Azimuth SP-1 Landship Full Set 2016

The brand became known for experimental “machine-inspired” watches influenced by avant-garde independents like Urwerk and MB&F. 

The SP-1 Landship project began around 2009–2010 and was first publicly shown as a prototype at Baselworld 2011 before entering production shortly after. The idea was to transform the shape and mechanical spirit of an early World War I “landship” tank into a wearable mechanical object. Rather than designing a traditional round watch, Azimuth created a titanium case resembling a tracked armored vehicle, complete with rivet-like details and a rotating “turret” on top. 

The watch was technically ambitious for a small independent brand. Azimuth used a heavily modified Swiss ETA automatic movement called the “X-1,” redesigned to power:

* a rotating wandering-hour cone inside the turret

* a retrograde minute display on the front “windshield”

* a fully three-dimensional time display architecture

This took several years of engineering and prototyping because the movement layout was unlike conventional wristwatches. Reviewers at the time described it as a “project watch” requiring entirely new construction methods for both the case and movement module. 

Visually, the SP-1 became famous because it looked like a miniature armored vehicle strapped to the wrist. The original production version was limited to roughly 100 pieces, with later camouflage “Battle Tank” editions hand-painted to resemble historic Tiger and Sherman tanks. 

Today, the SP-1 Landship is regarded as one of the defining creations of early independent horology — a watch that prioritized creativity, mechanical theater, and industrial sculpture over conventional luxury design.