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AMERICAN BRANDS
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AMERICAN BRANDS
By Loren Sciurba , The Time Bum
In the summer of 2014 , I reviewed Manchester Watch Works ' first offering , the Flagship . Douglas Kim , the man behind Manchester , had sent me the prototype in anticipation of his Kickstarter launch . The Flagship was a 38mm automatic tool watch an offbeat , leftright combination of Roman and Arabic numerals and a chunky case that I described as looking like part of a Pratt & Whitney jet engine . It was a promising effort , but it had some unresolved design elements , and it ultimately failed to fund .
Fast forward to April 2017 . I was at a get together with a group of local watch enthusiasts , and one of my fellow watch nerds leaned over his impressive collection of Hublot , Audemars Piaget , and rare boutique divers to pepper me with questions about the new Manchester Battenkill . He liked what he saw and was astounded at its sub- $ 300 price . " You know ," he said as he turned the sleek , mid-sized trench watch over in his hands , " I don ' t usually do inexpensive micro brands , but this is a really nice watch ."
It was not the first time I had seen someone express such surprising admiration for a Manchester Watch Works piece . Doug has made impressive strides in the past three years , continually refining his designs . Each new watch stands alone as a distinct piece that expresses his values in its own unique way . Best of all , his prices have remained extremely competitive . It is an almost irresistible combination for someone as thrifty as The Time Bum .
Doug is a life-long enthusiast who started collecting and tinkering with watches as a kid . As his collection grew , he learned to repair , modify , and build them . Eventually , he was no longer satisfied with assembling off-the-shelf components and set out to design a timepiece of his own . " My watch fascination is not just for fashion , but for the remarkable engineering marvel of a machine that can keep accurate time without batteries but with springs and gears ," Doug explained , " and they can go with you under water , into space , up mountains , and into jungles but , best of all , they can be worn on your wrist ."
Manchester Watch Works is named for Doug ’ s hometown of Manchester , Vermont , and he has kept that link through the two-tone , twin-diamond logo . The upper section represents Manchester ’ s “ M ” as well as Vermont ’ s Green Mountain range . The lower section forms a
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