Waltham Watch Firm is a storied clock and watchmaker, based in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1850.
The historical past of Waltham is wealthy and deeply tied to navy timekeeping, although group and possession of the model after leaving the US, have been scattered. The corporate possession modified arms many occasions and is at present Swiss-owned. In 2014, they did a comfortable relaunch however as a substitute of bringing out a watch just like the enticing, distinctive, and wearable classic Waltham Army Trench Watch (proven above), they created an enormous 47 mm chunk of steel.
It was a design failure of epic proportions — as a result of the historical past is clearly there however they determined to make an enormous watch that’s 44 mm on the highest of the case and grows to 47 mm in the direction of the caseback. The aesthetic is completely hideous for one thing that goes in your wrist and fails to deliver again the retro vibe of the once-thriving, once-American watch model.
These (pictured above and under) are two of the 47 mm titanium and ceramic Waltham Aeronaval XA monstrosities that Skilled Watches photographed in June 2014, throughout the comfortable launch in New York. The gathering was carried by New York retailer Cellini and had an asking value above $5,000 (which was an enormous quantity again then and nonetheless is at present for a model that’s not even been correctly established). It’s our understanding that the model by no means made it past Cellini, and shuttered someday after.
Waltham Watch Firm relaunched but once more lately, albeit with much less obnoxious designs and extra practical costs, under $2K — right here’s to hoping they’ll translate a few of their historic designs into one thing that fashionable shoppers would really wish to purchase.
Associated
