The Heart and Soul of Tanzania
As the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is a natural wonder to behold. Wildlife teems around the base of Kilimanjaro and among them are the Big Five game animals such as the leopard, rhino, elephant, African buffalo, and lion. A proud and powerful creature, the lion is the basis of the design concept for our first watch from the Chaka Collection.
In 2018, our watch designer Ricky, who traveled on a ten-day plus adventure trip to Tanzania, Africa. He took part in a local Safari tour, went to several national parks to see wildlife, and spent a few nights at several famous camp sites under the guidance of professional driver guides. This trip allowed him to witness numerous wild animals with our own eyes, including of course, the lion. This stimulated our thinking and creativity, and together we wanted to create a watch brand inspired by wildlife.
Okepo's logo is inspired by the flamingo, which can also be found in Tanzania. On our logo, the flamingo’s shape is simplified and filled with bright orange, representing the vitality and vigor of African wildlife.
During the trip, we had made initial sketches, and since some details had to be measured with the help of a caliper, we ended up with detailed hand-sketchings when we returned to our studio in Hong Kong.
Chaka Collection contains six different colorways and combinations to meet individual tastes. The case and bracelet of K04 and K06 feature a special highlight; a destress polish was applied to show and emphasize the theme of a wildlife environment.
The lion's tail was the inspiration for the watch hands. The hour hand is in the shape of a rounded diamond, with sharp chamfers made by CNC cutting process on both sides of the hour hand.
The hand window is filled with Super-Luminova so you can still read the time clearly in the dark African wilderness.
The case back is cast in relief with a vivid lion. A lot of hard work was put into creating a delicate and detailed exterior in which initial hand sketching, painting, and multiple corrections to the 3D drawings took two weeks. After the process of casting the mold and modifying the mold twice, we finally achieved the result that we were satisfied with.
Super Luminova is another important feature of the watch. The applied indexes on the insert ring, watch hands, and dial are all coated with Super Luminova. After absorbing UV light for a period of time, it can maintain long-term luminous performance, ensuring that users can still clearly read the time in dark environments, such as in the outdoors or while diving.
The dial is a double-layered with a slight gradient of sunburst polishing, which is quite eye-catching and pleasing to the eye. The surface is inlaid with 12 super large, three-dimensional indexes. The applied indexes are made to a super high thickness of 0.8mm, and the hollow part in the middle is filled with Super Luminova's luminous powder.
The ultra-thin Miyota 9039 automatic movementpowers the Chaka. The movement of this Cal. 9039 delivers the premium level of Miyota performance. It is equipped with a power reserve function of up to 42 hours; and a vibration frequency of 28800 per hour. These features make it a reliable and accurate watch. The rotational flow of Miyota's rotor is also the reason why we choose this movement. This time, we deliberately did not choose a movement with a calendar disc, so that the design of the watch is more concise and prominent.
Chaka comes a small curved Sapphire crystal. A thickness of 3.7mm meets the water-resistant structure requirements of the diving case. Sapphire Crystal is scratch-resistant, and its bottom is treated with three anti-reflective coatings. The coating is blueish, which makes reading the time clearer and the appearance more sophisticated.
The vintage-effect leather roll box is Chaka's packaging box. We deliberately chose gray-brown leather with a destree texture, drawing inspiration from the bark of the baobab tree found in Africa. The inner lining of the box is covered with a pleasing orange leather, echoing the Okepo logo color.
Specification
Glass: Sapphire Glass, K1 Bezel Insert Ring
Case: Stainless Steel
Size: 40 mm case width (42mm with bezel), 12.9 mm thick
Strap: 22mm lug width Metal Bracelet
Movement: Miyota 9039 Automatic Movement
Water res: 20 ATM
Warranty: 1 years
