Approximately eighteen months ago I was fortunate enough to take a watch I had co designed (called the Polaris) to Baselworld. The original design concept was mine but without the generous assistance of Jet Engineer/Watchmaker Frank Heydrich the project would have never seen the light of day. Generally, brands I admire really liked the Polaris and came up with some positive suggestions. As the timepiece was effectively a prototype if it ever went into production then certain refinements would have to be made. Initially I thought of launching it on Kickstarter but felt the price point would be too much. However subsequent campaigns from RPaige Watch (Crash of ‘29’) and Bovarro have proved that higher costs aren’t necessarily deterring potential buyers.
Recently I was contacted by Canadian based designers Ari and Bob Shahbakhshi about a new brand called Bovarro they had unveiled on Kickstarter. Previously they had achieved success on this platform with an entry level label called Ferro. Their new timepiece called the Moon 1969 watch is much more exciting prospect and it easy to see why they have already surpassed their initial goal of CA$28,000 ($21,000) by miles. In fact, the campaign is now finished and they have raised CA$ 162,737 (122,000), which is an incredible achievement by anyone’s standards. It also goes to prove that even in uncertain watch industry consumers will purchase a competitively priced product.
Visually the Moon 1969 appears to have a high quality appearance normally found in much more expensive watches. Although it is pertinent to mention that no timepieces have yet been produced and my opinion is based purely on 3D renderings. The company also haven’t disclosed exactly where the watch will be manufactured. Therefore, only time will tell to see if they can deliver on their promises. Nevertheless, details like the bezel (which is based on the hatch of the iconic Apollo 11 spacecraft) are quite interesting. Initially Ari and Bob wanted to replicate the design and use 42 screws. However, it looked too fussy so they scaled it back to a less cluttered and more cohesive number of 8. Other fine details include a sleek black dial, open worked hour/minute hands, domed sapphire crystal lens and moon logo (on the Lunar models).
Powering the watch is a refined Swiss made self winding movement. The Caliber ETA 2824-2 comprises 25-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. This mechanism is visibly showcased through the sapphire crystal exhibition case back (on limited edition models). Functionally the Moon 1969 features hours, minutes, seconds and small date indication. The watch is also water resistant to a depth of 100 metres and has a power reserve of 40 hours.
The Moon 1969 is available in two case sizes (42/46mm) and a choice of either stainless steel or luxurious 18-karat gold version at $6,000 (making it the most expensive watch released on Kickstarter).
