Accutron Partners With Kool & The Gang’s Le Kool Champagne
Accutron Partners With Kool & The Gang’s Le Kool Champagne, Unveils Legacy Watches
Senior Contributor
Accutron x Le Kool Champagne Heritage watches.
To celebrate the birthday of Accutron on Wednesday and honoring its new partnership with Kool & The Gang’s Le Kool champagne, Accutron hosted a “Ladies’ Night” event (a nod to the many women in the watch industry today) as it simultaneously unveiled new Legacy watches inspired by Le Kool champagne. The Ladies’ Night theme, where Le Kool champagne bubbled all night, is also a play on the iconic Kool & The Gang song.
Le Kool champagne was founded by Robert “Kool” Bell, leader and co-founder of the Kool & The Gang band. His dream to create champagne came to fruition just a couple of years ago after the decision to work with Estate Paul Berthelot, a multi-vintage producer. The Celebration champagne, along with the legacy of Kool & The Gang (which began around the same time as Accutron developed its New York base) inspired Accutron to work with Le Kool on the Legacy collection, which features revivals of culturally important Accutron watches.
This Accutron Heritage watch was inspired by Le Kool champagne and a vintage piece, Ref. 565.
The new Legacy Collection timepieces take inspiration from the Le Kool champagne bottles and their metallic hues. As such, Accutron revives two automatic Swiss-made Legacy styles—the “565” and “412”—and offers them in sets with three luxurious metallic straps.
My personal favorite is the 565 asymmetrical cased watch, also referred to as the “Football Cross Hatch” watch because of the spirals incorporated into the case design when this watch first made its debut in 1966. It was worn by interior designers and architects of the time who were fans of the concept of Archimedean and Time Series spirals that start in the center and branch out around that point. This was the design on the original watch case.
This Heritage piece, Ref. 412, was the case for Accutron’s first SpaceView watch.
The new 565 version includes crosshatch details on the bezel to recall the American aesthetic that was once so loved. The 34mm stainless steel case boasts a crown at 4:00 instead of 3:00 and features a silvery white dial, angled hour markers and an outer minute track. It is sold with a blush-hued metallic leather strap, a gold metallic leather strap—inspired by Le Kool champagne colors—and a black metallic strap. This version sells for $1,500.
The somewhat more classical looking 412 is a bit more historically significant for the brand, because this was the original design for Accutron’s Spaceview case. The new version is a 34mm gold-tone steel case with bull horn lugs and crown at 4:00. The silvery white dial is set with gold-tone applied hour markers. It also features a double-boxed sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters. It is offered on a gold metallic leather strap, with additional bronze and black metallic straps. This watch sells for $1,600.
Says Robert “Kool” Bell, founder of Le Kool champagne, “I feel my history and Accutron’s have many parallels in terms of innovation and passion. For me finding a new sound or for Accutron a new way to tell time has always been on the forefront of our thinking. It’s great to partner this amazing brand with my champagne Le Kool, which has been a passion of mine ever since touring Europe with Kool & The Gang. The new Le Kool Legacy watches inspired by our many champagnes are a moment of pride for me as I have always celebrated women through my music and in life. I gave you Ladies Night and now The First Lady. Celebrate good times, come on!”
“Working with a Music Icon such as Robert Kool Bell of Kool & The Gang is central to Accutron’s vision of unique partnerships tied to the wonderful and varied fabric of ‘Americana’ culture,” says Jeffrey Cohen, President of Citizen Watch America. “His love and passion for champagne represents the DNA of our brand: historic, innovative and always thinking about how yesterday can infuse the future, which has led to the creation of Le Kool, opening a new door for us to explore this bubbly and ebullient world together.”
Accutron X Le Kool Champagne
The new Accutron x Le Kool inspired watches can be purchased online.
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