Packed with visitors and tables spread with independent watch brands’ latest products, the annual WindUp Watch Fair in Chelsea Market is a buzzing hive of watch enthusiasm. New York-based watch enthusiast website Worn & Wound identified and filled an important niche in the watch industry by launching the show in 2015, and it’s grown substantially year-to-year. Unlike industry trade shows such as Baselworld and SIHH, WindUp is focused on affordable timepieces from boutique brands — the type of watches that have become one of the hottest topics and most important trends in the watch industry.
WindUp serves an important function aside from offering these brands a show of their own: it allows consumers to see the watches in person before buying them. The direct-to-consumer model is part of what makes these companies competitive and able to offer the compelling values they do, but it means there is usually no brick-and-mortar presence. Further, WindUp is a chance not only to see or actually buy the watches, but to actually meet the interesting creators behind the brands. The show is open to the public, and this year, elbowing past the watch- hungry crowds, we found the following horological gems…
Brew Mastergraph
Brew Watches continues to put out affordable quartz watches with great design and a casual, fun attitude — the brand, unusually, takes its inspiration from coffee culture. The new Mastergraph is consistent with Brew’s clean, retro-styled approach to watchmaking, which somehow always ends up looking fresh. Available in three different styles, this chronograph wears well at 38mm wide, and the price provides little barrier to pulling the trigger for those drawn to it.
$375
