Pop quiz, hotshot – who is my favorite Icelandic watch brand? That’s right, it’s Michelsen Watchmakers. While some of our prior writeups have focused on their back catalog, today, we are going to talk about something new that recently was released, the Michelsen Tradition, in both his and hers sizing.
For all you fledgling watchmakers out there who want to get their project off the ground, you could save yourself a little work and study what Redux & Co. have done with their first watch offering. First off, make an attractive watch. Second, make it a good value. Third, engage the press and build up supporters ready to jump as soon as the gun goes off. In less than 24 hours on Kickstarter, the Redux & Co Courg titanium watch already has over 400 backers and is over triple their funding goal of $30,000.
It is always rewarding when brands reach out to us, especially those that are putting out their first models on crowd funding sites. Recently CJR Watches did just that, hoping to showcase their new line of quartz and automatic bullhead chronographs, the CJR Watches Velocita.
Prior to be contacted for this review, I was blissfully unaware of Æther Watch Co., which is surprising, given the level of quality that I saw in my time with the watch they sent over. Hailing from Phoenix, AZ, Æther Watch Co. started up shop in 2012, designing watches here in the USA, with assembly happening in Pforzheim, Germany. While they only have two models currently on offer (and one is a limited edition), what they have created for their entry-level piece is certainly an excellent first outing. Without further ado, let’s dig in to the Æther Watch Co. Æ01.
We are fans of Christopher Ward here at WWR, I think that is pretty evident. I purchased my CW before I started writing reviews, and it is still one of my go to watches when I am not wearing a watch for review. If you are not familiar with the brand, they are a London based company that sells Swiss made watches direct over the internet, with no brand ambassadors. They have recently starting flexing their watch making chops, creating a new in-house movement. The Christopher Ward C9 5 Day Small Second Chronometer uses the in-house SH21 hand wound movement to produce a COSC certified dress watch.
Thanks for stopping by for our regular Sunday feature, Watch Video Rewind, where we point you to watch related videos that may be of interest. This week, I have a few scenes of iconic watches, or iconic scene revolving around watches, from various movies.
Here we are for the mid-July edition of Watching the Web, where Patrick or I get to point out interesting watch related articles that we have run across on the net, and highlight the most popular articles from our own site as well. This week, ABTW featured the exact type of watch that made me into a fan of high end watches, Worn and Wound has a nice watch from the other end of the price spectrum, and Wound for Life has an article on the benefits of silicon (in your watches). From our own pages the Mark Carson Ka La GMT, Patrick’s Historical review of the watches of Jacques Cousteau, and an older article on Ingersoll watches were all popular.
The Kisai Link has gone from a stand-alone bracelet to a device integrated directly on watches from ToykoFlash.
Grovemade is a cool little company in Oregon that makes wood accessories for your Apple (and other) computers and iPhones. They make stands, cases, and skins, all designed to give your modern electronics a more earthy look. Now, they are branching into wearables, not with a skin or a strap for the iWatch, but with a fairly unique looking analog Grovemade Watch collection.
As our own pages attest, dive watches are a ridiculously popular category of watches. Sure, it is a matter of style preferences, but I think it also speaks to the fact that these watches are, by and large, very robust tools that can put up with a lot. Our friends over at EveryDayCarry must see the same thing, because they just put together a guide for seven affordable dive watches, all under $200.
