A trio of watches have popped up on Kickstarter lately, one from a brand we know, one associated with a brand we know, and one from a newcomer. There is the Portsea by Melbourne Watch Company, a brand who’s previous watch I reviewed, and liked a lot. Second up is the inaugural model from Throne Watches. Though it is a new brand, assembly is being outsourced to Smith & Bradley, a brand Patrick has covered. Finally is the newcomer, Instrmnt Limited, with the Instrmnt 01.
The Portsea by Melbourne Watch Company is their third bite and the crowdfund apple, already having successfully launched the Flinders on Indiegogo and the Hawthorne on Kickstarter. The watch is described as a marine style chronometer with a Miyota 9120 automatic calendar movement. The watch is shown at the top of the post, and above. The watch is offered with a white dial in either a stainless or rose gold plated case, or with a blue dial. Being a fan of blued hands, I would opt for the white and stainless combination. Watch rewards are int eh $600 AUD range and the watch features a flat sapphire crystal, a ceramic main disc, leather strap and deployment clasp (from the look of it). The watch has already surpassed the funding threshold, so this would be a commitment to buy.
The Throne Watches project is a more modern look, with a simple design and a sub dial for seconds at 6:00. The watch is being built in the US by friends of the site, Smith & Bradley (they are sponsoring our July give-away), with a quartz Swiss Ronda 1004 Slimtech movement ticking away behind the sapphire crystal. The watch comes on your choice of 4 attractive American made leather straps, and the design in offered in two flavors, white with a gold plated case or black in a stainless case. The project is about 3/4 of the way to their goal, and watches are offered with pledges of $350.
The last of the three projects is the Instrmnt Limited’s Instrmnt 01, a quartz 3-hander with date. Driving this watch is a quartz Swiss Ronda 585 3H movement, working away in a stainless case in your choice of silver, gold plated, or black PVD. This watch has also hit the funding threshold, and the early-birds are sold out, but watches are offered at pledge levels of £90, about $155 US. The watch is offered on a Spanish leather strap and also features a sapphire crystal.
