100% Natural Hand-Crafted Wood Watches From JORD.

Wristwatches so often fall into two distinct categories: High-end titanium, ceramic, stainless and gold watches that cost a fortune or cheap plastic, rubber and metal trendy watches. Finally, there's an alternative and it's perfect todays' fashionable yet eco-conscious consumer: premium timepieces hand-crafted from natural woods in multiple styles suitable for men and women.



The first automatic watches made from 100% natural wood, JORD puts an immense amount of time and effort into manufacturing automatic mechanical movements combined with styles that don't look too earthy, too crafty or too chunky. Surprisingly streamlined and hip looking, the watches come in a variety of woods such as maple, cherry and bamboo as well as in a variety of styles. Wood frames, bezels and bracelets are coupled with hardened, scratch-proof glass, hidden stainless steel butterfly clasps, stainless, carbon fiber or wood faces, open skeletal faces and date windows.



Details such as the initialed crown, the engraved back, the packaging and even the little wood hang tag are a testament to the impeccable attention to detail found in their products.



Ranging from $120 -$249, JORD watches would make excellent gifts for Mother's day or Father's day - or just for yourself. I love my Fieldcrest in Green bamboo and get compliments on it daily.


above photo by if it's hip, it's here

The JORD Limited Edition Series
To add to their collection of wood watches, the JORD team has designed and developed a full line of watches that we call the JORD Limited Edition Series. All of the JORD Limited Edition models will be equipped with 20+ Jewel automatic movements. Our perpetual movements provide our customers with the accuracy and durability they demand in their everyday lives.

94A SERIES in Natural Green & Maple or Chocolate with etched metallic face ($159):

746 SERIES with open skeletal face and movement in black or chocolate. The 746 has 60+ individual pieces of wood making up the band. ($249):
above photo by customer Steffen Melsen Braüner

DELMAR SERIES with slick carbon fiber faces in various woods and colors ($149)

SULLY SERIES with contrasting woods, various faces and luminescent hands ($139)

ELY SERIES in a compact, smaller face design with a date window. Available in various woods ($129)

FIELDCREST SERIES in a unisex size with various wood options ($120)

How Does an Automatic Mechanically Driven Watch Work?

An Automatic mechanical watch is powered by an internal mainspring that is wound automatically as a result of natural motion of the wearer's arm. The eccentric weight (the rotor) pivots on its staff that is attached to a ratcheted winding mechanism. The movement provides the energy necessary to have the JORD watch function properly. The automatic watch movement has surpassed other mechanical movements and made the manual winding watches unnecessary or obsolete.






Shop for JORD Wood Watches here

A Luxury Watch That Looks As Though It Could Hop, The HM3 Frog By MB&F.

above: The newest HM3 Frog is the Chocolate frog. Red gold with Chocolate PVD coated titanium in a limited edition of 10 pieces

MB&F presents Horological Machine N°3 Frog. Haute horlogerie is (usually) a very restrained and serious business; however one of Maximilian Büsser main goals in creating MB&F was to bring a child's sense of awe and sense of playfulness into high-end watchmaking. There is no doubt that with the HM3 Frog, MB&F have certainly achieved that goal.

The protruding eyes of the (amphibian) frog enable it to see in many directions without having to turn its head. The bulbous domes of the HM3 Frog have the opposite, but no less important, feature of enabling the time to be easily seen from many angles without having to turn the wrist. The Frog differs substantially from HM3 in that it is the aluminum domes that rotate under the sapphire crystals in the Frog, whereas it is the hour and minute hands that rotate around their respective stationary cones on HM3.

The HM3 Frog is available in Grade 5 titanium with blued rotor, a limited edition of 10 in chocolate PVD-coated grade 5 titanium with red gold rotor, or a limited edition of 18 in black PVD-coated zirconium with purple rotor:


Rotating domes of this size and shape posed MB&F with a number of technical challenges. The hour and minute domes are machined from solid aluminium - chosen for its optimal strength to weight ratio. The domes weigh in at just over 0.5g. They are milled first from the outside and then the inside to arrive at a paper-thin wall thickness of just 0.28 mm, which reduces their energy requirements to an absolute minimum.

Even the fabrication of the semi-spherical sapphire crystal domes was incredibly demanding and only recently even possible at all. This is due to the fact that any slight imperfection in the sapphire might introduce a disconcerting magnification effect. The sapphire has to be shaped and polished to be perfectly uniform.



The Frog's unusual method of indicating time necessitated the development of a new gear train for the HM3 engine. This was because the aluminum hour dome of the Frog rotates in 12 hours compared to the 24 hour revolution of the HM3 hour hand. And as the oversized date wheel is driven from the hours, the gearing driving the date had to be reworked as well.



The Frog may portray the time in a playful manner, but there is nothing but serious and meticulous attention to detail and care regarding the fine hand-finishing of the high-tuned engine purring within its lightweight high-tech titanium or zirconium case.

A close inspection of the case is rewarded with carefully thought out detailing including a figure 8 engraved around the domes that mirrors the form of the display back(revealing dual ceramic bearings); distinctive clover-head white gold screws; and an engraved arrow discreetly indicating the easy to read over-sized date.


above image courtesy of ablogtoread

If the viewer's gaze manages to break away from the obiculate indications, it is likely to be arrested by the brightly-coloured 22K gold battle-axe winding rotor or the intricacies of the thoroughbred movement beneath.

the original HM3 in Grade 5 titanium with blue rotor:


The limited edition of 18 in black PVD-coated zirconium with purple rotor:



a limited edition of 10 in chocolate PVD-coated grade 5 titanium with red gold rotor




Case
Grade 5 titanium/blue 22K gold rotor; limited edition of 10 chocolate titanium/22K red gold rotor; limited edition of 18 black zirconium/purple 22k gold rotor
 Screwed-down crown. 
 Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs) 47mm x 50mm x 16mm
. Number of case components = 53.

Movement
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor
. Powered by a Girard-Perregaux base. 
Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph
 22K gold battle-axe shaped 'mystery' automatic winding rotor. 
Hour and minutes information transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to rotating domes. 
Number of jewels 36 (all functional)
. Number of components = 304.

Functions
Hour and day/night indicator on one dome (aluminium dome rotating in 12 hours). 
Minutes on second dome (aluminium dome rotating in 60 minutes)
. Date around the movement.

Dials
Rotating aluminium domes, stationary hands
Sapphire crystals
Domes and both display backs with anti-reflective treatment on both faces
. Domes for indications in aluminium, 0.58g

Price ranges from $82,000 to $100,000 USD

And you gotta love the Horolobot!:

all images and information courtesy of MB&F

Visit MB&F for more information

Look Ma... No Hands. Or Numbers: The Abacus Watch Collection

You may have seen some of these watches on design sites, blogs or in designer watch stores, ever wonder how they work? I did. So, I did a little research and found more designs than I knew existed. Those available outside of the US seem to vary from those available here. For example, the Abacus 1 series on the Laco site has either the Abacus logo on the face or dashes or dots. Whereas the Abacus 1 series on the Questo site is far more minimal, and has little round divets or is completely plain.

Regardless of the style, all are available for purchase with prices ranging up to $245.00 USD.


Below is information garnered from the manufacturers site, the Erich Lacher Watch Company (you can read some history about them here) as well as from one of their biggest distributors, Questo Design.

The translation is clearly wonky, so forgive the random initial caps and screwed up prepositions.

The Designer:

Above: The designer Roy Schäfer developed the ABACUS.

The conscientious reduction of the object to its central meaning. His love to old chronometers created the desire of a new interpretation of time by means of a watch. The ABACUS watch was developed on the basis of this idea of the designer Roy Schäfer (born 1967). He strictly followed the design principle "Reduce to the max." His impulse: “This process of making thoughts turn to products, gives me much pleasure and is the motor of the development of new items.”


Above left :The ABACUS logo on the stainless steel back of the watch. Above right: Unmistakable characteristic of the ABACUS 1: The ball-shaped crown.


How Does It Work??
The time is indicated by a very small metal ball placed on the face of the watch, which moves freely, depending on the wearer's movements. Nevertheless, whenever the watch is kept in a horizontal position, the ball moves "by magic" to the position that indicates the exact hour.

This is possible due to the fact that the device incorporates a high-grade quartz movement system, which, with the help of some magnets, moves the ball across the face of the watch. The face is quite resistant, too, since it's manufactured either from mineral or sapphire glass. Moreover, the device sports a stainless steel case, a high-quality leather strap and is also water resistant to a depth of 30 meters.



The classic product: the ABACUS 1 for women and men.
Since this innovative watch appeared in the market in 1999, it can take pride in a permanently growing group of devotees. Meanwhile, there also is an ABACUS version for women, so that also women can enjoy the game of time. The ingenious packaging of the ABACUS enhances the individual character of this designer watch.

The ABACUS 1 impresses by its clear design in form and function. It has its own and special way of playing with the definition of time. With its high quality quartz movement and its typical optical features, it will become the distinctive companion on your time journey. Reliable, precise, and with an unmistakable individual standard.

The Abacus 1 Series as seen on the Laco site:





and the more minimal designs as seen on The Questo Design Site:


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ABACUS 2. New design of the classical ABACUS idea.

A sophisticated design from dial to strap: The ABACUS 2 consequently continues what was begun in 1999 with the original ABACUS. A completely unique design for a watch which still is to find its match.

A Swiss quartz movement guarantees precision. The high-quality processing Made in Germany does not make any wish go unfulfilled in the game of time. The time dot is a symbol of the fixed status of the ball, whereas the free rolling of the ball on the dial describes the time space.

The Abacus 2 series :


The watch with the Abacus logo on the face is only available here.




Abacus 2, the details:
With this watch, nothing was left to chance: The ABACUS 2 convinces by its elaborate design. And, as another thing to be mentioned, by meticulous handicraft. The Swiss quality quartz movement and the ball on the dial are protected by a stainless steel case and a sapphire crystal. It is almost a matter of fact that the ABACUS is water resistant down to 20 meters.



•The strap buckle of the ABACUS 2 expresses the new ABACUS design. The belonging strap is made of soft, fine-grained calf leather

•The game with time: If the watch is held in horizontal position, a magnet makes the freely movable ball indicate the time.

•Form and quality also at the reverse side: The crown is countersunk and therefore invisible from above; the stainless steel back with the ABACUS logo is screwed on by hand.

•Elaborate even in the last corner: The ABACUS 2 is equipped with a patented strap fixation. The high-quality leather strap is fixed directly in the case.

And the Abacus TbtT series:


The TbtT Abacus series is made of stainless steel and comes with a silver, black or gold face.

The packaging below:


Where to buy?
Buy them here.
Or here.
Or the largest selection here.