Introducing the Bokeh Collection from Tate Wade

It almost goes without saying, but Kickstarter is a mixed bag when it comes to watches. For every ten brands that look like they’re working from a Daniel Wellington parts catalog, there are one or two startups trying to do something different, and these are the projects we try to highlight here on worn&wound. Today, we’re taking a look at Tate Wade, a young brand launching their inaugural line of watches–dubbed the Bokeh Collection–on Kickstarter.

Tate Wade is a two-man company based out of Bienne, Switzerland. The duo has spent the last two years working on the photography-inspired Bokeh series. In setting out to create the watch, the Tate Wade team had three goals in mind: first, to create a unique, bespoke design; second, to keep it Swiss; and third, to make a watch that they themselves would want to wear every day.

Working with Studio Divine–a firm that is perhaps now best known for its work with REC and SEVENFRIDAY–Tate Wade settled on a design that hinted at the aforementioned inspiration. The 42mm case and multi-layered dial captures some of that via subtle nods to things like the focus ring, the lens aperture, and the red dot often found on a lens mount.

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The Bokeh Collection consists of three finishes to the case: stainless steel, black PVD, and gun metal PVD. As mentioned above, the case is 42mm, but due to the “wing” design, it actually measures 43.5mm through the wing at three. The watch is also a very reasonable 9.1mm thick (with a 1.85mm-thick sapphire crystal) and features 20mm lugs. The crown is positioned at four, and it lines up with some prominent features on the dial (but more on that below). The case is rated to 50 meters.

The dial of the Bokeh collection features a unique, multilayered design. First, along the edge of the dial there’s a raised outer ring with an engraved hours index. Then, there’s a lower ring further inward also with an hours index–this time represented via Arabic numerals–as well as a minutes track. This track is interrupted by a wide date window centered at five o’clock and the Tate Wade logo opposite that at 10. Going further inward is another recessed layer adorned with the words “Automatic” and “Swiss Made.” The minutes and hours hands are stylized swords, outlined in a metallic finish and filled in black except for the tips, where they’re painted with luminous material.

The Bokeh in Gunmetal PVD.
Black PVD
Stainless Steel

The Bokeh Collection has at its heart a Swiss ETA 2824 that is partially visible behind a small, mineral-crystal porthole. The case back is held in place by four screws.

The Kickstarter campaign for Tate Wade’s Bokeh collection is under way and it has long surpassed its funding goal. Pledges for one stainless steel watch start at 439 CHF (which is about $441 at the time of this writing), while the PVD watches start at 459 CHF (about $461). Overall a reasonable price for a Swiss made watch coming right from the heart of Switzerland. Prices post campaign are expected to be about 36% higher. You can get all the details and one of your own from their Kickstarter campaign page.

The straps paired to the watch have quick-release spring bars.

The watches are expected to ship in August. To back the Kickstarter click here.

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Residing in North Idaho, James has been wearing a watch for over 35 years. With growth of the internet in the late 90s watches as an interest turned into an obsession. Since that time he has been a watch forum moderator, watch reviewer, contributor to Nerdist, and operates Watches in Movies in his spare time.
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