- Grovemade Watch 02 ($149)
The age of the recent DIY Maker Movement has ushered in a ton of great brands and labels focused on making quality hand-crafted products befitting the passion and love the people behind them have for their respective crafts, and the folks over at Portland-based Grovemade are a perfect example of this.
With a focus on premium, hand-crafted wooden products, Grovemade seems to bring a level of artful sophistication to items that would normally seem anything but—from laptop stands and flower pots to pocket knives, phone cases, and even phone docks—each item Grovemade turns their attention to tends to take on a quality of design and craftsmanship often reserved for items twice their size, if not twice (and even triple) their price, and their latest project is no exception.
Designed in collaboration with former Nike watch designer Stefan Andrén (the Portland connection), Grovemade’s new Watch 02 is the culmination of a multi-year design effort that stems from the company’s first initial timepiece, the Grovemade Watch 01. Using a traditional stainless steel case as a base, Grovemade inserted a three dimensional CNC-milled wooden dial face inside to make it anything but. They then paired it with a laser cut vegetable-tanned leather strap from their friends over at Tanner Goods, yet another Portland-based craft shop, for an authentic leather grain finish whose distinct character and beauty only gets better with time. Time that’s reliably told by a trusty Japanese-built quartz capable of tracking it accurately for several years on a single button cell.
And as if all the above didn’t make the Watch 02 unique enough on its own, Grovemade also made it available in several different variations to ensure the chances of someone sporting one like yours are slim to none. The stainless steel case is offered in black, raw silver, or plated gold, while the wooden face comes in either Eastern Hardrock Maple or Oregon Claro Walnut. And while each material and color offer their own distinct take on the primary design, one thing’s for sure—no matter which model you choose, you’ll be rocking a gorgeous one-of-a-kind timepiece that’s bound to turn heads and start conversations, not to mention tell time too.
