Like the inimitable Wesley Willis, Willis Judd is best known for bold and magnetic performances. This company has long focused on creating dark, wearable titanium jewelry with magnetic closures and has just moved into the watch world with their latest piece, a carbon fiber infused quartz piece that is equal parts bold and mesmerizing and costs a mere $59 for early birds.
The watch is hitting Kickstarter this month and it is hitting a starting price of $59 for a massive case, great band, and a Ronda quartz movement. While it has none of the things that I like in a watch – namely lume and a mechanical movement – this is still an interesting piece from a fashion perspective.
The watch is massive at 45mm and it’s about 10mm thick. The dark face features a carbon fiber background overlaid with grey hands and numerals. It’s not always perfectly readable but if you move the watch face slightly to catch the light you can tell the time without issue.
Why would you want this? Primarily because you like carbon fiber. With fiber on the dial and band you’re getting the Surgeon General’s recommended daily dose of carbon fiber and then some. The face is quite pretty – the numerals seem to float over the fiber – and the case is bold and fun. In all it’s a great implantation of a difficult and very cool technology.
The Willis Judd crowdfunding campaign is starting next month but if you submit your email address now you can get the watch for the super early bird rate of $59. Given that these guys are already shipping review units we can assume they’ll ship the watches on time and under budget, an important factor in picking a crowdfunded watch.
