Latest Review
Watches are beginning to become a dime-a-dozen thing on sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. With all the new brand start-ups it can be difficult to make yourself stand out from the pack. Another company hopeful to kick off their brand via crowdsourcing is Yes Man Watches, who feel they have something different to bring to the table. The question is, is it enough?
At first glance it doesn’t seem that the watch has much to offer beyond many of the other crowd-funded options. The case is 316L stainless steel measuring 42mm and 11mm thick with 24mm lugs. The movement is a Japanese Miyota quartz which probably won’t excite the watch-nerds out there but will get the job done. No mention is given as to the crystal type but given the specs one can assume it to be a mineral crystal. Water resistance is set at a limited 3 ATM.
The white dial is kept pretty simple with stick markers and stick hands with Y|M at the twelve o’clock position and a Y that looks like a martini glass as the 5 o’clock hour marker. The explanation for the logo placement is around the idea of 9 to 5 jobs: “Too many people feel restricted by tiresome 9-5 jobs. Life is full of constraints, but truly there isn’t anything holding you back but yourself.” Take from that what you will. It appears the only dial color option is white with blueish markers which might limit the appeal but looks decent enough on its own.
While the dial and face are somewhat unremarkable, the interesting part is in their strap and buckle. Instead of using notches and a tang buckle, the underside of the strap has a series of ridges built in. The buckle uses these ridges for sizing rather than holes like on a standard strap. The team claim that it has twice as many sizing options over a traditional strap and that this method can keep the leather looking better longer by not putting pressure on the leather via the tang buckle. It is an interesting method of sizing and the Yes Man Watches team has made the strap available on its own for those who chose.
What stands out for the Yes Man Watch is the strap with its different sizing method. Interested parties with the need for 24mm straps may want to check them out just for the strap. The funding campaign is set to run through February 14, 2014 and the team is shooting for a funding goal of $15,000. Just the strap will run you a pledge of $59; the first 100 backers of the project can get the watch and strap for $99. You can even spend a day with the Yes Man Watches team for a pledge of $500. Check them out on their Kickstarter page for more info.
