Designing an Adventure-Ready Watch

Did you know a lot of our design inspiration comes from guys like you? For this timepiece, we asked watch enthusiasts and adventure seekers what mattered to them. The biggest question was – How do you design an attention-grabbing timepiece that also looks good with a suit?

These guys wanted something that made their friends jealous. A watch with loads of features that, unlike most compass watches, still looked stylish enough to wear when meeting up with friends or to the office. It needed to be a watch that did more than just one thing.

Once we collected the research, we realized this new watch would fit perfectly under Seizmont. This gives us the chance to make something bold and daring.

If you had been asked, what would you have suggested? Comment here and let us know.

When we sketch, we take ideas and turn them into reality. We know we'll use stainless steel because it’s hard-wearing and won’t tarnish. The strap will be in leather for similar reasons – durability and comfort.
The finer details – from the crown to the hands – are also born during this stage.

Now for the compass...

• How big is too big?
• What’s easy to read but won’t make the watch too heavy to wear?
• And speaking of heavy… how will stainless steel affect the weight?

The sketches proved that we need to sample different compasses before moving on. For that, we’ve contacted our manufacturer and ordered different sizes to test.

There’s no shortcut to great design, and this watch is proof. Changing the size of the compass from our original sketch meant that everything had to change – from the case to the thickness of the strap. But this stage, before 3D printing and sampling, is our chance to get the details right.

This is one of our favorite parts. It’s where the sketches and compass samples become 3D technical drawings for printing. This stage in the process is also where we look at leather swatches, steel finishes, and hand options – we want details that'll make this watch unique. While it might be one of the cooler things we do, it’s not without challenges.

It’s great we can 3D print every time. Imagine if the only way to sample was to manufacture a piece for each change. The cost of creating that many wasted stainless steel cases would be insane. And, since we’re now seeing the watch in 3D, we settled on the name Orbis. It seemed fitting with the curved lines of the compass and case.

The first samples are in! It’s great to see the compass in action – it works well and gives the exact vibe we were hoping for. The men we talked to wanted something to make their friends stop and notice. We think this will do it.

We’re still making changes in this stage. The finish of the case wasn’t up to our standards, so we’re making different options in brushed and polished steel. And the clasps were too big and had to be changed. Even though all straps will have quick-release pins and are easily customizable, we’re still taking a risk by creating the grey strap.