Hands-On The Earthen Company Summit Goes Tonal With The Après-Bleu

Photos by Thor Svaboe

Offering a high-end ceramic case finish for A$1,319 (US$899) is a big ask, and it is also a material smaller brands shy away from because getting the colour and finish right is a minefield without a big research team. I first saw the Summit when I met Chan at the launch of an über-complex Blancpain almost a year ago, where the 38mm watch on his wrist caught my eye and fit my medium wrist rather well.

With IWC Mark-series cues in the dials and hands, it still had enough personality to feel modern and hold its own, and the ceramic sealed the deal for many. The initial three models, two in white ceramic and one in black, were released at a moment when the affordable end of the micro-scale was still 90% steel- or titanium-cased, and in fact still is. Yes, we have outliers that make cases of forged carbon and composites, but for an affordable tool, steel is the rule (rhyming intended).

The debut Summit proved a point, especially the stark optic 'Whiteout' version, with all three riffing on vintage flieger styles yet still appearing contemporary. This is a clever trick, as is the way it appeared less feminine than a 38mm ceramic watch has any right to. (Not that it matters these days, with watches being passed from husband to wife and vice versa to complete an outfit, and small cases are de rigeur...)

Anyway, the Summit's case finishing is the star of the show, and it sets a quality tone well above its price tag. This new deep blue version proves something else: that the young Hong Kong brand has an eye for colour as much as material.

“This evolution is the first time we bring more colour into the collection,” says Chan, adding that this model also sees upgraded pad printing on the dial, upgraded straps, upgraded finishing on the case with contrasting polished and brushed finishes, as well as upgraded AR coating on the crystal and upgraded crowns. 

The Après-Bleu launches alongside another two models, also debuting new ceramic colours for Earthen Co.: the Dune Devil with a sand-coloured case and cocoa dial, and the Glade with a lighter green ceramic case and darker green dial. However, the Après-Bleu is Earthen Co.’s first fully tonal watch-and-strap design, sporting a saturated marine blue that runs from the ceramic case through to the textile strap, a style that I enjoy. It also comes with a beige strap that matches the dial markings, but for me, a coloured case needs a matching strap.

The new 38mm ceramic case carries over unchanged in shape and dimension, with a comfortable 45mm lug-to-lug and a trim 10mm thickness, and - no surprises - it's very light at 65 grams with the strap. On the wrist, it has a timeless field-and-flieger look, and unlike the Whiteout I tried last year, where optic white pushed the case visually larger, this deeper tone reins it back to a true 38mm.

The navy colour is versatile, and bravo to Chan for getting the tone right; not easy with blue. Wearing a denim shirt and some beige Dickies, the two colours are spot on, but it is the finishing which rewards a second look. The Summit features deep linear brushing running along the flanks and lugs, and a softer radial grain across the sloped bezel. On this new model, it has a flat polished top against the crystal, matching polished chamfers between the lugs and on top of the case sides. It catches just enough light to signal the quality, and the big split coin-edge crown in steel is a deliberate flash of contrast against the coloured ceramic, featuring a beige rubber insert. Water resistance is a genuinely useful 100 metres, making it a real GADA proposition given ceramic's scratch resistance.

The dial keeps the Summit’s IWC DNA-inflected pilot layout, but the shift to blue changes its temperament and works well with the well-matched cooler, deeper navy-blue case. The beige lume plots and numerals contrast warmly against the cool blue, and the quality touch of slightly raised, glossy cardinal markers is appreciated. Legibility is effortless; the squared-off hour and sword minute hands add a little polished light-play to an otherwise matte face, thankfully still sans date window. The ring-tipped seconds hand is the quiet charmer in a white that matches the minute railway markings, and it perfectly frames the white logo at six once a minute.

This vintage-yet-modern timepiece is powered by the no-date Miyota 9039, a rugged movement used by many microbrands - it's by no means exquisite, but in my experience, it's accurate and keeps its 42-hour power reserve promise.

The strap was one of the biggest surprises for me, and it's where the tonal concept becomes complete, making modern design cues outnumber the vintage ones. As previously mentioned, I have a bit of an OCD thing about coloured cases needing matching straps, so for me, the Summit Après-Bleu works best on its colour-matched blue strap, even though the extra beige one matches the dial markings to a T. But that is just me. It also makes its character more elegant, and the straps are superb: supple, thin, with a fine sailcloth-like weave, and a soft-touch black lining. All are surprisingly made from FKM rubber, which would easily make them cost well over A$150 at retail.

The ethos of the Summit Après-Bleu is outdoorsy, with its field watch details, but the blue-on-blue effect is genuinely handsome and taps into my love of dressier wristwear. It also comes with a soft denim-look travel pouch that keeps the blue theme going and makes for a well-judged package at the price. The straps serve as a reminder that a considered strap pairing can do as much for a watch as the case material itself, something even larger brands should notice.

The Earthen Summit collection absolutely resonates with me. Idiosyncratically, they've got the vibe of a vintage field watch but keep things contemporary. They're tool watches, but not overtly. This dual character results in a watch that's very wearable, especially when combined with the scratch-reducing nature of ceramic case construction, a material that I have never been a huge fan of before.

“Next up for Earthen are new collections and designs, still heavily rooted in vintage but with a look towards modernity," Chan tells me. “We will continue to sustain a level of focus; a dress line is coming, as well as a more 'horological' piece."

I admit to seeing a few secret images of the latter. Its design reflects that Earthen Co. had to compromise on the movement to produce Summit - so Chan asked himself, what if there were fewer compromises?

“How far can we take ceramic finishing? What if budget wasn’t as much of a problem? What could Earthen become?” These are bold words from Chan, but based on what I saw, they had substance.

Brand: Earthen Co.
Model: Summit Après-Bleu (as reviewed)
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 10mm
Lug-to-Lug: 45mm
Case Material: Blue ceramic, stainless steel crown at 3 o’clock
Finishing: Strong linear brushing on case sides and lugs, soft radial brushing on the bezel, polished chamfers on case flank tops
Caseback: 316L stainless steel
Dial: Matte navy blue with beige Super-LumiNova Arabic numerals, white outer minutes scale, polished squared hour and sword minute hands and white ring-counterweight seconds hand
Water Resistance: 100 metres
Strap: Colour-matched blue textured FKM strap with tang buckle, shipped with additional tan strap

Calibre: Miyota 9039
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: A$1,319 (US$899)
Availability: Directly via earthen-co.com
Limited Edition: No, limited initial drop of 100 pieces, with future restock TBC

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