BOLDR Supply Co is one of the companies that exemplifies what we like about affordable watches and small independent brands. Marching to the beat of their own drum, they have a vision of what modern sports watches can be, and they execute it. Their watches are meant for adventure, excitement, and are designed around those ideas with features and specs that belie their price points. For fans of tool watches of all types, BOLDR is a brand to keep an eye on, which is why today we’re excited to announce the first BOLDR x Windup Watch Shop collaboration.
Some watches just seem too good to be true, which is why we were drawn to the BOLDR Venture as our starting point for this collab. 38mm titanium automatics with Seiko movements, sapphire crystals and 200m of water resistance don’t cost $299, right? Well, the BOLDR Venture does, and it’s well executed as well. Featuring a dark matte titanium case with a unique and rugged barrel shape emphasized by broad bevels and steep facets, it has a distinctly modern and aggressive look. To make it even more functional and comfortable, the crown has been moved down to four, allowing for greater wrist flexibility.
For the Windup Watch Shop version of the Venture, we wanted to keep the case as is, but go a different direction for dial. Rather than a classic field layout, we opted for one inspired by explorer designs, with large numerals at the cardinal positions. We flipped the emphasis from the hours to minutes and balanced it out with a cross-hair at the center. Since the Seiko NH35 features a date, we felt we should show it, so we added a window at four and color-coordinated it to fit in nicely.
For the palette, we took inspiration from the surroundings of our hometown, Brooklyn. Asphalt gray for the base, concrete gray for the numerals, with taxi yellow for non-numerical hours, cross-hair and date. The minute hand is satinized metal for a little glint of steel, as is the seconds hand, though that adds a touch of burnt orange for contrast. The hour hand is taxi yellow as well, coordinating with the markers. It’s dark and a bit moody, corresponding with the deep matte gray of the titanium case, while pops of color keep it exciting and different.
The BOLDR x Windup Watch Shop Venture LE comes mounted to a dark green heavy-weight nylon mil-strap with matching titanium hardware. The green complements both the dark grays and bright yellow-oranges of the dial. That said, the watch also looks great on leather and has plenty of clearance around the spring bars to allow for thicker straps, such as Model 2 Premiums.
Our first collaboration with BOLDR, we are very excited by the results. The watches are fun, different, and easy to wear. Still $299, the BOLDR x Windup Watch Shop Venture LE is limited to 100 pieces, in stock and ready to ship.
