Introducing the Metropolitan Automatic: Rossling & Co.’s Take on the Mid-Century Dress Watch

It’s been two years since we first introduced Rossling & Co. and the three brothers behind the brand here on worn&wound. Their first watch, a simple and clean time-only quartz watch, was a massive success on Kickstarter, with the campaign being funded in full in just one day. The brand returned a year later with another successful Kickstarter project, this time with an update to their first model, adding an automatic movement to the lineup. Now, Rossling & Co. are back once again with a new automatic model, the Metropolitan. With its restrained mid-century styling, the Metropoltican series may very well be Rossling & Co.’s best offering yet.

Right out of the gate the Metropolitan has a lot going for it. The dials feature applied polished indices for the hours and a printed minutes track. The dials are available in black and white variants (both painted with enamel), as well as a sunburst blue variant. Silver leaf hands are paired with the blue and black dials, and blued hands with the white. There are two distinct styles in the Metropolitan collection: an open-heart with a cutout on the dial above 6 o’clock exposing the movement, and a date version with an aperture right above 6.  Both variants contain simple text on the dial below 12 o’clock: the “Rossling & Co.” logo and “Automatic.”

Under the hood are the Miyota 9015/90S5 automatic movements, the former powering the date version and the latter the open heart. The skeletonized 90S5 is designed specifically for use in such watches, but it normally has the opening offset between 5 and 6 o’clock. Positioning it right above the 6 moves the crown between 3 and 4 o’clock. The display of the movement and the slightly off-kilter crown give the open-heart variant a bit of extra character, and while I’m not normally drawn to open-heart or skeletonized watches I have to concede that the aesthetic here works. As for the date version, it too places its complication right above 6 o’clock. An option not present–and one that some might prefer–is a date-free dial, which would be ideal with the paired down classic styling of the Metropolitan.

The 90×5-series movements from Miyota, especially the 9015, have been the go-to of late for micro-brands across the board. They’re reliable and technically comparable to their ETA counterparts, and while some might prefer the cachet that comes with Swiss movements, Miyota’s workhorses will provide years of reliable service. The movement can be viewed through a screw-down display back.

The case of the Metropolitan is 40mm in diameter and 11.9mm thick to the top of the doubled domed crystal (coated in sapphire to increase resistance against scratches). The 20mm lugs are drilled and thin and look to be shorter than one might expect. The knurled crown is also thin but has a fair bit of width to it, giving it some presence. Overall, it’s a well-proportioned case that should work on a wide range of wrists. Each model will ship with a 20mm faux-crocodile patterned leather strap with leather backing. There will only be 399 watches made of each model and each will ship with a 2-year international warranty card.

The latest Rossling & Co. project has already surpassed its goal, so the Metropolitan will be brought to life. There is still plenty of time to get in on the campaign as it runs through July 9th. The current lowest available pledge is for one Metropolitan at $379, with the next level up at $399. You can also get two watches of your choice for $698. The estimated delivery for the Metropolitan line is March 2017. Head over to the Kickstarter campaign for a full rundown on the project.