# New Damasko DK 200



## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

Hi all,

It seems that Damasko recently launched a sexy new watch at Munichtime. I bet that you all want to see it:









Automatic manufacture movement with GMT function. 42 mm.
I like how this model branches out stylistically. Sporty and high tech at the same time. The bezel screws remind me a bit of the IWC Ingenieur, but this watch is really its own thing.
There is only one annoying detail: the price is 4200 Euro... Of course it is on the other hand a top quality product with manufacture movement.


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## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Munichtime will be held from 31 Oct to 02 Nov.


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

stuffler said:


> Munichtime will be held from 31 Oct to 02 Nov.


Thanks for the correction, Mike, it seems that this new model is already pre-announced.


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## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Correct, it is in the Munichtime 2014 catalogue and there is a non picture announcement on FB.

What I do not like that much is.....


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

stuffler said:


> Correct, it is in the Munichtime 2014 catalogue and there is a non picture announcement on FB.
> 
> What I do not like that much is.....
> 
> View attachment 1832170


There is indeed some resemblance. An interesting coincidence (I can't imagine Damasko having copied this design). I also find the Damasko a lot more legible and crisp. What I like less about the Damasko is the amount of text at the bottom half of the dial (esp. being used to the zen like minimalism of my 373), but it would not be a showstopper for me.
The price however makes it a watch for true WIS, because many non-WIS people would rather buy an Omega etc at that price level.


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## CGSshorty (Aug 16, 2009)

The "GMT silicon manufacture" text on the dial is awful.


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## cheoah (Aug 16, 2014)

GMT function is clearly legible. Text is excessive, I have to agree. Not going to knit pick the rest, but 4200 euro? 


Sent from my iSomething using Tapatalk
Apologies for typos, truly too busy to edit


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## sduford (Nov 24, 2013)

stuffler said:


> Correct, it is in the Munichtime 2014 catalogue and there is a non picture announcement on FB.
> 
> What I do not like that much is.....
> 
> View attachment 1832170


Holy smokes!!!

What's going on here? This can't be right...

I really disliked the bezel, even before seeing this.


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## sduford (Nov 24, 2013)

CGSshorty said:


> The "GMT silicon manufacture" text on the dial is awful.


I think they are trying to compete with Rolex with the text and the price.


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## technologic (May 17, 2014)

I don't like it at all.


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## kannome (Jul 5, 2012)

I recently emailed Nadja asking when they were going to come out with a GMT model saying I'd be very interested. Forgot to add "affordable (for me)." 

I give them credit for a new design direction, but think they could add a 24-hr bezel to add a 3rd time zone like Fortis has. 

Then if they could do a line with non in-house movements so us regular folk can afford one…….


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## LH2 (Oct 25, 2009)

Agree the text is excessive, maybe they'll reduce it before production... Lugs look pretty long... Not for me, since I have zero use for a GMT watch.


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## CitizenM (Dec 9, 2009)

MrDagon007 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> It seems that Damasko recently launched a sexy new watch at Munichtime. I bet that you all want to see it:
> 
> ...


Nice!


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## CM HUNTER (May 16, 2011)

If the text on the dial is describing an in-house innovation that's exclusive to this manufacturer/piece, I'm not against that in the slightest. In fact, I'm proud of the acknowledgement of why my watch is different from each and every other one that exists.

I find it pretty hard to believe that this piece wasn't influenced by another. To "happen" to use this exact bezel design... not likely. However, the overall Damasko design is waaaay sportier. Also, all of the other well known Damasko innovations you get with this one, as well as a true manufactured in-house movement, definitely distances itself from any influential counterpart tremendously.


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## myke (Jan 19, 2012)

A Damasko Eterna not for me. I got this coming in the mail. Wow what a let down don't like much of anything about the new design


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## sduford (Nov 24, 2013)

Now, that's a Damasko!


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## dinexus (Nov 18, 2012)

Literally the very first Damasko I've ever seen that I didn't like. That text on the dial is just baffling — regardless of what proprietary technology it's calling to attention.


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

CM HUNTER said:


> If the text on the dial is describing an in-house innovation that's exclusive to this manufacturer/piece, I'm not against that in the slightest. In fact, I'm proud of the acknowledgement of why my watch is different from each and every other one that exists..


Well, it is of course a matter of taste. When I ordered my last car, I took advantage of the option of not having the text label on the boot. I prefer clean style, not in-your-face G Shock style.
In this case, it is obvious that it is a GMT watch, so in my opinion no need to write it. It's like putting "car" on the boot of a car. Also, I think that the Silicon is best left to the engraving at the back of the case. Do Omegas with Silicon springs display the word on the dial?
That leaves us the word Manufacture which I think would look ok (and it would be more powerful) alone on the bottom half of the dial. In addition the Damasko text at the top of the dial could be a wee bit smaller in my opinion.



CM HUNTER said:


> I find it pretty hard to believe that this piece wasn't influenced by another. To "happen" to use this exact bezel design... not likely. However, the overall Damasko design is waaaay sportier. Also, all of the other well known Damasko innovations you get with this one, as well as a true manufactured in-house movement, definitely distances itself from any influential counterpart tremendously.


Well of course every creator is influenced by history. Now I think that the Eterna really takes it cues from the Ingenieur (esp because of the lug design), but I don't think that Mr. Damasko thought, let's do "our" Ingenieur, or "our" Eterna (which is not that well known a brand in the larger scope). There are a few watches with screws in the bezel, that is not unique. Similarly every new watch with a ribbed dial would in some way echo Aqua Terras.

In any case I quite like it and of course you get good quality. I am curious if they will release variants like one with a full lume dial for example, or one with numbers instead of bars.
I do am curious how it will fare in boutiques where it has competition outside forum dwelling WIS. For the price you can get an entry level IWC (indeed not manufacture), or the antimagnetic Omega Aqua Terra... brands that resonate among a wider population.

Would I buy it myself? Well, I don't need GMT. I often communicate with other time zones and I never found it a hassle to add or substract a few hours to local time. But I see myself eventually upgrading to a manufacture Damasko. Still very very happy with mine though.


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## CM HUNTER (May 16, 2011)

MrDagon007 said:


> Well, it is of course a matter of taste. When I ordered my last car, I took advantage of the option of not having the text label on the boot. I prefer clean style, not in-your-face G Shock style.
> In this case, it is obvious that it is a GMT watch, so in my opinion no need to write it. It's like putting "car" on the boot of a car. Also, I think that the Silicon is best left to the engraving at the back of the case. Do Omegas with Silicon springs display the word on the dial?
> That leaves us the word Manufacture which I think would look ok (and it would be more powerful) alone on the bottom half of the dial. In addition the Damasko text at the top of the dial could be a wee bit smaller in my opinion.
> 
> ...


Agree. It certainly is a matter of taste. The only text I acknowledged being on the dial was the part that has something to do with Damasko in-house capabilities. That's the part to be proud of. They could drop the rest altogether for all I care.

Omega doesn't advertise it on their dial, but they sure do make up for it by shamelessly advertising their accomplishments everywhere else.

Sure, plenty of bezels with screws in it. That goes without saying. Schauer, AP, too numerous to mention. But, for it to be segmented in the EXACT same way... I'll go with an influence on that and not a coincidence. There sure are watches that get their cues from ones that came before. Those are watches I try to avoid like the plague as much as possible. This one adds so much otherwise however, that I think it surpasses the borrowed design cues. All others that are blatant homages are always lacking in every way compared to their influence. I would say that's quite the opposite here.

Whether or not it's worth the money compared to other more established brands, that's up to the individual to decide. Damasko has always brought in-house innovation to the table that other more established marks can't touch. I don't see this model being any different. If you admire what Damasko does that nobody else's offerings in this price range offers, than the Damasko is still a viable alternative. If resale and popularity contests are the main focus, then you're buying watches for all the wrong reasons anyway.


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

CM HUNTER said:


> Whether or not it's worth the money compared to other more established brands, that's up to the individual to decide. Damasko has always brought in-house innovation to the table that other more established marks can't touch. I don't see this model being any different. If you admire what Damasko does that nobody else's offerings in this price range offers, than the Damasko is still a viable alternative. If resale and popularity contests are the main focus, then you're buying watches for all the wrong reasons anyway.


I think we agree - though I also think that people buying a watch for the "wrong" reasons far outnumber the WIS ! 
It must also be said that taking resale value into account for anything that one buys is a sensible way of life.

I do find it impressive how this relatively small company accomplishes so much. In a way they are the tool-oriented sibling of Nomos - which is still quite a bit bigger!


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## CitizenM (Dec 9, 2009)

MrDagon007 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> It seems that Damasko recently launched a sexy new watch at Munichtime. I bet that you all want to see it:
> 
> ...


I think it's my favorite looking Damasko yet! I'm not crazy about the bright green, but hopefully they'll offer other colors down the road. I'd say the inspiration is more Genta in general than Eterna or the Ingenieur specifically. The Kontiki, at least the older original model, was also a Genta design as I recall.


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## IRBilldozer (Feb 17, 2013)

CitizenM said:


> I'd say the inspiration is more Genta in general than Eterna or the Ingenieur specifically. The Kontiki, at least the older original model, was also a Genta design as I recall.


Previously did not know about this Kontiki being a Genta design. Though I generally like his designs (love the RO and Nautilus) I am beginning to wonder if he was a one note designer. Not a lot of variety despite designing for several serious watch companies.


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## aaamax (Jan 23, 2014)

Well crap, If this had a numbered bezel I think it would be great. I love having a GMT. How about a colored ceramic? The word "silicon" just blows in my opinion.


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## flyingpicasso (Jun 28, 2010)

I don't think the dial text is excessive, but the font, size, and spacing looks like something I would have done on Microsoft Word. Awful. I'm going to reserve judgment on the overall design until I see some live shots because I have been fooled many times before by inferior marketing shots or computer generated renderings, though I am very happy about the conventional date placement and lack of "day" wheel.


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## whoa (May 5, 2013)

I did saw their Facebook post, and in the catalogue.. I got kinda disappointed.. 
The green is fresh and crisp! But I don't like the bezel, and all the text in the bottom.. The price is probably fair given the tech your getting, but I think you have to be wis to know about it.. 
I expected something else.. Not sure what! But yeah.. Taste is different  

-Sent using Rock, Paper and the occasional Scissors-


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## Kluber (Aug 9, 2014)

Agree with most comments on here. Big fan of damasko innovations. I've been waiting for damasko to produce a gmt as a potential, future purchase so I find some excitement personally that they are venturing in this direction (Much more interesting and in line with their brand than their latest "dress" watch launch IMO).

Hopefully they make a few subtle adjustments with the design. Damasko with that much text isn't really a Damasko anymore. 

Plus at €4k, even with an in house calibre, it's overpriced for the brand and will likely lose out to non-Damasko fans in similar competition. (Frankly , I'd trade the in-house for a durable ebauche movement at a lower price).


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## Tyn (Oct 16, 2012)

I was really looking forward to a Damasko GMT, but I'm not a fan of the superfluous bezel and price. Just stick an Eta with gmt module in there please.


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## SteamJ (Jun 30, 2013)

It's nice to see something new and different from Damasko but I can't say I'm digging this one. I don't like the bezel at all and I'm not a fan of green in general so the green on the dial doesn't work for me. I know what Damasko offers as far as tech but it seems to me that there's plenty of watches that will offer better value from the other German brands (including Damasko). Not terrible but not at all for me.


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## Der Amf (Sep 5, 2013)

Ignoring who's copied who, and thinking purely in terms of the design, I think the Eterna is clearly superior. Trying to apply the Damasko house style to this design has produced something that, imo, simply looks clumsier, losing grace and balance and adding nothing in return


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

Der Amf said:


> Ignoring who's copied who, and thinking purely in terms of the design, I think the Eterna is clearly superior. Trying to apply the Damasko house style to this design has produced something that, imo, simply looks clumsier, losing grace and balance and adding nothing in return
> 
> View attachment 1953906


While I prefer the more pure look of the simpler Damaskos, I do think that the DK200 is more lisible than the Eterna.

Interestingly the expected style for a GMT Damasko is made by Stowa:


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## Der Amf (Sep 5, 2013)

I had to google "Lisible". I was very glad to see it wasn't an english word that I didn't know ;-)

I see from Mike S's photos on the Munichtime thread that Damasko added a sixth screw to the bezel, to add a "small difference" from the Eterna.


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## MrDagon007 (Sep 24, 2012)

Sorry, readable of course !


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## Der Amf (Sep 5, 2013)

MrDagon007 said:


> Sorry, readable of course !


I thoroughly enjoyed the irony of not being able to comprehend a word meaning "readable" ;-)


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## sduford (Nov 24, 2013)

MrDagon007 said:


> Sorry, readable of course !


Since I speak French, I didn't even notice the mistake!


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## Millbarge (Apr 3, 2014)

Damasko just updated their Facebook Cover Photo...
looks like this is coming soon.
Very excited.


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## keegan (Dec 2, 2008)

WHAT? Making that Eterna copy instead of making THIS a reality? Insanity.


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## Alda_cz (Aug 20, 2010)

Damasko A35 movevemt is very similar valgranges...very similar...

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## Alda_cz (Aug 20, 2010)

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## Alda_cz (Aug 20, 2010)

Valgranges with Silicium components? 

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## Alda_cz (Aug 20, 2010)




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## Timeless: Now WoS (Jan 18, 2010)

Alda_cz said:


>


They seem pretty different to me. They're about as different as any two movements in the industry.

As far as I know, the Valgranges doesn't offer a day complication. It has a smaller power reserve. The escape wheel is metallic, as is the hairspring, compared to Damasko's silicon. The balance is regulated as opposed to Damasko's free sprung. The balance wheel is smooth compared to Damasko's variable inertia (Gyromax style), the rotor is on metallic ball bearings instead of Damasko's ceramic micro ball bearings. The balance cock is different and appears to have a different anchor position.

All that said, the layout of the 7750 has been the foundation of many unique movements even if no parts are used from ETA. The Valgranges posted, for instance, is itself not a unique movement, but a 7750 derivative. Take, for example, the IWC 80000 movements (technically based on the 7765, a variant of the 7750).










I can't say whether Damasko, like IWC, liked the 7750's layout and decided to go after it, but I can say that there's not really an engineering reason to utilize a lot of components from the 7750. All of the hard stuff is produced in house, the balance wheel, the escapement, the hairspring etc. If you're where you can produce components like those then the rest of the movement is comparatively easy. A lot of in-house movements still utilize escapements and hairsprings that are outsourced for this very reason. Nomos was one of these until recently and you can remember how big a deal it was that they went in-house for their escapements and hairsprings--a much bigger deal than it was to make the in-house movement generally, which they had for a long time.


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## stumpovich (Dec 15, 2013)

Disappointing compared to the other things I've seen from Damasko. I still love the DA36. This just goes too far away from their roots I think.


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## Cloud9Blue (Aug 15, 2010)

stumpovich said:


> Disappointing compared to the other things I've seen from Damasko. I still love the DA36. This just goes too far away from their roots I think.


You don't have to buy them if you don't like them. There is nothing wrong with a manufacturer expanding its line-ups.


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## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Hmmm, already in 2007 when I interviewed Konrad formthe for the first time it was very clear that the Damasko movement will offer the possibility of adding some complications

--"In my imagination the DAMASKO movement should have the following specifications: 30mm diameter, winding up bi-directional, day-date-indication, fast day-date set up (the Valjoux sets day and date from 11 to 1, the Damasko movement should shift faster), central second or small second at 9, with the possibility of adding a GMT indication or mounting a chrono module. You see, the movement is already ready to be launched but only in my mind--" (Konrad Damasko)

So the DK 200/DK 201 aren't far away from their roots and does indeed feature what I would call the Damasko DNA.








Pic courtesy of U. Kriescher, taken when skiing in Austria, Felbertauern, Edelweissalm


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## Plissken (Aug 21, 2006)

I didn't realise it was a concept watch. I thought it was definitely scheduled for production, but was wondering where it had gone last time I looked at the Damasko web site. Shame. I'm positive they will make their own manufacture chrono at some point. How it will look, whether it will adopt a more bling look to match the likely price point, who knows. I wanted to like the GMT but I'm not that keen on the bezel or dial TBH. I'd rather have a DK10 with 1-11 bezel.



keegan said:


> WHAT? Making that Eterna copy instead of making THIS a reality? Insanity.


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## Cloud9Blue (Aug 15, 2010)

I think Damasko needs some variety in case designs. The same old bead blasted case get boring after a decade or so... 

Personally, I think a moderately sized diver paired with the excellent in house braclet (maybe polished/brush finished instead?) should be the next in the line considering they already have chrono, GMT covered, and some of the features, such as screw down crown and rotating bezels, can be lifted and modified from the existing models.

I know a lot of die hard Damasko fan rather disapprove the newer DK100 and 200 models, but personally I think they are steps in the right direction for such small manufacturers to gain bigger market recognition.


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