I’ll admit up front that I’ve not paid all that much attention to the micro brand Ferro & Company out of Vancouver, Canada. I’ve heard bits and pieces over the years, but never really taken a close look at their offerings. That is, until now. After several quite successful Kickstarter campaigns, Ferro’s latest project is the Traditum (Latin for “Traditional”), an aptly named Swiss powered, hand-wound mechanical time piece. Let’s take a look.
Aesthetically speaking, the Traditum is all dress watch. From the 11.5mm thick, perfectly round three-piece case, to the elegant dials, to the vintage-inspired 7.5mm signed onion crown, this thing screams “Night at the opera”. However, at 43mm in diameter, and 52.5mm lug-to-lug, it’s sized more like a modern sport watch. For many, this merging of two styles can be a tough thing to reconcile. I like larger watches and would not have a problem with the size, especially considering the 11.5mm thickness.
The watch is offered in two dial variations and three colors. The Traditum Arabica features large applied and polished Arabic numerals at 3, 9, and 12 o’clock, slim stick markers for the remaining indices, and a small seconds sub-dial at six. The slightly sunken center of the dial features a pleasing waffle guilloche pattern presented at a 45 degree angle, and the small seconds sub-dial is surrounded by a partial railroad minute track, with small numbers to mark ten second intervals; “Ferro & Company” is displayed prominently midway between 12 o’clock and dial center.
Topping everything off are polished spade hands and a matching alligator-pattern calfskin leather strap captured by screwed strap bars. Nice touch. The Traditum Roman is identical in all aspects, save for large Roman indices at all but the 6 o’clock position. The vertically brushed case sides are sandwiched between polished front and rear bezels, offering a nice contrast in profile. The same treatment is applied to the sloping lugs.
Flipping the case over we find the real masterpiece of the Traditum, a sapphire case back revealing the ETA (Unitas) 6498 hand wound movement. The case size of the Traditum is directly related to this traditional movement, which was originally designed for pocket watches. I have yet to add a manual winder to my collection, due primarily to the fact that they tend to be found in much more expensive pieces. There’s just something about the unrestricted view of a movement sans rotor. While not overly embellished, the bridges on the 6498 are decorated with Cotes de Genève stripes and elegant gold lettering. It’s very nice to look at, and I could easily see myself spending a quiet minute or two every morning gazing at the movement and winding it up for the day ahead.
Both styles are offered in black, white, and blue dials with matching strap (black for the white dial as well). For those looking for a bit more flare, the bezel is also offered in an 18k solid rose gold limited edition version. Getting in early on the campaign will net the buyer a stainless steel version of either dial for just under $600. The rose gold limited edition comes in at a much more dear $2,800 for serial numbers 10 and above, climbing to as much as $3,900 for serial #00. ferrowatches.com
Kickstarter Campaign Info
- End Date: March 8, 2018 – 7:00PM PST
- Funding: Project is fully funded. Still plenty of Early Bird pledges available
- Click HERE for link to campaign page.
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Ferro & Company Traditum
- Price: Starting at $600, including worldwide shipping
- Who we think it might be for: Someone who enjoys the ritual of a daily windup.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? I think I might. Digging the stainless blue dial Roman.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Wouldn’t mind seeing a slightly smaller case, but not possible with the 6498 movement.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The uninterrupted view of that beautiful ETA movement
Technical Specifications
- CASE
- Material: Stainless Steal
- Size: 43mm x 11.5mm, 52.5mm lug-to-lug
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Case Back: Stainless, screwed, sapphire exhibition window
- Water Resistance: 5 atm/50 m
- MOVEMENT: ETA 6498 Mechanical, 17 jewels
- Functions: Hour, minute, small seconds
- Beats Per Hour: 18,000
- Power Reserve: 46 Hours
- Strap
- Material: Calfskin leather
- Clasp: Stainless deployant, signed
