Techne Goes to the Crowd

In general, I tend to see new brands go the crowdfunding route, or perhaps new-ish brands returning to the crowdfunding scene for a second or third model.  The Techne SparrowHawk II Eco, however, is the second recent project I have seen that was launched by an established brand.  Techne has been covered on these pages previously, and I own a Harrier model, so they are not unknown to us.  The produce quality wristwatches with a military/aviation theme, and the styling of this project is not a departure for the brand.

This watch, the SparrowHawk II Eco, is a slight variation on the original SparrowHawk II, still available from Techne for $300 – $320.  Both models are chronos, but the Eco version has switched from a 1/5 second quartz Seiko movement to a 1 second Miyota movement, doubling the watch’s battery life.  Techne is using RocketHub for the crowdfunding project, a site that I believe does not use the “all or nothing” model use by Kickstarter.  So, even if the project fails to meet the $10,000 goal, the project should be moving forward.  Since this is also being put forward by a company with a strong history of building quality watches, I would expect that any risk is very minimal.

The watch itself is very attractive, with broad sword hands, generous lume, and large chapter markings.  The sub dials for the small second hand at 6:00, military time at 3:00 and the chrono minutes at 9:00 are readable without cluttering the look of the watch.  A date window is also at 4:30.  The watch is available in either stainless or PVD with an oiled leather strap in medium or large, or in PVD with a leather lined khaki strap.  This would be an excellent choice for anyone looking for a low cost but high quality military or aviation sty.les watch, or someone looking for a quartz chrono.  technewatches.biz

Watch Overview