Grovemade is a cool little company in Oregon that makes wood accessories for your Apple (and other) computers and iPhones. They make stands, cases, and skins, all designed to give your modern electronics a more earthy look. Now, they are branching into wearables, not with a skin or a strap for the iWatch, but with a fairly unique looking analog Grovemade Watch collection.
There are two case shapes and two wood options for each, but the underlying style of the watches is the same, a quartz two hander that shows off the time by rotating the hands through a series of 12 circular windows cut into the watch face. Whereas most of the wood watches I see use wood for the dial behind the glass, or wood in the case around the hands, the Grovemade Watch has the majority of the dial as just the blank wood, and only the little windows letting you see the movement beneath it. From a design standpoint, it is a unique take on the dial, and the sandwich style of the case makes it look elegant and interesting, a blend of artisan craft and modern machining.
The watches parts are sourced overseas, but the manufacture of a number of parts (including the wood face) and final finishing and assembly of the the watches is done locally in Oregon. The watch itself is a Japanese quartz, with the assembly water resistant to 3 ATM, but I wouldn’t wear it in anything wetter than a Pacific Northwest rain storm, under the cuff of a jacket. The walnut watches come on a black leather strap, and the maple watches come on a tan or natural leather strap, both attractive color combinations to my eye, and all of them priced at $239. The watches are about 40mm across/diameter and 10mm thick. grovemade.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Grovemade Watch Collection
- Price: $239
- Who we think it might be for: People who love wood.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I would certainly wear one.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I don’t have anything, I think they hit exactly what they were hoping for.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The best use of wood in a watch I have seen.
Tech Specs from Grovemade
- Movement: Japanese quartz
- Functions: Wood face
- Case: Stainless steel/wood
- Crystal: Not specified
- Water resistance: 3 ATM
- Lug width: Not specified
- Straps: Leather
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Case Height: 10 mm
