Watches & jewellery - New Britain - watches with the speedo look - 24-10-2012

New Britain - watches with the speedo look

by Henry

New Britain is an American watch brand (New Britain Watch Corp.) that has launched this Swiss-made mechanical watch with a sort of Easy Rider motorcycle speedometer look. Instead of the hours being numbered, the dial features the minutes, with a subdial for seconds at 6 o'clock. The dial is black galvanic, with minute numerals and hands coated with SuperLuminova. The case is beautifully finished, with a coin-edged bezel. The case is machined from a single piece of steel, and the lugs (referred to by the brand as a "V-twin" case, presumably another reference to motorbikes) hold chunky hand-sewn leather straps. The cabochon crown is in red with the brand's logo.

Inside the case there is a manually-wound Unitas 6498/1 movement, which New Britain has modified principally in terms of finish, with satin bridges, carefully bevelled edges and polished screws. It can be viewed through the sapphire caseback.

The watch retails at about €2,500. There are three models, in limited editions for a total of 100 units. It can be purchased in the USA or online at the company's website, which actually shows how many are left (45 at the time of writing). A marketing ploy that is as cool as the watches.

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