actually more sapphire crystal than metal to truly take in the view, the bright rhodium plating and matte finish of the individually crafted, painted and assembled dial plates contrasts and catches the light against an azure backdrop that’s constantly shifting with the light and revealing its different hues of blue.

HYPSOMETRY OF TONES
Like all kollokium Projekts and Variants, a little cosmetic change goes a long way, but it also requires much more prep work than meets the eye. Projekt 02 FFF&F edition proved that it can be done. A flat, two-dimensional image transfigured into a true topographical dial, consisting of 67 stacked dial plates. Each is painted by hand with a lacquer infused with Super-LumiNova. Variant B went a step further by introducing a vertical color gradient that darkens from top to bottom. Variant C is the culmination of two years of testing and trying to find the best way of achieving the desired visual effect and level of execution.

Like a Hypsometric map, the idea was to highlight and dramaticize the three-dimensional nature of the topographical dial by having each level painted in a slightly different tone. The highest peaks os the dial, representing the twelve hour markers, are hand-painted in a bright, cool white tone, then each successive lower layer gets darker and bluer. Across sixty-seven dial plate and nine vertcial layers, the dial shifts from white to deep turquoise.

The process to perfect the gradient of luminescent paint was no easy feat. Besides the usual headache of finding the right grain sizes, opacity and consistency, creating a transitioning gradient that maintains a unifrom tone or hue took more trials than we’d like to remember. But the end result is totally worth the effort. And just like in Variant “B”, a compromise had to be found between achieving a near-perfect transitition of blue tones and a solid performance of the luminescent pigments. It won’t glow like a torch, but it definitely glows, especially the Lichtblock™ elements on the hour and minute hands.

BRUTALIST ARTISANSHIP
While kollokium’s designs are meant to evoke a sense of industrialism and rawness, behind the avant-garde object is a tremendous amount of manual, meticulous handwork. And because there’s no equivalent to base our work on, we end up having to find creative solutions to problems no one has encountered before. While we wouldn’t consider ourselves champions of traditional handcrafts, our watches require specialized hands and talent to materialize. We call it brutalist artisanship.

Projekt 02’s topographical dial is made in nine layers, composed of sixty-seven individual dial plates, which are individually hand-painted with a mix of lacquer and Super-LumiNova, carefully avoiding the metal contours. These plates are then vertically stacked and pegged on top of each other, one at a time. It takes around 8 hours to assemble a single dial, and the plates can be prone to bending when handling and pressed together during assembly, causing the entire dial to have to be discarded and the work starts all over again. The good news is, our partners in dial production have gotten better, relatively speaking. Compared to the first version of Projekt 02, the dial rejection rate of Variant “C” has gone down from nearly 80% to 50%. Still horrible by any measurable standard, but such is the raw beauty of kollokium’s take on contemporary craftsmanship.

It should be noted that given just how much of the dial work is done by hand, industrial-level perfection and super-tight tolerances are not the aim of the game for us. We rejoice in the fact that no two dials will be exactly identical, and that some discrepancies are only natural in this kind of work. In fact, we’re so proud of it that we offer a full panoramic view of the dial through the tall sapphire crystal with rounded edges.

MONOBLOC CASE (OR IS IT?)
One of the things that we believe makes kollokium stand out from the rest is our approach to making cases. Instead of the tried and tested methods of CNC milling or stamping (yuck), we use a method that isn’t commonly found in watchmaking: diecasting. By working with a mold, the molten 316L stainless steel can take on forms that would be difficult to achieve with other methods, while also exhibiting a unique matte texture that requires no finishing. It’s steel in all its raw glory.

In Projekt 02, the case serves as a structural platform, upon which the topographical dial is built. With no distinct bezel (from the outside anyways), no caseback and no detachable lugs, it’s a single integrated unit that’s indivisible. The design is such that a slightly arched barrel-shaped central element appears to be held in place by four triangular lugs, as if welded together. No sharp angles, no straight lines. It’s all in the curves and tension. With a rounded bottom and downward lugs, the case sits very close to the wrist and wears surprisingly slim. With no visible logo or branding, the watch bears only one mark of its makers: the project’s full internal dossier or project name, K,P–n02, in relief on the side of the case. On the opposite side, the signature kollokium triangular valve-shaped crown.

One of the elements that many of our customers adore about their kollokium watch is the strap. Light, elastic and breathable, the strap is inspired by outdoor gear (glamping trip, anyone?). The hook buckle, also in diecast steel to match the case, fastening system and stitched loops allow for easy size adjustment on the move. For the first time, kollokium is going full-on colorful with a turquoise blue strap that perfectly matches the dial.

kollokium ≠ WATCHMAKER
We’re not pretending to be something we’re not. kollokium may be a lot of things (at least we like to think so), but a watchmaker on a bench isn’t one of them. For Projekt 02, we’re continuing to use Swiss movement manufacturer La Joux-Perret’s G101 automatic movement. With a power reserve of 68 hours, you can take it off on Friday and wear it again on Monday (though why anyone would want to remove it at all is beyond us, but hey). Since kollokium had nothing to do with the movement, it was decided to leave it completely unbranded and unadorned. It’s not like you can see it anyways ¯\_(ツ)_/¯