Holthenrichs Deconstructed in Meterorite and Aventurine

These are the latest two offerings from Michiel Holthinrichs's eponymous brand - Holthinrichs Watches

Based on his new Deconstructed concept, he has taken it a few steps further with these two striking new models. One with a meteorite dial (above), and the other in a lovely blue aventurine (below).

Courtesy of Hothenrichs

These are not your ordinary mass produced watches, but rather special, beguiling time machines that must be commissioned with the watch maker himself.

Here are the basics, straight from the source in Delft -

Specifications AVENTURINE & METEORITE Case: 3D printed titanium grade 5 with brushed finish. Semi-integrated DECON crown with embossed and brushed ‘H’. AR-coated domed sapphire crystal in front and flat sapphire crystal in the case back. Case diameter: 38.5mm. Case thickness: 9.8mm including domed crystal. Lug to lug: 47mm. Dial: AVENTURINE deep blue with applied hand-finished baton numerals.  METEORITE with openworked subseconds counter and applied hand-finished baton numerals. Hands: Stainless steel laser-cut DECON shape brushed top surface and large handmade anglage. Movement: In-house HW-M01 and 50% Dutch made DECON manual movement, based on an improved Peseux 7001 architecture. Constructed for higher stiffness and improved timekeeping through inertia balance wheel. Hand-finished with anglage, cerclage on the gears, and polished click and click spring, screw-heads and countersinks. AVENTURINE features classic circular Côtes de Genève. / METEORITE features handmade scraping pattern and openworked mainplate including handmade anglage. Strap: AVENTURINE features handmade curved alligator strap with patina finish. / METEORITE features integrated rubber DECON design (available in anthracite, orange, blue and green). AVENTURINE 20 numbered pieces available for reservation for €16.900 (ex. VAT) METEORITE 20 numbered pieces available for reservation for €18.800 (ex. VAT) DECONSTRUCTED 3-piece box set at €60.000 (ex. VAT) 50% deposit payment required, lead time 8 - 12 months.

The Kingsley MKI

This is, admittedly, a wee bit of a teaser. For those of you unaware (and for my sins, I am in this group), there is a pretty groovy watch brand quietly working away in Birmingham, England. Craig and Rebecca Struthers are the pair behind a refreshing alternative to what the Media Mavens of Watch Town are so anxious to collectively jam down your throats. 

For your consideration, the Kingsley MKI -

Courtesy of Struthers Watchmakers

Struthers doesn't exactly make "off the peg" watches. Every watch is made to order and allows for personal customization options.

If I were picking, it would be the one pictured above.

I will be following up with the folks at Struthers to try and get a deeper bit of background on what they are up to.  

As regards the Kingsley MKI (in rose gold), here are the pertinents -

Specifications for The Kingsley

Movement

manual-wind recommissioned vintage Omega from the 1950s, rescued from the bullion industry and stripped back to basics. Refinements include traditional hand engraved acanthus leaf scrolling, additional jewelling and precision regulation

Case

38mm and available in sterling silver, 18ct gold or platinum. The solid case back is hinged and opens to reveal the hallmarks and movement beneath a crystal back

Dial

all in precious metal and available in MKI, MKII and vitreous enamel variations

Strap

a wide range of leathers and colours are available, please contact us for details

Presentation case

this watch is presented in a case hand-made in Scotland by award-winning bespoke designers and cabinetmakers Method Studio, along with a unique build book photo documenting the creation of the watch

The Suffield FV432 1968 LE Edition

From NOVO Watch -

Courtesy of NOVO Watch

Seeing as it's Canada Day, I'm married to a Canadian, and we were both born in 1968, this time machine seemed like a good one to check out today. For all the sheep out there, the new Tudor release can be found pretty much everywhere 

else ; )

Now for those of you unfamiliar, here is NOVO Watch in their own words -

Who is Novo Watch?

NOVO is a small boutique manufacturer resurrecting historic pieces of material to make beautiful timepieces that tell a story. We are dedicated to preserving the human element in all stages of creation ensuring each and every product has a soul and keeps a physical relationship with the way we once did things; by hand. 

Hand sourced. Hand crafted. Hand engraved. Hand shaped. Hand finished. Hand painted. Hand made in Canada.

So there you have it. And the Suffield FV432 is a pretty fair embodiment of this ethos.

Courtesy of NOVO Watch

You get a watch full of history that not everyone will have (see note on Tudor above), and in this particular case there is a nice bit of giving back -

With each purchase of the Suffield $100 will be donated to Wounded Warriors Canada (or Wounded Warrior Project in the USA).

In so far as this specific model and where it's repurposed parts come from, I am again going to let NOVO Watch tell it in their own words -

Hand sourced. Hand crafted. Hand engraved. Hand shaped. Hand finished. Hand painted.

This unique piece of 1968 history built to protect and save the lives of men and women travelled the globe in its endeavours. In the 80’s it began service with the oldest tank unit in the world- the 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) of the British Army. It finally came to rest in Ralston, Alberta, Canada as part of the live fire training exercises conducted by the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS). What was once a Fighting Vehicle (FV432) has been repurposed into the live edge dial of this timepiece to continue its heroic endeavours alongside you. 

The strap is equally unique. It is made from a vintage Royal Air Force (RAF) GQ 60 ft. utility parachute deployment bag. This was an issued stock item and not war reserved. It was serviced at RAF Hullavington, Wiltshire and dispatched to 47 Air Dispatch, RAF Lyneham for deployment from C-130 Hercules of RAF Support Command for heavy drop. It has four layers, bonded together with flexible polymer, making it waterproof, strong and probably one of the most pliable canvas straps available. Stitched in a light coloured thread with two canvas keepers, it is made to fray and wear slightly over time.

With each purchase of the Suffield $100 will be donated to Wounded Warriors Canada (or Wounded Warrior Project in the USA).

FV432 facts: 

• National Stock Number (NSN) - 2350998932406
• Equipment Registration Mark (ERM) - 04FA82 
• Manufactured in 1967/1968 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England.
• July 1, 1969 began service
• April 2, 1985 joined 1 RTR as a support vehicle for the Chieftain battle tank
• Serviced in Wetter, Germany December 1976 
• Serviced outside Dorthmund, Germany November 1990
• January 18, 1992 transferred to BATUS to be used as a target for the British Army during live-fire training
• The 1 RTR was forged in the adversity of WWI and is the oldest tank unit in the world. It has been deployed on all major conflicts since the end of WWII earning a reputation for fearlessness and professionalism. As part of the regimen for 5 years this FV432 probably rubbed shoulders with some of the best tanks and tankers of our time. 
• FV432APCs are the Swiss Army knife of vehicles as they can be converted into infantry, recovery or command vehicles, 81mm mortar carriers and ambulances using installation kits. Being fit for turrets is also a possibility. 

Timepiece Details:

• Movement: ETA 6498-1 with options of standard finishing or hand-engraved finishing
• Edition: Limited Edition of 15, individual numbered pieces x/15.
• Functions: Manually wound, 18,000 beats/hour, 46 hour power reserve, hours, minutes, sweeping second hand at the 5, incabloc shock protection.
• Case: Hand-shaped Stainless Steel, 42mm (not including crown), 9.6mm height. 
• Caseback: Hand-shaped Stainless Steel, secured by 4 stainless steel screws.
• Dial: Machine-stamped Live edge of the actual FV432. The machine we use is a vintage manual machine from the production floor of Patek Philippe. We can only hope our dials will live up to the ones stamped before them.
• Hands: Hand-finished White hour and minute hands. White second hand.
• Front Crystal: Sapphire
• Back Crystal: Sapphire
• Water Resistance: 5ATM
• Band: Hand-made Repurposed military deployment bag. See full description above in the second paragraph.
• Packaging: Hand-made Custom cherry box. Made in Canada.
• Warranty: 2 Year Warranty
• Guarantee: We offer a one week compliment guarantee. If someone doesn’t love your watch within one week of wearing it…you’ve probably never left your house.
• Build Time: Ships in 3-5 weeks
• Love Time: Approx. forever. Actually, forever.

Something Surprising At SOWA

Okay, in fairness every city seems to have it's cool little enclaves.  When Wendy and I moved to San Francisco at the turn of the century, it was SOMA (South of Market).  And we've come to find out that Boston is no different with its SOWA (South of Washington) district.

During the winter months, there is the SOWA holiday fair which provides two weekend opportunities to come and check out local goods and food stuffs.  During the summer it expands to a weekly get-together complete with food trucks - and for the record, I LIKE FOOD TRUCKS!  While interesting, a lot of the booths are pretty predictable and some we have been seeing the same products for the past three years.  But today was different.  Today Wendy and I discovered Merchant Watch Company -
https://www.merchantwatchcompany.com

Now I personally had never heard of Merchant, or seen the straps produced by the owner, Kyle Moise.  But as I have often said before, I've led a bit of an unexamined life.  The straps made by Merchant Watch Company were quite impressive, and well priced for the amount of detail work that went in.

One that caught our collective eye was the Vintage Blue Italian Calf -

Courtesy of Merchant Watch Company

Now at the risk of sounding dismissive, there are a bunch of guys (and I suspect gals as well) in the US who are making custom and handmade straps. I've seen plenty, but these were pretty special.

But then something caught my eye, and that was the watch that Mr. Moise was wearing -

I tried not to pry to deeply as he had customers looking at straps.  But suffice it to say the straps (if I understand it correctly) are what pay the bills.  But in fact, what he is really devoted to is making a watch - case, crown, dial and hands (and yes, obviously straps) himself!  The movement is a manually wound Peseux.

Courtesy of Merchant Watch Company

I will reach out and see if I can get some more details on this, and any other watches that he might have up his sleeve, so stay tuned!

Getting Personal - A Bespoke Watch From REVOLO

Courtesy of Google:
 
be·spoke

bəˈspōk/

1. 1.

   past of bespeak.

adjective

British

adjective: bespoke

1.

(of goods, especially clothing) made to order.

"a bespoke suit"

I think it is safe to say that we have all had those moments where we wished we could change certain aspects of a favorite watch.  Back in the early part of the century (yes, 17 long years ago) there was a bit of a cottage industry that sprung up where you could get your watch modified.  Anything from hands to custom designed dials.  And that was okay.  You could even, for a price, reach out to the great and the good and maybe get a slight modification to one of their watches.

So when I heard about REVOLO I was both intrigued, and if I am completely honest, a wee-bit skeptical.  As mentioned, others have tried but really failed to deliver on a truly bespoke watch for the watch enthusiast of more modest means.

Spoiler alert - I am now a believer!

I ordered a REVOLO using the brand's online configurator feature and it arrived quite promptly, directly from Amsterdam where it had been assembled, just for yours truly.

Essentially, you go online, you make your choices, pay for the watch, and then the folks in the REVOLO workshop work to assemble your watch for you.

I opted for a 43 mm cushion style case, with a rose gold pvd finish.

Courtesy of REVOLO

  
I added a unidirectional bezel (also rose gold pvd), and a rose gold pvd crown -

 
I selected the blue "sandwich" dial, and a black vintage style leather strap -

secured with a gold pvd buckle.

Courtesy of REVOLO

The movement I selected was the Miyota 821A -

Courtesy of REVOLO

Put it all together -

So, before we get into the review itself, let me explain some of the design decisions.

Way back in 1968, my father was given a gold filled Mido Ocean Star the day before I made my debut in Zanesville, Ohio.

 Yes, the photos are terrible!

Regular readers will know that the Mido my father received and passed on to me is now with my niece.  

So I wanted something with a gold look, ideally without the gold price ; )

The Mido while sentimentally important was a wee-bit too small for my wrist, and as we do not have kids, it needed to go to the "next eligible" family member.

The second design cue came from a brief piece I read in  
The Rake, which was doing a quick take on the actor Michael Nouri.  It listed some of his sartorial trappings and included what was reputed to be a Breguet chronograph in gold -

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Now some other things that influenced the decision - I am not (nor do I anticipate ever being) a diver.  I do,  however, like to use a rotating bezel for time countdowns.  I also am a sucker for blue dials and wanted a watch face that looked slightly more formal than plain old indices and dots.  So something semi-sporty, but not a sport watch, and in a gold finish, but not gold (remember pals and gals, I'm a humble English teacher).

I think most of all, I wanted something special, that I would always enjoy wearing.

So to finish it off, there were two additional flourishes:

Like the original Mido, I added a similar inscription.  This watch is for me after all, nobody else!

And as it happens, it was possible to add a customization to the watch box itself, so in for a penny, in for a pound -

Okay, so that's the background.  But let's get down to the proverbial brass tacks:

This is an INCREDIBLY comfortable watch!

Although the case measures 43 mm in diameter, owing to its cushion design it actually curves quite nicely where the lugs curve into the case.  As you can see, it occupies the space but clearly does not overwhelm my wrist.

More importantly, the watch sits flat on my wrist, no slipping or sliding.  And at that point I would like to sing the praises of the strap.  Unbelievably comfortable.  Described as leather, the top of the strap has a nice suede or nubuck feel to it.  All too often, a thick leather strap will not get softer, but rather stiffer (and crispier), not necessarily conducive to a comfortable wearing experience.  Not so with the REVOLO strap.  Soft, comfortable and really nice looking.

The crown is ideally sized, and does not screw down.  Again, given that I am not diving (or swimming) with it, this is ideal for me.  The crown itself is tactile without being "edgy" and the setting and winding motion are unbelievably smooth.  

The timekeeping is (sorry Rolex) superlative!  The folks at Miyota make an unbelievably accurate and robust movement.  More and more brands are making the move to them (even some smaller micro Swiss brands), because to them the cost benefit ratio that the Miyota offers far outweighs the expense and potential fussiness of a Swiss movement which would add a fair bit to the sticker price.  I have been within 26 seconds or so over the entire time period so far.

And the lume was not too bad either -

So all in all, I would highly recommend the REVOLO experience to anyone.  And the best part is that owing to the choice in movements, dials and cases there is not only something for everyone, the price points are downright reasonable.  For right around €500, you get a watch made just for you!