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Back in mid-February we took a look at another batch of new watches and brands that were seeking initial funding via one of the crowdfunding methods. They have all gone through their funding campaigns and now it is time to see how many of them were successful, and how many were not. There were a total of six watches that we covered last time and here is how each of them faired.
Burel Class Cape Watch – Funding Unsuccessful
The Class Cape was the hopeful new model for Burel, who was an existing brand with two models under its belt before starting this particular Indiegogo campaign. The nautical inspired Class Cape had no hands and instead used a red line superimposed on the crystal with the time read via the rotating dial. The movement chosen for the Class Cape is the Swiss ETA 6498 hand-wind movement. To get the Class Cape off the ground Burel was seeking $10,000; at the end of the campaign the total pledged was $5,145. Although the funding campaign was unsuccessful it appears Burel is proceeding with the Class Cape as it is available for pre-order on their website with a release date loosely scheduled for the “end of April”. The current price listed for the Class Cape is approximately $1,265 USD. From all appearances Burel did not really need the Indiegogo campaign to truly create the watch but more likely to push the creation along with some guaranteed sales.
THE HAWAIIAN: A Watch Made With The Spirit Of Aloha! – Funding Successful
The inexpensive all-wood watch, the Hawaiian, actually made its funding goal well before the campaign ended. The project, by SWAE Watches from San Diego, California, uses Koa wood from Hawaii in the construction of the case and bracelet. A pledge of $160 is all that was needed to get into one of these Swiss Ronda 705 powered watches. At the end of the campaign run there were 281 backers providing a total of $46,447. That gave the project $16,447 over it’s goal of $30,000. You can still pre-order one of The Hawaiian watches for a price of $215 by visiting the SWAE Watches store.
Horn Watch with Genuine Leather band – Funding Unsuccessful
Another watch made from a unique material, the Horn Watch planed to use water buffalo horn in the construction of the watch case. Aside from the material there was not anything else that made the watch really stand out. Sioux City Watch made a good run to reach $15,000 to produce the Horn Watch, but fell short with only $10,216. Interestingly their first project – watches made from bamboo – was very successful on Kickstarter raising more than double their goal. Perhaps their next run will better capture people attention.
Cobra de Calibre Watches – Funding Successful
Cobra de Calibre Watches is proof a man with a dream and a Kickstarter account can make a watch come to life. The watch is powered by the popular Miyota 9015, has 300M water resistance and a screw down crown, dual sapphire crystals and 22mm lugs. The hands are somewhat reminiscent of the Seiko Monster line but not so much so one would complain. The funding goal was for $12,000 CAD and at the close 53 backers provided $21,252 CAD for the project. Updates show that production is coming along, although there have been some issues with printing some of the dials. They are still looking for a ship date around April 18th (ish). You can buy one for yourself at regular prices at the Cobra de Calibre Watches store.
Rubicon Big 50, Aviation inspired Automatic Watches – Funding Successful
Clearly after a segment of the “instrument” style of watches the Rubicon Big 50 lived up to its name: 50mm across the case from 9 to 3. That makes it a big, big watch. There were pledge options for the Miyota 9015 and Swiss ETA movements as well depending on your taste and/or cash on hand. And if you were one of the 193 people who pledge funds for the watch you are in luck as RHYNOFIT beat their $50,000 goal with a total of $66,081. From the photos it appears they are designing the next iteration of the Rubicon.
Lew & Huey Watches – the Spectre – Funding Successful
Lew & Huey turned again to Kickstarter for their third effort, the Spectre. This watch is the company’s take on the modern pilot watch and takes its name from the Lockheed Martin AC-130 Spectre. The watch features a 44mm case, black or orange dials and a Seiko NH35 movement. The target for the Spectre was a modest $10,000 and through 81 pledges, Lew & Huey pulled in $24,551. Although the Kickstarter campaign is over you can still pick up a Spectre at the Lew & Huey store for $350, currently $150 off regular price.
The next set of crowdfunding watches is out there and we will be rounding up another batch of hopefuls for you to review and, possibly, support. If you supported any of the projects above sound off in the comments and let us know.
by James Enloe
