Watch brands partnering up with names and brands from the racing world is nothing new. What is uncommon, however, for a watch brand to all but make itself invisible on the dial of their watch, lending preference to their partner. That is precisely what we’re seeing on the Marloe Coniston Centenary though.
Now, Marloe hasn’t totally erased itself from the watch. The crown is still signed, and their logo IS on the dial, but it’s printed in a clear gloss on the dial, so it fades away to be unseen unless the light hits it just so. On the other hand, the Bluebird logo of Donald Campell is printed prominently (and his signature appears on back).
So, why Donald Campbell? He’s a towering figure in British speed records – both land and water – and his blue crafts and their bluebird logo are iconic to those familiar with the man and his exploits. While he’s no longer with us (he died in a crash at Bonneville in 1960), this year is still critical. You see, Campbell was born in 1921, so we’re at the point of celebrating 100 years for him – hence the Centenary part of the name.
In terms of the major design elements, the Marloe Coniston Centenary is much the same as their prior Coniston models, though the dial is a much simpler look, the handset is filled in, and the included leather strap has those racing punchouts. Pricing has bumped up here, though, going from $355 to $475 for this limited edition (only 100 are being made, and you can reserve your desired serial number). Looks like about half have been snapped up, so if you’re wanting this bit of British speed on your wrist, head on over to marloewatchcompany.com
Tech Specs from Marloe
- 40mm diameter, 10.5mm thick
- 20mm lugs
- Polished bespoke case
- Sapphire domed crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Two-piece dial with lume moat
- Polished lume-filled aero hands
- Blue luminous treatment
- Exhibition case-back featuring Donald’s signature
- 53.4g (without strap)
- 100m water resistance / 10 ATM
Movement
- Miyota 8N33 manual mechanical movement
- 21,600bph
- 17 jewels
- Manual winding
- 40+ hour power reserve
- -15 ~ + 25 sec/day
- Japanese Made
- Hours, minutes, sweep second, shock resistance
- Exhibition case-back with perimeter engraving
