Latest Review
Our last crowdfunding round-up was a few months back, which must mean we are due for a new edition. Below are five hopefuls from the popular crowdfunding sites Kickstarter and Indiegogo for you to review.
Rubicon Cockpit Watches, Limited Editions 200 pieces (Ends Tuesday, October 28, 2014)
Starting us off is a name we have heard before, Rubicon. Back in April their Big 50 successfully made its funding goal with its large, 50mm cockpit inspired watch. Well they are back on Kickstarter with their next watch, the Rubicon AI. The AI shares the same case as the Big 50, however this time it comes in two options: 44mm and 50mm. The other difference here is in the dial, which is curved as an actual instrument dial would be. The dial is very stark: all black with a white line across the dial from 9 to 3 or a split black/grey dial. Cases will be in PVD black or bead blasted grey. Both sizes will have sapphire crystals and 150M water resistance. The movement for the Kickstarter event will be the Miyota 9015 or ETA 2824. When the watch goes retail, Rubicon states it will be a Swiss only piece. At writing all the pledge options have been claimed, which puts their funding number at $85,889, well over the $50,000 goal.
BIRLINE – Super-Slim Watches with Harris Tweed Straps (Ends Thursday, November 6, 2014)
Birline is looking for your dollars for their slim Swiss quartz powered watch. The simple design of the watch is secondary to what they feel is unique: the Harris Tweed strap. The case is 40mm in diameter with a thin 7mm profile. The movement is the Swiss Ronda 762 quartz movement behind the simple two-hand dial. If this all seems somewhat familiar it may be because Rossling & Co. kicked off their first watch also with a simple design and tweed strap. Regardless, if the Briline tickles your fancy you have pledge options ranging from £1 to £599. As of this article they are almost half way to their £6,000 funding goal.
TatoskoQ – A High-End Watch Without the High End Price (Ends Friday, November 7, 2014)
ManchesterWatchWorks is hoping people will like their “grab and go” durable watch. The TatoskoQ is a 42.5mm watch with a Swiss Ronda 715Li quartz movement. It has 200M of water resistance and a textured black dial. Cases will come in polished, bead blasted and PVD coated. The crystal is a flat, Sapphire crystal protecting the C3 lumed dial. The watch design is clearly in the diver realm but has some nice touches like the spit hour marker at 12, the red mark with the lumed triangle at 12 on the bezel and the sandy-like textured dial. The name comes from a Native American name for a water beast that lived in Vermont’s Lake Champlain: Tatoskok. Getting into one of these starts at $198 and goes up to $377 for two. Their funding goal is $21,700 and they have a fair ways to go yet.
Rossling & Co – Ultra-Thin Automatic Watches & Suede Straps (Ends Tuesday, November 11, 2014)
We mentioned Rossling & Co. above with the Birline, but they are in this list on their own as well. Having learned from their first watch, the team is back this time to introduce an automatic watch. This should be very familiar to worn&wound readers as it was covered in detail recently. Briefly the watch uses a 40mm case that is just 9mm thick. Drilled 20mm lugs make for easy strap changes and the crystal is sapphire. The movement is the popular Miyota 9015 automatic movement. The Rossling & Co. automatic is a clean, attractive watch that has already surpassed it’s funding goal of $15,000 with a total of almost $86,000 as of this article. You can get in on one for $399 (limited quantity remaining) and for $429 after those are gone.
Genesee Watch Company Minimalist Bauhaus Inspired Wristwatch (Ends Sunday, November 23, 2014)
The Genessee Watch Company is using Kickstarter to help fund their CINZA watch. The design principal is similar to other crowdfunding hopefuls, to build an affordable, versatile and attractive watch. The team has chosen to keep the dial design very simple and selected a Swiss Ronda quartz movement to power the watch, although the model is not mentioned. The dials are white or grey with subtle differences between the two. The case is 43mm in diameter and has a sapphire crystal. It is simple, is it affordable? Pledges start currently at $159 for your choice of white or grey dial and go up to $636 for four watches of your choice. The campaign has quite a ways to go yet to reach their $25,000 goal, but it does still have time to get there.
MESHABLE Watches – Affordable, High Quality Design (Ends Sunday, November 30, 2014)
Meshable watches takes their name from the mesh straps they use on their watch. The design goals, again, were style, uniqueness, versatility and affordability. The unique piece does come out a bit in this watch with the mesh strap and the day indicator at 9 o’clock, provided by the ISA 8232 quartz movement. The watch has a lug-less design and comes in black and silver finishes with matching black and white dials. The case is 41mm in diameter, a sapphire crystal and 50M WR. Pledge prices start at €160 and go as high as €630.
We will follow up with all of these projects after they have completed their funding rounds to see how they all fared.
