Lebond Teams Up With Legend Norman Foster For Their Latest Architect Watch

When Lebond debuted with the Álvaro Siza in 2023, I liked the idea of making watches in partnership with legendary architects, and worried about how it might fit. The straps came off two narrow points on a square case, and I wrote that you’d want to try it on before spending that kind of money with a new brand. The new Lebond, designed with star architect Norman Foster, solves that problem. There are no lugs at all, and the strap runs straight out of the case, making it a much more familiar setup. Foster is the Pritzker winner behind the Reichstag dome and Apple Park.

The case is Grade 5 titanium, 38.5mm wide and 10mm thick. On top is a domed sapphire crystal, and water resistance is 50 meters. The bezel turns both ways and has on it a 12-hour scale, so you can set it against the hour hand and keep home time while you’re away. Lebond points out that this was Foster's wish, as he's on the road all the time. With no lugs, I assume that the watch will wear comfortably on a wide variety of wrists.

Both dials are quite plain. Stick square hands for hours and minutes, a lollipop seconds hand, a minute track on the rehaut, and the Norman Foster name printed in the lower half. All three hands are lumed with Super-LumiNova. The date window at three is the only thing that interrupts the layout. The Black Edition has a matte black lacquered dial in a black DLC case, with white print and lume for contrast. The Natural Titanium Edition pairs a light gray sunray dial with polished hands and a sandblasted case, and its bezel scale is engraved with no paint in it.

Inside is the ETA 2892-A2, the slim automatic Lebond has used before. It beats at 4Hz (28,800 vph) with 50 hours of power reserve, and you can see it through a sapphire caseback. Lebond decorated it with Côtes de Genève, perlage and blued screws, and gave each edition a perforated rotor, red on the black and blue on the gray. The strap is color-matched FKM rubber on a titanium folding clasp. Case and strap are built as modular parts, so you’ll be able to swap colors and materials, and Lebond says more combinations are coming.

The Lebond Norman Foster is available now in both editions, priced at €3,500 before tax. That’s quite a step up from the €2,700 Souto Moura and the €2,400 Attraction. See more on the Lebond website.