Simplicity, Elegance, and Timelessness. These are the underpinnings of Bauhaus design, and these are the same things you’ll find in a timepiece from Great George. Born in New York city, and given its name from a historical street in Broadway where the design studio is located, Great George is making watches that are modern, sleek and stylish.
Their initial range comes with a huge amount of choice in terms of case finishing, dial colours, and straps. The overall case and dial design is the same throughout, but there is definitely something here for everyone.
The watch itself is a 3-hander in a 34mm square case. While this may seem small on the numbers, remember that square watches tend to wear quite a bit bigger than their circular counterparts, and Great George have taken this into account when designing their first range. The case comes in at only 7mm thick, meaning it is perfect for an everyday watch, especially if you wear a suit to work. The watch is powered by a Swiss Ronda 763 quartz movement, which is a workhorse movement that’s used in plenty of watches that cost a lot more money.
This watch comes in one of 9 case/dial combinations (with 3 different case finishes), and one of 5 leather straps (one of which is suede). Each one of the case/dial combinations has a different name, instead of there being a name for the model and a colour code after that. While you don’t have free reign over the case and dial combination, Great George have taken out much of the guesswork by giving you a whole bunch of very attractive options to choose from. Our personal favourite combination is the ‘Warren’ a beautiful combination of brushed stainless steel case with a deep navy blue dial, and an orange contrasting seconds hand. Put it on a dark brown strap, and you’ve got a winner any day of the week.
A really interesting feature of the watch design is that it’s actually put together as a ‘destro’ (meaning the crown is at 9 o’clock instead of the usual 3). Usually this is a design reserved for left-handers (who wear their watch on their right wrist)
Another cool feature of this project is the choice of presentation box. With Great George, you can choose to have your watch shipped to you in a small concrete cube (for a small fee), which you can then repurpose however you wish. They’re perfect to use as a pencil box, candle holder, or small indoor planter.
The Great George is available on Kickstarter right now, and at the time of posting, you’ll pay only $149 for one of these really well designed watches. That’s only 50% of the eventual retail price, which is a bargain in anyone’s terms, and it gets you a sleek, stylish watch that’s sure to attract the attention of anyone you come across.
