The Melbourne Watch Company has graced our pages multiple times, starting with a preview and then hands on review of the Flinders, then the Hawthorne, and the Portsea, and finally the Parkville. Now this Australian watch company is back again on Kickstarter, with their take on the modern pilot’s watch, the Melbourne Watch Company Avalon.
MWC takes their inspiration for names and designs from Australia, and Avalon is the name of Melbourne’s airfield, and the home of the largest airshow in the Southern Hemisphere. So with this name, the watch should reflect the aircraft feel, and the handset, warning striping near the open heart and the three bladed bridge all do that.
The elongated indexes at the ordinal points are meant to represent the cross hairs of a targeting system, but I think they are a little too short to really carry it off. The 45mm case is black DLC stainless steel, and the sapphire crystals front and back protect the watch.
The movement is the Miyota 90S5 with an open heart, and the exhibition caseback reveals the Geneva striping decoration on the movement. Overall, the mix of black and orange, especially with the orange superluminova paint, makes for a striking blend, and the open heart movement adds a bit of visual interest. The project is funding on Kickstarter through March 16 and has already passed its $30,000 pledge goal. With several nicely done watches under their belt, I would not hesitate to trust that they will deliver a good product.
The early bird watches are gone, but there are still watch pledges at $626 AUD (approximately $482 USD). If the features and look pique your interest, head over the the funding page for the Melbourne Watch Company Avalon, and drop a note below if you have any comments. melbournewatch.com.au
Watch Overview:
- Brand & Model: Melbourne Watch Company Avalon
- Price: ~$482 USD for second tier pledges (early birds are gone)
- Who we think it might be for: Someone who wants a pilot watch with a splash of color and simple indexes.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Probably not, but I do like the brand and expect it to be well made.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Do more with the indexes.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: I like the orange and black combo..
Tech Specs from Melbourne Watch Company:
- Movement: Miyota 90S5 Open Heart Automatic
- Functions: Three hander, open heart automatic with exhibition caseback
- Case: 316L Stainless Steel w/ DLC coating
- Glass: AR coated Sapphire Crystal
- Water resistance: 50m
- Lug width: 24mm
- Straps: Genuine leather w/ matte black DLC buckle
- Diameter : 45mm
- Length: 54mm
- Case height: 12mm
- Weight of watch head: Not specified
