From the inception of RWatchCo, we have always been interested in stories.
Our first mass produced piece - the Riverine - told the story of Vietnam era dive watches. The sort of thing you'd find while rummaging around your grandfather's desk. Another product - The Frogman strap - spoke to the first elite soldiers who adapted their kit and gear themselves to keep up with the ever-changing battlefield. We have always been interested in the tools that interesting people used in challenging times.
Project Azorian was a secretive Cold War-era mission undertaken by the CIA to recover a sunken Soviet submarine, K-129, from the Pacific Ocean's depths in 1974.
This ambitious operation required extraordinary ingenuity and collaboration among a diverse group of professionals. Engineers, naval architects, deep-sea recovery specialists, metallurgists, and intelligence operatives worked together to overcome unprecedented technical challenges. They designed and constructed the Hughes Glomar Explorer, a first-of-its-kind ship with groundbreaking deep-sea mining technology, under the guise of a commercial operation.
Despite partial success—recovering only a section of the submarine—the mission highlighted the ingenuity and expertise of the team, blending advanced engineering, logistics, and operational secrecy to achieve a feat previously deemed impossible.
We chose to make a watch based on this event and the men and women who made it possible. The folks were not hardened operators dashing in the night with night vision goggles and rifles. Their tools of choice were a good briefcase, a slide rule in their pocket protector, and a trusty watch that could handle the rigors of a laboratory and shipyard while still being svelte enough for the office. This watch is for the working professional who can use their skills and talents to further industry... and espionage.
To best replicate the style and functionality of a watch in this era, we chose to make the case 36mm. This size allows for great legibility, while offering a more comfortable size for everyday wear. It will never snag your sleeve, and you'll feel it disappear on your wrist throughout the day. The case is made of 316L stainless steel, the glass is a flat sapphire crystal, and the movement is a Swiss ETA-2824 variant. The dial and hands are treated with C3 X1 grade SuperLuminova - the brightest spec luminous material on the market. The watch comes with a vintage inspired Milanese steel bracelet. Specs aside, this is one of our most special pieces. We assemble each one by hand in Macon Georgia. It goes through our rigorous testing and proofing procedures so you can be confident that it will handle the stresses of daily use and even exceptional abuse through a more active lifestyle.
Available on January 20th.
Comments