Value Proposition – Gaia & Co. Launches its Neo-Vintage Primavera Collection on Kickstarter

Gaia & Co., a new microbrand building watches in Besançon, France, is launching its Primavera collection on Kickstarter. This first annual series, which will be produced in three colours, is limited to 900 pieces and will be replaced next year with a new collection. The annual cycle is designed to maintain an exclusivity with the brand, although it likely helps control costs and inventory as well. The watches will have Japanese automatics and are what the company calls neo-vintage, providing the “missing link between classic and modern watches.” The vintage-inspired trend has been around for quite a while, so Gaia & Co. has a crowded field to contend with.

6 years ago

Value Proposition – LIV Watches is Back on Kickstarter with “The Breakthrough”, A Series of Sporty Automatic Watches

The folks at LIV Watches already know a bit about creating watches and funding them on Kickstarter. Their new “The Breakthrough” campaign isn’t their first offence. Yet, here it’s not one watch but a series of 3 automatic watches (and one quartz that won’t be covered here… you know us at MONOCHROME) that will be offered. Bold styles, 3 different inspirations – pilot, racing, diving – all of them powered by Swiss mechanical movement and offered, as usual, at great prices. Please meet the LIV Watches GX P-51 Chronograph, the GX Automatic Chrono and the GX Divers – all now available on Kickstarter.

6 years ago

Value Proposition – The Maen Hudson 38 Automatic – an Affordable, Vintage-Inspired Sub-Like Diver

While here, at MONOCHROME, our main focus is still luxury and high-end watches, Kickstarter doesn’t stop to surprise us. In all honesty, ninety percent (if not more) of the projects are not on par with our expectations. Yet, from time to time, one stands out of the crowd thanks to its originality or its quality-price ratio. The new Maen Hudson 38 Automatic, a nicely designed, affordable, vintage-inspired Sub-like dive watch, is just that: a no-frills sports watch with reassuring style and impressive retail price – and it is now officially launched on Kickstarter.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – Arcturus Watches, Art Deco-inspired Timepieces With Opulent Style

There are literally dozens of new micro-brands launching every week. Thanks to crowdfunding processes such as Kickstarter, anyone with a strong interest or even a passion for watches can now fulfil his dream and create his own timepiece. We, at MONOCHROME, have an eye on this, as it might represent the future and we are aware that not all our readers can afford 5-digit luxury watches. Lastest project we discovered: Arcturus Watches and their timepiece, the LC-1. Opulent, art-deco inspired, original… Let’s have a look.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – William L. 1985 Unveils one of the Most Affordable Automatic Chronographs on the Market (now on Kickstarter)

William L. 1985 was founded in 2015 by Guillaume Laidet (hence the name William L. – Guillaume is the French for William). A French entrepreneur with a passion for watchmaking, Guillaume used to work in Switzerland for high-end brands such as Zenith and Jaeger-LeCoultre. When he founded his own brand, his idea was to offer vintage-inspired timepieces that would be both functional and affordable. After the successful launch, William L. 1985 is now back on Kickstarter to unveil an automatic chronograph presented as the ‘most affordable in the market’ and priced just under EUR 500 (Kickstarter price).

7 years ago

The E.C. Andersson Calypso, a Stylish All-Rounder with a Reliable Swiss-ETA Movement

A few months back, we got our hands on the North Sea II, the primary watch from Swedish micro-brand E.C. Andersson. A robust and attractive watch, it was itself based on the original North Sea, the first model of the brand, which it had successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2016 and then quickly sold out of. Now, the company is back with their next model, the Calypso, the production of which it is also funding on Kickstarter. Described by the brand as their first “true high-end watch”, it has already reached its funding goal with 15 days still to go. We decided to take a closer look to see what all the fuss is about.

7 years ago