proceed to create a video detailing everything they have found . Anyone who goes on to buy the watch created from this car can then find out its backstory , by scanning the accompanying story card on their phones and see how their watch came to be . Depending on how easy it is to find out the car ’ s history , this process can take anywhere between one and three months .

While the practice of finding the ‘ perfect car wreck ’ then going through its past with a fine tooth comb may seem tedious , it is rarely unfruitful as the huge market for classic vehicles means there is almost always a rich , and well recorded , backstory . As Kamstrup notes : “ A watch to us is not just something that tells you what time it is and sits on your wrist ; a car is not just something that gets you from A to B - both objects [ evoke ] feelings from you .” The brand ’ s current collections feature watches made from Porsche 911 , Ford Mustang and Mini Cooper vehicles .

The car ’ s classic status is not all that gives the watches a sense of exclusivity ; as the pieces are made from salvaged wrecks it is not always possible to make as many

The brand ’ s current collections feature watches made from Porsche 911 , Ford Mustang and Mini Cooper vehicles

watches as the brand may wish , so at times , the ranges are limited edition by default . Depending on the quality of the remaining metal of the car , it can be possible to make as little as a few hundred watches to as many as thousands . “ We have a natural limitation ; if you imagine a Ford Mustang which is a partly rusted , complete salvage wreck , once we have made 1,000 watches from that there is no more Ford Mustang material left . We would then buy another car and continue producing the same watches but with a different story and a different VIN number on them .”

Not much metal from the cars goes into the watches , as EU regulations ensure that certain materials do not cause any irritation to the customers ’ skin . Also , Kamstrup and Mygh try to retain as much of the original metal as possible , as rusty as it may be , so as much of the original vehicle and the sense of wearing a recycled item can remain in the final product . “ We would have to melt the metals down in order to produce watch casing . So , much of the pattern and the look and feel of having a recycled item on

your wrist would be lost in that process .”

For now , the brand uses the salvaged metal to create just the dials of the watches , with the argument that “ dials are the centrepiece for any watch .” Kamstrup explains : “ It ’ s the first thing that will probably catch your eye - it ’ s definitely one of the central element of any watch design .”

In making use of the body work of a car , he goes on to say : “ What we can do is create this experience of seeing something that is visibly unique and visibly has a past of 60 years of usage but is within the watch . So it ’ s a contrast between a new casing , a new strap and a very rough dial .”

REC has plans to make more use of the cars they recover , as it recently started to incorporate the seat belt into the strap of the car . The remainder of the car either gets donated to local car clubs or the potentially marketable parts like the dashboard are returned to the seller . “ They are actually very valuable if you want to restore them .”

Although they have set up their company on the premise