Daniel Strom definitely doesn’t do conventional! The watchmaker, designer and philosopher loves to play with contrasts, including in potentially disturbing ways. Memento Mori, Carpe Noctem is no exception to this rule and the latest addition to the Agonium collection is sure to make its own impact.

Strom’s Agonium Collection - Memento Mori, Carpe Noctem

Behind its solid steel case adorned with skulls lies the same penchant for provocation. Behind its curves, incisions and cut-outs lies the same attention to detail. And behind the blood-red almost hypnotic appearance lies the ancestral Japanese art of Urushi.

Strom sets the scene for this peerless lacquering technique and chooses Memento Mori, the first model in the Agonium collection, for this new interpretation. Carpe Diem thus becomes Carpe Noctem “Remember that you will die. Seize the night”. The bone dial has given way to the red Urushi dial flirting with a shadowy shade of black. This intense vermilion hue is achieved by cinnabar pigments colouring this unique lacquer, formerly favoured for its durability and long-term stability but which quickly distinguished itself as an ornamental element. The watchmaker gives it pride of place by applying it to the dial, vividly echoed by the rubies encrusted in the eyes of the skulls taking their place on the crown and lugs, as well as the overstitching on the bright red strap. For a full three weeks, the master lacquer artist applies around twenty successive ultra-fine layers to form a result that is sturdy, fascinating and always unique.

Source: Strom Prestige