Crowd funding a project can be hit or miss. There are a lot of watch projects out there, and it is tough (even for us folks who look at a lot of projects) to predict which ones will make it, and which ones won’t. I know of a few watches that I thought were sure fire hits that never made it, and others that I thought were just average that blew up (no names in the latter), and then even more that either deserve their success or obscurity. Lionstone has tried to launch a couple of times, and never quite hit the mark, in spite of what I think is a pretty intersting campaign. They are at it for one final go, with the Lionstone SuperSlim and Ceramic Watches, currently on Indiegogo.
I will hit the Ceramic first, because I think it is the more interesting project. A lot of higher end watches use a ceramic case material, and it is working its way down the chain into more moderately priced watches. Lionstone has opened the entry level gates to this case material, with a $129 (early bird) price for a jet black men’s model or jet black or alpine white woman’s models.
The watch utilizes a “High-Tech” ceramic material for the Miyota quartz powered two hander, 41mm x 6mm for men and 30mm x 6mm for women. You are getting a mineral crystal at this price, but the value (or novelty) is in the ceramic case material. The design itself is attractive and versatile enough to be a dress watch or a weekender. With 3 ATM of water resistance, I am not sure if you want to make it a sporting alternative.
Also available is the SuperSlim in steel (banner image and the bottom two watches in the image above), again powered by a Miyota quartz movement in a 41mm x 6mm case with a coin edge bezel and a leather strap with contrasting stitching. At $69 for the early birds, it is good value in a slim dress watch, but not as exciting to me as the ceramic case material.
As of this writing, the project is almost 1/2 way to their $14,800 goal with about a month to go, so it has a fair shot of making it. The guys behind the project have been very nice in reaching out to me on several occasions, but I have not seen a watch in person (which is not uncommon for a first project) so I can not speak to the actual quality of the product (the photos of the prototypes look nice though). That said, if the material or design intrigues you, take a look at the project page, and feel free to leave a note down below with your impressions. lionstonewatches.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Lionstone SuperSlim and Ceramic Watches
- Price: $69 – $149 depending on timing and model
- Who we think it might be for: You want a ceramic case without spending a boat load of $, or you need an inexpensive dress watch.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: The movement is a killer for me. I would be intrigued with an entry level automatic.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Port the same minimal dial on the SuperSlim to the Ceramic
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: Ceramic for the masses.
Tech Specs from Lionstone
- Movement: Miyota quartz
- Functions: Two hander
- Case: Stainless steel or “High-Tech” ceramic
- Crystal: Mineral glass
- Water resistance: 3 ATM
- Lug width: 20mm for men’s model 15mm for women’s model
- Straps: Bracelet on the ceramic, leather strap on the stainless
- Diameter: 41 mm for men’s model, 30mm for women’s model
- Case Height: 6 mm
