Birline Super Slim, Colors Galore

I see a lot of new watch projects on crowd funded sites, and most of them try to come up with a way to distinguish themselves from the pack.  With so many watch designs out there, it is tough to do.  Some do create a unique product, but many fall into the “same old thing” category.  Birline is trying to avoid that trap by focusing not only on the watch, but also on the strap.  The new Birline Super Slim uses a Harris Tweed strap in a multitude of colors to set themselves apart.

The watch itself is nothing I have not seen before, a simple (albeit thin) quartz three hander.  They do use a Swiss movement, a Ronda 762, in a 7 mm thick, 40 mm diameter case, a good unisex size.  But the majority of the project page is really focused around the strap, in leather backed Harris Tweed.  It is a material that can only be produced in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland, much like Champagne can only be produced in specific regions of France using specific methods.  The strap is also offered without the watch, so it you have a watch with 20mm lugs and want to change up the look, this is a way to do it.

All told, the strap is offered in 18 different colors, and the watch is offered in either rose gold plated stainless or polished stainless.  As of this writing, the project is sitting at about 40% of the funding goal, and a couple of web sites that make predictions on if a project will make it or not think that it will be funded.  The estimated delivery is January 2015, too late for a holiday gift, but it might make it in time for Valentines Day.  birline.com

Watch Overview