A concept that we’re always coming back to at Worn & Wound is the thrill of discovering something new. This is fundamentally what the Windup Watch Fairs are all about, this idea that anyone can walk into a show and happen across something that is completely new and exciting, whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the hobby or brand new to it. While I certainly admit to a bit of a bias toward the unusual having worked in the space long enough to become a bit tired of the generic, for me this has always been key to my enthusiasm, and I’m just a lot more likely to stop and read a press release or pick up and try on a watch if it looks, sounds, or feels unfamiliar to me.
That’s the feeling I had when I came across the press release for the new release Apiar, a British brand who will sell five examples of the new Gen1.B at the upcoming British Watchmaker’s Day event in March. Apiar is a brand I had only a passing familiarity with – they are a relatively new brand on the affordable indie scene – and I found the images of the Gen1.B to be quite striking and the concept behind the brand interesting in its own right.
Apiar was founded by Matt Oosthuizen and Sam White, a designer and engineer, respectively. They bring a contemporary, tech forward approach to watchmaking, and are building the brand on a trio of core principles: Build Impossible, Build Sustainable, and Build British. The idea is to create watches that take on shapes and forms that in their design that have not been possible through traditional manufacturing methods. Apiar uses additive manufacturing processes (an inherently sustainable manufacturing process of 3-D printing materials rather than filing them away from a solid block of steel, titanium, or a precious metal) to experiment with materials and shape in a bold and artistic way. They’re also committed to using a UK supply chain as much as possible, hence their involvement in British Watchmaker’s Day.
The Gen1.B is the debut of the brand’s Gen1 case, which was created with the help of generative design, a CAD process that uses artificial intelligence to create a design meeting specific criteria or requirements. The design brief for the Gen1, according to Apiar, was a watch fit for the eventual first settlers on the moon. The resulting design features complex geometry, fluid and curvy case lines, and ultra thin, skeletonized case work that can only be achieved with a result robust enough for regular use through a 3-D printing process. It measures 39mm in diameter and is 9.2mm tall and is made from grade 23 titanium.
The case is incredibly cool and reminds of some other experiments in 3-D printed cases we’ve seen lately, particularly from Holthinrichs, but it’s the dial that really caught my eye. For British Watchmaker’s Day, Apiar will be showing the 1.B version of the watch seen here, which features a red dial and a complex pattern that they describe as “guilloche of the future.” Again, the dial would seem to take full advantage of the additive manufacturing process to create a form that’s highly sculptural and complicated while meeting a price point that is truly accessible (a final retail price hasn’t been announced yet, but the brand expects it to come in under £2,000).
A watch like this is obviously not going to be for every taste, but it’s great to see more brands taking on real watchmaking challenges in interesting new ways. As a fan of watches that lean a little avant-garde, the Gen1.B and the entire concept behind Apiar itself is deeply interesting to me, and I’m excited to see how this watch and future projects pan out as the technologies they employ continue to get better. Apiar
