De Rijke & Co. started with a problem every classic-car driver knows: checking the time without taking your hands off the wheel. Founder Laurens de Rijke, an industrial designer with a passion for classic cars, solved it with the Amalfi, whose inner case rotates up to 90 degrees to keep the dial readable on the road. The Capri is the dressier follow-up, reinventing the rectangular case with a curved-edged sapphire crystal held in place by bands at the top and bottom – and it’s now here to stay.
It launched in three limited editions of 50 pieces each, in blue lacquer, black onyx and black aventurine. We shot the black one and it featured as one of our favourite monochrome watches. The new Champagne, Salmon and Silver dials join the standing range instead, each chosen for how it changes character with the light, the setting and the person wearing it. The idea is that they are everyday colours, so you wear them year after year, not just for a season before they go back in the drawer.
All three share the same layout: a curved, frosted dial, polished applied markers and hands, and a recessed, snailed small-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The markers are now all equal length, with “Dutch Crafted” printed beneath a black rounded rectangular outline.
Champagne is the warmest, its textured dial shifting between pale gold and deeper champagne as the light moves, with silver hands and markers and a red seconds hand. Silver is the most understated: the dial and steel case almost blend into one, leaving the red seconds hand as the only accent. Both keep the red of the original Capri Blue. Salmon breaks the pattern, pairing a warm pink dial with a blue seconds hand. Having spent time on Capri myself, I’d say the Salmon definitely reflects the island – it captures that light brilliantly – but I’m not convinced it wears as well through a grey London winter as the brand’s “year after year” line suggests. Champagne and Silver don’t have that problem.
The case is unchanged: brushed stainless steel, 28.5mm wide, 38mm long and 6.5mm thick, under a curved sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating. It’s water resistant to 30m, and the caseback screws sit hidden behind the strap, so none show on the case.
Power comes from the La Joux-Perret D100, a hand-wound calibre with 18 jewels, a 21,600vph beat rate and a 50-hour power reserve – a sensible supplier movement rather than an in-house one.
All three come on a tapered blue calf strap, 24mm to 18mm, with a steel pin buckle. It’s the best match on Salmon, where it picks up the seconds hand, and works well enough on the other two. The only downside is versatility: blue and black are often seen as a fashion faux pas, so if your wardrobe leans dark, you might want to hold off – though given De Rijke & Co. already offers alternative straps for the Amalfi, it’s likely only a matter of time before the Capri gets the same treatment.
The Permanent Collection also brings a price rise at €2,495 (approx. £2,100), against €2,195 (approx. £1,850) for the limited originals. That’s €300 (approx. £250) more for the same case as the originals and the same D100 as the Capri Blue – not unreasonable for a move from limited run to standing range, but worth knowing. Deliveries are expected from March 2027.
Price and Specs:
More details at De Rijke & Co.
