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It really is an exciting time in the world of watches. With the tools now available and the ease of world-wide communication more people than ever are working to make their dream of designing and building their own watch a reality. Proof of this is in the large number of “boutique” or “micro” brands that have popped up in the last four or five years. What used to be reserved for the big players is now a possibility for almost anyone. And that anyone includes the gentlemen behind the Boston Watch Company.
Preston Turk and Walter Schofield call themselves “two guys from Boston who love everything about watches.” They share an appreciation of the mechanics and aesthetics of watches and their home city, so much so they teamed up to start their own watch company. Rather than go it alone, the opted to team up with Fred Amos of Bernhardt Watch Company, to assist with the design and service of the watch. From the standpoint of leveraging existing contacts and support structure, it’s a smart move as Fred has been in the watch industry for decades. This allowed the two to not only to utilize his design skills, but those in production as well.
As to the watch itself the team chose a diver’s style, and to go with the Boston theme, named it after the Charles River. The design was a true team effort with Preston and Walter working on the original concept, and Fred refining the design. The team has also accessed the watch community, working with members of the WatchUSeek forums to further refine the look and usability of the watch.
The case of the diver is 316 Stainless Steel and is bolted from front to back. The bolts run under the bezel, through to the case back, where the six screws are visible.The bezel will be a 120 click unidirectional bezel with the typical lume pip at 12 o’clock and a fairly clean look. The dial utilizes markers rather than numbers for the hours with a minute track on the exterior. The Charles River skyline is used as the logo for the watch at 12 o’clock – the same is mirrored in larger detail on the back. The hands are sword style with a red outlined minute hand and red tipped seconds hand. The front of the watch is finished off with the watch name, Charles River, and 300M water resistance indicated at 6 o’clock, and a round date window at 4:30.
To power the watch the team chose the Miyota 9015 automatic movement. Introduced in mid 2009 to compete with the ETA 2824, the 9015 is a three hand with date movement that beats at 28,000 vph. The automatic movement can also be hand wound and has a power reserve of around 42 hours. A number of “micro brands” have been using the 9015 in their watches to keep costs down from a Swiss movement and still provide a robust engine. Preston calls the choice to use the 9015 a “relatively easy” one given the decrease in availability of ETA movements and the quality of the Miyota.
As good as the Charles River looks and sounds, it is not a reality yet. For that the Boston Watch Company needs to reach their funding goal on their indiegogo campaign. The fund raising effort runs until December 15th, 2013, and if they are successful delivery of the watch is expected for April 2014. In the event the campaign is unsuccessful, the team will assess where they stand and see what options are available. If you like the looks and specs (below) of the Charles River then now is the time to get on board: you can place a 50% deposit of $300 or pay the full price of $599 upfront at their indiegogo page. Visit the company’s website for more information.
Specs:
Case: 316 Stainless Steel
Movement: Miyota 9015
Dial: Black
Lume: C3
Crystal: Sapphire
Crown: Screw Down, signed
Bracelet: 316: Stainless Steel, solid end links, screwed links, divers extension
Water Resistance: 300M
Diameter: 41mm
Height: 14mm
Lugs: 20mm
