In 2018 we launched our first limited edition collaboration with Raven Watches, built on their Trekker design. Today, we’re excited to announce of second of hopefully many, with the Solitude LE. Released late 2019, the Solitude is everything we’ve come to expect from a Raven. It’s built like a tank, subtly stylish, purposeful, affordable, and finished far beyond its price tag would suggest. At $450, this 300m, NH35-powered diver with a sapphire crystal is ready for anything, whether it’s deep below the water, or behind a desk.
The Raven x Worn & Wound Solitude is limited to just 30 pieces, available and ready to ship here.
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We started planning this LE before the Solitude was ever launched. In conversations with Steve Laughlin, the one-man-act behind the brand, we learned about the line and got very excited. Raven’s aesthetic, which is continually developing, reached a new point of refinement in the Solitude. With one eye on vintage classics and the other on modern needs, Raven’s pull from various sources to create something new, but familiar. With the Solitude, they mix a case design that speaks to 70’s Seiko divers, with a dial and hand combo that brings iconic Swiss divers to mind.
The 40mm x 47mm case has a barrel-shape with fully curved surfaces all-around, no slabs here. Beautifully brushed top and side surfaces (we’re talking that kind of brushing that has an almost iridescent quality to it) are cut by mirror-polished bezels with razor-sharp lines. On the right side, the bevel is exaggerated as it curves out to encompass the crown-guards, creating a gorgeous moment where finishing and geometry merge. The tapered bezel stands tall off the mid-case with a tactile coined edge, and slight over-hang from 12-6, making it exceptionally easy to grip.
The dial keeps true to classic divers with bold, applied geometric markers with generous lume fill. Featuring triangles at three, nine and twelve, with circles in between, save at six where there is a date window, and a lollipop hour with a fence post minute, the dial brings some rare Subs to mind. The bezel is then pure classic diver with numerals alternating with markers, set into a matte black surface.
So, what to do with it for our LE? Well, we kept it real simple. We added some gold. While Raven’s main-line Solitudes have a more modern look, we wanted something that played off the vintage charms the watch already had by giving it that gilt-look that is undeniably appealing. On the dial, you’ll find golden surrounds on the markers, polished gold hands, a golden date window, and metallic gold print all on a matte black surface. The markers and numerals on the bezel are rendered in metallic gold as well, completing the look.
Though a small change, the overall effect is huge, playing off of the refined finishing of the case, to create a version of the Solitude, that like the gilded-forefathers of dive watches, has an understated charm that just exudes cool. To further this, we are packaging the Solitude LE with an Admiralty Gray ADPT strap in addition to a black rubber strap. The dark, cool tone of the Admiralty strap is unrivaled in its style, perfectly complementing the black and gold colorway.
The Raven x Worn & Wound Solitude Limited Edition is available now in a numbered edition of thirty. They are in stock and ready to ship, so what are you waiting for?
