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Zelos: rhymes with "sea loss" or with "zealous"?
Since Zelos is a possible contender for the FTW watch, and the Comet 39 model in particular, here's a review of the tantalum edition. I hope the other Zelos owners in the community can add their own experiences so we can get a better idea of the options to evaluate.
I've been fascinated with tantalum ever since finding out it's used in advanced Terminator endoskeletons. Basic endos used titanium, and tantalum's the evil twin. It's a different shade of grey, more gunmetal. Ti is surprisingly light, while Ta is surprisingly heavy at around the same density as 18k gold, double of steel. But Zelos doesn't make a Ta bracelet, which would make the heft much more noticeable than just comparing cases, so this gets stuck with a peculiarly underwhelming strap. While the design is interesting, possibly unique to this model, it unfortunately has a "patent leather" gloss to it like a cheap belt. Maybe it'll grow on me as it wears in, or it might just crack like vinyl upholstery left in the sun. Good thing Zelos has other options.
I enjoy how everything plays with light. The dial is large grain crystallized titanium, and the "flakes" go from bright to dark depending on angle, like the splotch at 12:30. The hands look matte black in some photos, but they're well polished and go specular when catching a highlight. The raised sapphire's polished rim overlaps the minute track like the receding distortion in the final ripple of a calming pond. The indexes are chunky appliques, but that lume shot is exaggerated, I cheated with a long exposure.
The center of the dial is made via CNC guilloche and anodized blue. This is an interesting middle ground between traditional methods (slow manual operation of a large antique cutting engine with a bladed tip like a burin or chisel, mechanically 'programmed' by cogs and levers like a spirograph) and more expedient processes (stamping a pattern only smushes the material to fit a mold, so edges are softer and rounded). By using a computer controlled milling bit (like the spinning tip of a power drill) to cut away material, CNC guilloche can achieve much of the same sharply defined edges as traditional machines. Zelos calls this specific pattern "Feather" and I personally find it less attractive than some of their other patterns. While the intricacy is evident in the zoom shot, at other distances, the sharpness devolves into a grittiness, like a cheap low-resolution laser engraving, to my eyes. Excuse the lint and smudges, the hands are pristine and I assume some of the variation in the anodization is from the underlying titanium grain.
The other macro zoom is of my favorite quirk. Most of the tantalum has a uniform bead-blasted surface texture. But that triangle facet is polished. Because it's only on that one outer slope of each lug, there's usually at least one panel glinting from an otherwise matte case. Aside from the visual appeal, there's a bit of mental satisfaction too. The tantalum version comes at a price bump over the steel ($2500 vs $2k), even more when you consider the loss of a bracelet. Ti and Ta are difficult to machine, so it's quite uncommon to find them polished. Zelos taking the time and resources to add this rare detail to a rare metal is acknowledgement that the premium isn't just spending up for the exotic material, but for additional refinement as well.
So, was it worth it? I can't speak for their steel watches on bracelet, but I'm very happy with this one. Everything is relative though, a heavy hitter swinging a six-figure bat would consider this toy money for a toy watch. But bang-for-buck is a diminishing curve, and I think Zelos is comfortably in a good-value sweet spot for its price range. It's not high horology, but still a fun way for me to check out new materials and new techniques in a well-rounded, good looking package.
(I wish I was more aware of this before jumping at the Christopher Ward C12 Loco, I was so excited for the movement but my expectations were wildly miscalibrated. They probably make fine $2k watches, but the $5k price of the Loco reflects the cost of making the unusual movement and amortizing its R&D, very little went to improving the rest of the watch, so the end product still feels $2k tier. Wagyu tartare between two slices of Wonder bread ain't fine dining. The dork in me is still satisfied owning an example of the movement, so I would've bought one used eventually anyway, but I'd've been less disappointed if someone first slapped me and explained that it's a $5k watch in a $2k package, not a $15k watch for $5k)
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