Talk about a tool watch. In 1967, the first Amphibias rolled out of Chistopol in the Soviet Union. Chief designers, Mikhail Fedorovich Novikov and Vera Fedorovna Belova, had been charged with the task of producing a watch for the Soviet military that could withstand the pressure and temperatures of 20 atmos. But isolated from the West, the duo had to start from scratch. They did not have access to the same technologies at the disposal of more advanced Swiss watchmakers.
Category Archives: Other Watchy Bits
Other Watchy Bits: ‘Eza’ on the Eyes
Trampe, unlike a lot of microbrand founders, is himself a watchmaker. He studied the craft for four years in Schoonhoven, Netherlands before seeking to launch his own company. In fact, he also studied commercial economics and undertook two important internships—one at a jewelry and watch business, the other behind the bench at a Rolex service centre. Simply put, Trampe had apprenticed himself to both sides of the watch industry: technical and commercial.
Other Watchy Bits: Aurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis, those beautiful polar lights visible here in Canada and at other high latitudes, are caused by the “excitation of atmospheric constituents.” That’s a little how I feel when the Borealis Watch Company launches a new timepiece. I bought the Borealis Olisipo around this same time last year. One of few personal highlightsContinue reading “Other Watchy Bits: Aurora Borealis”
Other Watchy Bits: Lorier’s Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy
That a microbrand might wish to democratize the watch purchasing process—that is avoid markups while producing a quality product—is nothing new. What does, however, differentiate Lorier from other brands is that they are not fixed on collectors. Lorier, instead, has constructed their brand around the principle of the “one watch collection.”
5 Watchmakers Changing the Face of Microbrands
From their initial role as disruptors, microbrands have created their own paradigm shift. And now, certain of these early enterprises are poised to enter the next level of watchmaking (if they haven’t already), establishing themselves simply as “contemporary brands.”
