When I first started collecting watches, I was willing to try almost any brand that I took a fancy to. I had no pre-conceived notions of what makes a great watch and what doesn’t. This type of exploration is only natural for a watch collector. At these early stages, a newbie collector may be more interested in sheer aesthetics of a watch design not worrying about the brand cache, type of movement, monetary or historical value. In other words, we buy something because we like it.
Sure, this Android Concept T2 is a fashion watch, but I really liked it.
I have to admit that there was a lot to like about this large red chronograph made by Android in 2010. Android might be considered a fashion watch brand which is to say, few serious collectors are going to brag about having one in their watch box. However, I think that can be a bit snobby because this watch was never designed to compete with blue chip brands whose products cost thousands of dollars. Instead, we should look at a watch on its own merits or faults to see how it measures up to our own sense of taste.
The extremely domed crystal made getting a clean photo of the Android T2 challenging
Let’s see what we have by looking at the stats. This watch is on the large side at almost 52 mm wide including the crown. At least the lugs are short to give the owner a chance of fitting it on his wrist. I wore it fine, but the aggressive stainless steel case was a bit sharp on some edges under the lugs. I had to make sure not to wear it too tightly or it would irritate my wrist.
One Hex bolt for every hour… now that’s a novel idea.
What attracted me to this T2 Concept was the industrially inspired design features including the 12 hex bolts on the bezel that line up with the large applied wedge indices, sharply knurled crown and pushers with fluted embellishments. The large sword hands seem to be the perfect fit for a watch this unapologetically bold. The skeletonized date window showed several days at a time with a small yellow triangle point to the true date. This watch is no wallflower even having bright red threads on the glossy alligator pattern watchband.
A 24 mm watch band complimented the large size of the case
Here is a closer look at the finely detailed controls. You can see the full 18 mm height of the watch. I loved the “drilled” slots where the Hex bolts were inserted. It’s a bit sci-fi.
Maybe it does look like a flying saucer!
Part of the height is from the extremely domed crystal that had a cool magnifying effect on the dial.
The domed crystal has a magnifying effect on the dial
The chronograph was a 30-minute model with a center ticking seconds hand and a left subdial. The right sub dial was a continuously ticking small seconds indicator.
The “control panel” on this futuristic watch
Some people may complain that the company used cheap materials or production techniques, but I did not see that. The finishing and uniqueness of design were well executed. The lume was bright and glowed nicely. The ISA quartz “Swiss made” movement was accurate and never gave me any issues.
The Android Concept T2’s display box
Overall, I enjoyed owning this watch. I bought it for very little money and sold it for more than I paid. I eventually decided to move to smaller watches, but I admit that this T2 gave me joy, and isn’t that what watch collecting should do?
