Written by Ivan Yaskey in New Collections on the 30th June 2022

In contrast to all the high-end watch brands with a century or longer of history, CODE41 has been shaking up the market by promising more transparency across its supply chain and adhering to quality construction, including Swiss mechanical movement. This approach emerges through the ANOMALY-T4, the latest iteration of its mechanical automatic movement series. Representing the future of high-end watchmaking, the ANOMALY-T4 reflects one prominent and growing trend in watch and jewelry making – the use of recycled metals – and offers enthusiasts a classic timepiece at a lower price point.

About CODE41 and the ANOMALY Series 

“Disruption” serves as a tactic to break up industry monopolies or simply to offer a new perspective in a market saturated with familiarity. Online support, often via social media and crowdfunding, helps this endeavor unfold. CODE41 embodies this approach: Started by Claudio D’Amore in 2016 after a decade designing for leading Swiss brands like Tag Heuer and Montblanc, CODE41 emerged with the first mechanical watch created through a 57,000-person collaboration. Its launch came as a result of a crowdfunding campaign that raised 543,150 CHF (533,318€).

Beyond this novelty factor, CODE41’s mission appeals toward a consumer more interested in how products are constructed. Specifically, the burgeoning company promises Total Transparency on Origin (TTO) meaning that they’re transparent about origins and prices of theircomponents. They also ensure Swiss-made watches are constructed entirely in their home country – rather than having components made overseas and the timepiece assembled in Switzerland. Six years in, CODE41 adheres to this ethos when constructing all watches. The ANOMALY collection stands on two CODE41 watches: the ANOMALY-01 features Japanese mechanical automatic movement, and the ANOMALY-02 utilizes Swiss mechanical automatic movement. Beyond simply being newer entries based on classic construction, both set the stage for CODE41’s growth as a brand. From here, CODE41 released its ANOMALY EVOLUTION in April 2021. With customers noting they could no longer see the watch’s workings along the dial side, the ANOMALY-T4 delivers this through a more technical design highlighting its movement that’s priced more affordably compared to the rest of CODE41’s line. With a more technical character and updated design, the ANOMALY-T4 takes the EVOLUTION in a new direction. Dubbing it a “revolution,” CODE41 allows the user to marvel at the ANOMALY-T4’s movement and considers it the collection’s most advanced, complete model. In addition to this aspect, the watch features a case made from 100% recycled steel, sourced through a collaboration with Panatere, and recyclable raw materials are used for other components.

What’s Different About the ANOMALY-T4? 

The ANOMALY-T4 exemplifies CODE41’s initial crowdfunding efforts – particularly, customer feedback shaped its creation, and the result showcases the watch’s mechanical workings from the top and side. Users can observe its operation from above the dial, as well as through a transparent caseback. At the same time, the ANOMALY-T4 isn’t a complete do-over. Rather, it retains much of the EVOLUTION’s advancements, including LumiNova-coated indices for better visibility in low-light conditions, a reinforced crown, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, a thinner case, great power reserve, and consistently precise mechanical Swiss movement. On this last note, CODE41 went with Sellita SW200-1 S a skeleton movement, known for its exactness to counteract the inconsistencies that can arise from watch operation that has traditionally relied on winding or gravity. This facet – essentially the watch’s core in terms of performance and visuals – delivers accuracy of -7/+7s per day and manifests through a mainspring, balance wheel, and other components moving behind the hands. This central aspect is joined by 100m waterproof construction, a revamped dial, Incabloc shock absorption, a 316L recycled steel case, LumiNova hands and indices, and a sapphire crystal. The result looks elegantly futuristic while still incorporating Swiss craftsmanship, and can be enjoyed from multiple angles.

As consumers look for more transparency throughout the supply chain and less reliance on virgin materials, the ANOMALY-T4 reflects one growing shift in the jewelry industry – using recycled or repurposed metals. While recycled materials aren’t entirely new to CODE41 – recycled paper, calfskin, and flax have been used for straps – the ANOMALY-T4 distinguishes itself with 100% recycled 4441-grade 316L stainless steel, used for the middle, bezel, and back. Sourced from Panatere, recycled steel uses roughly one-tenth of the energy as traditional virgin sources, with metal coming from offcuts from equipment and parts used in Swiss medical and watchmaking industries. For a more circular supply chain, the steel offcuts are first verified for quality, authenticity, and usability with a spectrometer (XRF) gun. Usable metal then gets melted down into a secondary steel product, taking the form of ingots. As the ANOMALY-T4 involves the production of 1kg of secondary steel, CODE41 and Panatere keep the process local, within a 250km radius, and avoid using additional chemicals or ores. Along with these changes, the ANOMALY-T4 symbolizes another shift within the watchmaking industry – making quality timepieces more affordable and accessible to a wider range of consumers. Among CODE41’s offerings, the ANOMALY-T4 delivers a more economical option to the X41 without compromising design or technology, with a starting price of £1298. Pre-sale for the ANOMALY-T4 starts on 29 June and lasts until 21 July. During that time, the ANOMALY-T4 Creator Edition will be available for customization. 

Code41watches.com

We take a first look at the CODE41 ANOMALY-T4 Watch which features Japanese mechanical automatic movement.