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Brian M. Afuang
May 27, 2019    |    

Fitness buddies TW Steel, Simeon Panda arrive in Manila

Launch “goal-oriented” Crunch Time timepieces

TW STEEL has taken over a spot of floor space in an upscale fitness center in Bonifacio Global City, turning this into a lifting competition arena. The brand, led by CEO Jordy Cobelens, also inserts fitness professional and entrepreneur Simeon Panda into the scene to watch over the proceedings. Which, in practice, involves lifting a bunch of heavy objects as many times as one can in the fixed amount of time allotted for each of the four tortuous tests of strength. Winner takes all.

This, as noted, is in practice. Because the underlying theme, the subtext in the storyline, is about motivation and potential. Of doing what’s possible to reach the next level. Of setting a goal and achieving it. The exercise is uplifting.

Well, Panda’s brand of fitness apparel, gear and programs is called Just Lift.          

The event marks TW Steel’s introduction in the Philippines of its Simeon Panda limited edition pieces belonging to the brand’s Crunch Time collection. Only 1,000 examples of Simeon Panda watches, which were launched late last year, are available

Cobelens says the collaboration job with Panda is a natural progression for the brand after having been closely associated with aviation and motorsports; it was involved with the A1 Grand Prix and is the timing partner of the Red Bull Holden Racing Team in Australia’s Supercar Championships. Getting into fitness simply suits TW Steel’s “innate need to push boundaries.”

And Crunch Time — that moment when decisive action is needed, the brand stresses — is aimed at people whodoesn’t waste time getting what they want in life,” according to TW Steel’s pitch.

Panda points out his link to the Crunch Time line does not merely involve putting his name on a watch. He says he did play an active role in designing the watches, and up to the last minute had asked for some changes in some detail or other. The all-black Crunch Time Simeon Panda version, he says, was largely his idea.

“It was a real collaboration,” Panda says.

Oh, one should not doubt this. And not only because of Panda’s physique, which makes a battle tank seem dainty in comparison, but also because he did attend jewelry making school before turning into one of the world’s top fitness gurus.

Comprising the Simeon Panda line are seven versions, all of which three-register chronographs. All stick to a palette of black, white, gray and silver, with the smallest touches of red. Their steel cases (PVD-coated in some models) measure 48 millimeters across, are topped by sapphire crystal, have screw-down crowns and attach to black silicon straps.   

Two have different cases, as well as other elements. Refs. TW985 and TW986 (a reverse panda and a panda, respectively) have black sloping bezels, dials with large Arabic numerals, and pump pushers for the chronograph function. Their hands are shaped differently, too, sort of like elongated rhombuses.       

Refs. TS9 to TS13, for their part, wear cases with stouter, blockier lugs and their bezels are thicker and lined with what appears like Allen-head screws (each has eight of these). Their dials trade in numerals for indices and get a tachymeter scale. Their hands and chronograph pushers are simpler, too.

All, save for the completely black version, have red hands for their 60-minute, 60-second and 12-hour timers. All have date windows between 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock. All sport the Just Lift logo below the TW Steel inscription.

Beneath the surface of the Simeon Panda pieces beats the quartz Miyota cal. 6S20.

“If you look at the designs and you look at what Simeon has achieved in his life, you see a synergy. This whole collection is a celebration of not sitting back and letting life happen but standing up and making life your own. It’s invigorating and we’re super proud of what we’ve created here,” Cobelens says.

The Crunch Time Simeon Panda versions are available at TW Steel boutiques

(Alabang Town Center, Century Mall, SM Clark, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM Seaside Cebu) and Chronos boutiques (Shangri-La Plaza, SM North Edsa).

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