Riskers

As they have now completed their Kickstarter fundraising, I can now write about them ; )

Courtesy of RISKERS

This is the PROLOG 1.

Like all of the watches RISKERS has put forth so far (prototypes and designs), the PROLOG 1 bears the unmistakable design of an early 20th Century trench watch.    Or in some ways, not unlike a modern Ralph Lauren design, it is the designer's interpretation as to what that watch might have looked like, reinterpreted for today.  And that's okay.

Courtesy of RISKERS

So let's get into it.  The case measures 43 mm in diameter and 12.35 mm thick and is of stainless steel.  It also boasts a solid case back, which I appreciate.

Courtesy of RISKERS

The crown guard is fixed so the crown is protected. Not having handled one of these myself, I assume that there is sufficient play to get the crown moving and set and wind the watch.

The movement is a self-winding STP, is Swiss Made, boasting a power reserve of approximately 44 hours.  Hours, minutes, central seconds,  and date at 3.  And I am a fan of the date window.  

Now, let's go into the good, the bad, and the perhaps the not-so-well thought out in terms of the messaging.

The Good - RISKERS is supporting L’Œuvre nationale du Bleuet de France .

In RISKERS' own words -

«L’Œuvre nationale du Bleuet de France» is a recognized public service association, which since 1991 is under the authority of the «Office National des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre» (The National Office of Veterans and War Victims). Its role is to raise funds to finance social work that helps veterans, war widows, wards of the State, soldiers wounded in peacekeeping operations and victims of terrorism.

«Bleuet de France» also supports soldiers currently deployed in military operations: they participated in the initiative «Christmas parcels for soldiers in Opex» and they also takes part in remembrance activities for school children by contributing financially to trips to war memorials. 

As regular readers of Tempus Fugit will note, we appreciate charitable giving.

The Bad - In fairness, this is strictly my opinion.  I am exhausted by the efforts of watch brands to latch onto the bravery and valor of soldiers and draft some sort of heroics by association.  Now don't get me wrong, I work in marketing, I get the power of messaging.  I am just saying that RISKERS (and others) don't need to try so hard to hit that particular point.  The watches are good looking, and they say much more without the overt reach.

The Ill-Advised - Gonna' get a bit personal here.  My mother's third husband (and my fourth faux-father figure) was a teacher (as my wife and I were at the time), as was his son.  And whenever he spoke about his son, he would say - "My son, who has a Master's Degree".  It was more than a little douchey.  Finally, my wife Wendy interjected - "yeah, James has a few graduate qualifications himself".  To which step-father number 2 said, rather surprised:  "I didn't know that".  And the reason is simple - I don't feel so insecure that I feel the need to "over-share" it.

Why do two of the founders feel the need to constantly repeat the fact that they used to work for Richemont?  Who cares?  And given the current state of the Big Boy watch market and what may, or may not be coming down the pike for Richemont and other brands, that might not be a boasting point.

Don't get me wrong, I think RISKERS has a very solid debut watch, and I think if they can get their messaging right and speed up their turn around - this has been a launch that will have been in the works for over a year before they finally deliver the first batch - per Kickstarter the estimated delivery is in late June, 2020.

So let's see where they go from here.  I like the effort to support a good cause, it is a good looking watch.  If they can just refine the message and boil away some of the hyperbole?  They're off to the races!