When a Watch is right its right, and Tate Wade have got it right – from the 2nd May on Kickstarter

Edit: 5th May 2017 – very pleased to say that after only a couple of days the project fully funded and continues to exceed its funding goal – well done guys!

Just another morning, get up, go down stairs, put the kettle on, check email. Thats how Tuesday started for me. After ploughing through the junk mail i saw that I had been contacted through the site contact form about the possibility of doing an article on a new watch launching on the 2nd May on Kickstarter.

When i clicked the link through to the website I knew straight away I was going to be doing an article on Tate Wade, the watch ticks all the right boxes, ETA 2824-2 movement, a new fresh clean design, really nice visual balance, and above all you just know that these guys will fulfil all they set out to do.

So I emailed Wade, one of the owners and and we got to talking…..

Where did your passion for watches develop?

In my case, my first contact with a mechanical watch was when I was very little. At that time, my father had a very old watch which he also got from his father as a gift. I liked it because I liked the way how the hands moves. For a little kid, it really looked amazing. I also really liked my father wearing it as it looked like a privilege of being an adult. However, my real passion for watch was built when I got my first job in a luxury business. Automatic watch was one of the products the brand focused on. It was the first time that I actually learned so much about automatic watches. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with its beauty.

 

What was the first watch that you owned and loved?

My first watch was SWATCH which I bought with my first part-time job salary. At that time Swatch was really hot brand with amazing success. I was very happy to wear it for long a time during my teenager years.

Do you still have it?

Unfortunately, I don’t have it anymore.

 

What is your brief history before watches?

I worked in various industries in FMCG and luxury brands for mainly commercial and marketing roles. My partner on the other hands worked in finance and operations in diverse spectrum of industries. We both have unconventional views on watch design and want to use our experience in other industries to add more value for Tate Wade users.

Why did you start producing watches?

We both loves watches. However, we never intended to develop our own watches. This project was initiated by me first because I was very frustrated with choices of the watches that I could buy with my budget. I wanted to buy a watch which has its own design with reasonable price.

However, the only thing I could find was either a very nice design watch with an expensive price tag or a good price, but mass produced design without any charm. Then, we decided to embark on this journey to try bring something unique and affordable for many watch lovers who might have a similar frustrations.

 

Your movement choice, how did you decided on that configuration (2824) and is it standard, too, elabore?

When we tried to build the spec for the watch, we tried to understand how to bring the best value to the users. We valued the expertise built in Switzerland for automatic movements. After comparing several options for the movements, we decided to use the ETA2824 as it is strong in basics and has great precision which has been tested by many luxury brands.

When we tested other movements, some of them were cheaper in cost but less stable in quality. In terms of configuration, our technicians fine tune all the watches to bring as much precision as possible. In terms of design, we kept it standard as one of the key objective of this watch project was to bring the best value. We will of course add more design elements in the movement in future editions.

How many watches have you made before?

This is the first one we make.

 

What was your first colour choice?

Our first choice was Stainless Steel as we wanted to make the watch to have a contrast between the matt and shiny finishing. In order to amplify this contrast effect, we used very thick sapphire glass which also has its own contrast. Thanks to the contrast of each layer, the watch gives different look and feel from different angle.

 

Tell Me about your design, the logo positioning, the date window size, case styling and so on

The design cue is from photography. What we are trying to reflect in our design is more than just a fancy design code. We tried to add more meaning to the design. A beauty of photography is that, when we take a picture, it captures the moment in a small frame which gives us emotional happiness whenever we look at it. As the life is serious at the moment, every single moment has a chance to become an important moment in a life.

We wanted our watches to be there with our users not only to give pleasure of wearing it but also to be a part of their important moments. Based on this philosophy, the design has various elements inspired by camera which is an important medium. The logo is positioned at 10 o’clock which is aligned with the date window and the crown. This asymmetric design is well balanced by the wing between 1 o’clock and 4 o’clock position giving still classical but daring beauty.

 

You offer a 2 year warranty, how is the logistics of that going to work?

We have service partners located in US and also in Switzerland. We are also trying to expand this network in other countries.

What response have you had from the watch community?

We have showed our watches to several watch communities to get their feedback. Some of our design elements also reflect the feedback that we have received. Since preference for watch design is entirely subjective, we cannot say that our design is for everyone. Having said that what we have seen with the community is very positive and encouraging.

Did you make any of the large shows? Baselworld?

Not yet. We just embarked on this journey. We will definitely consider having our own show when it is possible in the future.

Is this your full time job?

Yes.

Whats on your wrist today?

I have Tate Wade Bokeh Stainless version which goes very well with casual dress. This of course goes very well with formal dress.

 

How have you found the journey of setting up your own brand? Any advice?

Setting up our own brand has been more challenging than our initial expectation. However, it is clearly an interesting and exciting journey. There are many complexities which come along with every step of the project. Some are expected and others are not. To tackle them, it is absolutely critical to have good internal and external teams. With good teamwork, the project becomes much stronger. The teamwork is what we have built in the past two years and this is what we are very proud of.

 

Any thing else you would like to share?

We focus on delivering the best value to users. We do it by offering the watches only through direct online channels. Basically, we are trying to eliminate the processes that do not add consumer value.

At the same time, we are also optimising our own investment.

We do all these while putting the most of our investment in the watch itself to give the best quality unique timepiece to our users, our ultimate goal is to create not a cheap good looking watch but high quality premium watch.

We are confident that you will not be disappointed!

Tate Wade Bokeh: Swiss automatic watches with complete transparency

Bienne, Switzerland – Tate Wade Sarl to launch Kickstarter campaign to fund their first range of watches inspired by photography

On 28 April 2017, Tate Wade will launch a crowdfunding campaign to fund the production of a first edition series of Swiss Made automatic timepieces called BOKEH.  With design inspired by photography, this is a Swiss made watch brand that promotes transparency of costs and development.

Technical Specifications

–    42mm diameter (Wing 43mm diameter)
–    20mm lug width
–    ETA 2824 automatic mechanical movement
–    1.85mm high sapphire crystal with Anti-Reflection coating
–    Exhibition case back with engraving
–    Immersive multi-layer dial
–    50M water resistance

Tate Wade will launch on the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter on 2nd may 2017 for a 30 day campaign and is looking to raise 40,000 CHF (Approx $40,400 USD). Perks include a special price of 439 CHF (Approx $440 USD) which includes an early bird BOKEH watch, saving  251 CHF. Kickstarter backers will also receive a 2 year warranty and free shipping worldwide.

Website: http://tatewade.com

wade@tatewade.com
Contact: Wade Park

CAMPAIGN PAGE https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tatewade/a-unique-swiss-made-automatic-watch-without-luxury