MECHANICALS
GUIDE to
AFFORDABLE MECHANICALS
PONTCHARTRAIN
XIV Moon
If the design feels somehow familiar on this watch , you won ’ t be surprised to learn that Co-designers Patrick and Amy Ayoub ( of Detroit Watch Fame ) have once again applied their classical blueprint to their American-based brand .
Two variations of the new stand-alone Pontchartrain collection are housed in an elegantly stepped 42mm stainless steel case . Both feature automatic winding Swiss movements , one with a sub-second , the other with a choice of silver or gold moon-phase complication .
All the qualities you ’ d expect are here ; sapphire crystal , exhibition back , elabore ’ decoration on the Swiss movement and a very fine calfskin strap , which together make a fine watch for $ 1,295 ( available at www . detroitwatchco . com .) Under the loupe the hands are as superb as the dials , and even the crown looks , feels and functions beautifully .
Those outside the Detroit area might ask why “ Pontchartrain ” for a Detroitbased brand ? The Ayoubs chose this to recall the historic fort that was built in 1701 and actually ended up applying its name to the city . France ’ s King Louis XIV commissioned Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit as the first permanent French settlement in the area and as a center for the fur trade and French military power in 1701 . Built along the Detroit River in order to protect the French trade from the British , it was named in honor of Louis XIV ’ s minister of marine and colonies , Louis Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain . Le Detroit , French for ‘ the strait ’ eventually came to identify Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit and the surrounding area and after 1751 , was known simply as Fort Detroit . A nice watch AND a history lesson .
10 | AboutTime Magazine