This Brooklyn-Bred Watch Is Your Next Family Heirloom

Limited-edition, local & good lookin’. That’s a triple threat.

August 1, 2016 9:00 am

A proper wristwatch should tell two things: time, and a good story.

With its clean 21st-century design and an origin tale worth repeating, the timepieces you’ll find at New York’s just-launched Carpenter Watches tick both boxes.

They’re designed right next door, in Brooklyn. They’re limited-edition. And at this price point, they’re gonna go fast.

Founder and designer Neil Carpenter was just six years old when, with wide-eyed wonder, he discovered his family’s collection of antique pocket watches: Elgins, Illinois, Hamiltons and Walthams. The notion that something could be so ornate, useful and durable fascinated him.

As his career in industrial design matured, he found himself producing mostly disposable goods. But he wanted to create something that could be passed down the family tree. Thusly, Carpenter Watches was born.

The influence is vintage: the lugs are meant to resemble the wire WWI soldiers would weld onto their pocketwatches so they could strap them to their wrists.

And every piece in the collection is automatic and water-resistant up to 50m, so they’re perfect for good for daily wear. The price point: a mighty reasonable $595. Currently, three models exist, with a run of only about 150 – 175 pieces per make. The fourth release coming right up this late August/early September. 

As long as you grab one of them, we assure you: you’re gonna have a good time.

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