The LIV Genesis X1 A, LIV it Up.

By Matt Himmelstein January 27, 2016

LIV watches is back on Kickstarter with their send watch, a three hand automatic, the LIV Genesis X1. Their first watch was a Swiss made quartz chronograph. The new watch has a strong visual tie to the first, with a very similar looking sandwich dial, red ringed crown and oversized bezel. LIV did a great job on marketing the watch before it was released, catapulting them beyond the initial funding threshold immediately on launch (they are sitting on nearly $250K in pledges as of this writing). For all you future watch builders out there, take note of how important thus pre-release advertising is.

Introducing the Haldor Abissi 1000M

By Patrick Kansa December 22, 2015

When it comes to dive watches, especially those that we see showing up on the crowdfunding sites, they are decidedly more of an entry-level proposition. I am not saying that there is a problem with that (quite the contrary), just stating a fact. That makes it all the more curious – or interesting, depending on your view – that we caught word of a new higher-end sort of an option showing up over on Indiegogo. The Haldor Abissi 1000M just launched, and offers some rather nice specs especially for the pricepoint.

Bumping Along with the Automat Oro Dato

By Patrick Kansa December 21, 2015

There are certainly no shortage of watches popping up on crowd-funding sites these days. There are so many there days that we have actually dialed back our coverage. A lot of that is due to an abundance of very (VERY) similar watches coming out with little differentiation past a dial color and logo. Then you have something like the Automat Oro Dato that is rather unlike what has come before it, and then it merits some discussion here on these pages.

Diving For The Skies with the MEW Depth Pilot

By Patrick Kansa December 18, 2015

After dive watches, I would hazard a guess that pilot watches are the next most popular style – in general – of watches. And if they aren’t, they have to be in the top 5, just based on the sheer number of models that I have seen released. A lot of these tend to come from the more established brands, or those with a particular history with aviation watches. What I have not noticed near as much are pilot-style watches coming from independent brands, especially those using Kickstarter to get the ball rolling. As you might guess, that’s where we find the MEW Depth Pilot.

Crowdfunding Round Up, December 2015

By Matt Himmelstein December 1, 2015

If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed that we have pivoted a bit away from crowdfunded watches in the last few months. We will still cover projects that intrigue us, but we are more selective about the campaigns we highlight these days. That said, this crowdfunding round up is highlighting five watch project currently running on Kickstarter.

Santis and Berg Vertice, The (Eastern) Arabic Watch

By Matt Himmelstein November 30, 2015

I know we keep saying that we are going to limit our coverage of minimalist quartz watches, but it seems that the limit on what can be done with this simple formula has not yet be met. Take the Santis and Berg Vertice, a two hander that uses Eastern Arabic numerals for the chapter ring. Here is a watch design that truly is hard to find on the market, at least outside of the Middle East, and something that should appeal to quite a number of people.

Introducing the Vejrhøj Nautic

By Patrick Kansa November 12, 2015

When it comes to crowd-funded watch projects these days, everyone and their brother seems to be coming up with a minimalist quartz watch. Not that there is anything wrong with a minimalist watch, or a quartz-driven one. It is just that we are not seeing a whole of of differentiation in the projects (check out this editorial to see what we think makes a project interesting) out there. So that is what we try to focus in on, what makes a watch different or unique, and will be bringing those to light. Which then brings us to the subject of today’s article, the Vejrhøj Nautic.

Pellikaan Timing Diving Dutchman, Kickstarting it Upmarket

By Matt Himmelstein November 9, 2015

Most crowd funded watches I see are start-ups that are trying to get going, and they are portraying their watches as a value versus what is on the market. Sometimes, you see an established brand going the crowd funding route for something really different, like when Bathys wanted to make an atomic wristwatch. With the Pellikaan Timing Diving Dutchman, I am seeing something else, an existing higher end brand looking for a minimal commitment to get tooling going on an expensive watch.

The Joogii J1 is Keeping it Clean

By Patrick Kansa November 6, 2015

As you are no doubt aware, watches on Kickstarter have become quite a thing as of late. We, through Matt’s efforts, have covered a lot of them. Lately, though, we have restricted ourselves to the more interesting products, because there are a lot of “me too” thin quartz watches cropping up. While what I am going to be talking about today is indeed a quartz three-hander, the design merits a mention. With that, let’s take a look at what the Joogii J1 has to offer.

Cobra de Calibre Crossfire, Back This Watch

By Matt Himmelstein November 5, 2015

Is it my fault? Am I not being clear enough when I review the Cobra de Calibre watches and say, “hey you should check this guy’s work out.” There have been a few great success stories with crowd funding where one project turned into two or three and then into a full blown brand (looking at you Lew & Huey). I can’t understand how John Lee has not yet developed a cult following that funds all his projects. Well, it isn’t too late to jump on board with his latest, the Cobra de Calibre Crossfire seeking funding on Kickstarter.

Press ESC to close

Crowd Funded