Remember back in September when we told you of a new brand coming out of Detroit (here)? While we’re still awaiting some hands-on time of our own, it looks like the crew at Hodinkee visited the company and spent some time with their Runwell 40mm.
While there is a 47mm of the Runwell in the offing, thankfully (in my opinion) they went for the 40mm for this review, which seems like a much more wearable piece for a large majority of folks (but hey, if you want/need the larger diameter, I say go for it).
From the pictures they’ve posted up (and which we are showing you some of here), it was intriguing to see the layered caseback (complete with serialization), and the wire lugs – both combine to great effect on this piece, giving things a sort of retro feel without bashing you over the head with it.
The dial is a beauty, and it has the added attraction of having a Swiss (Ronda) movement underneath it that’s assembled in Detroit. Interesting trivia tidbit: the technicians who are doing the assembly were specially trained, by Ronda, to put these together. So, there’s definitely going to be a nice level of quality and reliability there, plus a liberal dash of “made in the US of A” thrown in.
Still no word as to when the watches will be widely available (later this year), but they should be in the under-$500 range. Perhaps higher than we’re used to seeing for quartz pieces, but there are a number of moving parts (literally and figuratively) that should make it a worthy value. Formerly being from the area, this new brand hits a sweet spot for me, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on their progress.
You can check out the full article at Hodinkee right here; all images courtesy of Hodinkee
