One of the joys of microbrand design is seeing exciting concepts and interesting designs produced (often but not always) at more accessible prices than your big-name brands. Case in point, Martin Design Watches Studio’s new ultra-accessible Connemara double balance wristwatch. A hyper-accessible variation on a style of movement normally restricted to haute horology maisons like Audemars Piguet, Gruebel Forsey and Armin Strom. It’s due to go live on Kickstarter from the second week of April.
The name Connemara comes from the Connemara region of Ireland on the west coast near Galway. An area of impressive natural beauty and rugged coastlines that are enough to make you think that perhaps the Irish myths and folklore are real. MD Watches are themselves based in Cork, further south. Though Martin Iglody, the brand’s founder, is from Kosice Slovakia bringing a hint of Eastern European influence to the design with a sleek, slightly sporty edge.
In terms of watch design, those influences are expressed through the contrast between the serene aspects of the dial and the frenetic energy of the double balance at 3 o’clock. The main base of the dial features a horizontal brushing in a choice of silver, black or blue IP coating. The timekeeping elements are presented on an offset dial with a grained central disc and a peripheral brushed scale for hours and minutes with small seconds on a separate subdial that overlaps.
Of course, the main attraction of the MD Watches Connemara’s display is the exposed double balance configuration. Normal watches typically have a single balance wheel that oscillates back and forth to regulate the delivery of power to the hands and ensure they tick along at the correct rate. However, there are a lot of factors that can affect the accuracy and reliability of a balance, such as temperature, orientation, shocks etc. By adding a second balance that works in tandem with the first, those atmospheric and physical disturbances are less impactful as the two balances compensate for each other.
That dial is housed in a 40mm steel case with a thickness of 12.6mm. Interestingly the crown is positioned at 6 o’clock, rather than the normal 3 o’clock position. This is an alteration most commonly seen on sports watches where they want to avoid the 3 o’clock crown from digging into the back of your hand when you require a full range of movement. Here it instead allows the case to have an uninterrupted flow from lug to lug, creating a sleeker appearance.
Powering the signature double balance display is the calibre PTS S05B Automatic. PTS is a movement brand established in 1991 based in Hong Kong. They work with a variety of brands to develop and distribute movements including Hangzhou, one of the better-known Chinese brands, as well as working with the likes of Ronda, Miyota and TMI on the quartz side of things. In the current watch market, there are very few other brands capable of producing a double balance watch at such an accessible price point.
Speaking of which, the Martin Design Watches Studio Connemara has a Kickstarter super early bird price of €289 (approx. £240). For an attractive watch with the visual interest of a double balance, that’s pretty solid value – considering that the nearest Swiss equivalent is in the tens of thousands, that might be an understatement. It will be available on Kickstarter from the second week of April.
Price and Specs:
More details at Martin Design Watches.
