I love a good story, particularly where someone has been inspired by a parent or grandparent. In this case James Rea has been inspired by a vintage watch, an Army Time Piece (ATP) worn by his grandfather, Frank Crowder, while serving in the British Army during the Second World War.
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| The Crowder ATP watch |
James, part of a family of Birmingham jewellers and watchmakers, says:
"When I started wearing my grandfather's watch, a lot of my friends were admiring it and asking where they could get one like it. Even though jewellery is my family business, I couldn't offer them what they wanted, as many vintage pieces are too much upkeep for the day to day wear that they were seeking. I was inspired by my grandfather's watch and by my knowledge of traditional craftsmanship to create a modern watch with that same classic style, made from the same traditional materials but that you could just wear every day and not worry about"
He has kept true to the materials used on his grandfather's watch, such as the brass case and domed acrylic glass, which gives the watch its vintage character. The design is classic but minimal, as you'd expect from the utilitarian nature of a military-issued watch. For the movement James has chosen a 1069 quartz movement from Ronda, one of Switzerland's top movement makers, making the watch reliable and low maintenance.
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| One of the four designs available |
James has a keen eye for detail, right down to the presentation case of the watch, which is based on a World War Two ration tin, and a guarantee card based on a wartime ration card. He hasn't been tempted by the now rather dated move to oversize watches; this one is 35 mm in diameter, preserving the vintage feel and looking comfortable and stylish on the wrist. James says that the brass case will age well with use, eventually giving an attractive patina.
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| Wearing the watch - a good size and a butter-soft leather NATO-style strap |
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| The original watch owned by Frank Crowder |
James is raising funds on crowd funding site, Kickstarter, to pay for the final assembly and quality testing of the watches in his family workshop in Great Britain. In return for backing his project he was offering the watch starting from the Super Early Bird price of £89, which is 40% off the retail price of £149, a price that's in itself very reasonable. I'm delighted to see that he has so far exceeded his target and, while the Super Early Bird deal is sold out, other discounted packages are still available to Kickstarter investors until Monday 9th November 2015.
For more information and to pledge towards the Kickstarter campaign click here.
