Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Peter Speake-Marin Is Back In The Watch Game With Affordable Watches: Stoic World
From high-end independent watchmaking to non-Swiss Made, affordable timepieces.
A few years ago, when you mentioned the name Peter Speake-Marin, you probably had in mind an independent watchmaker with creativity and complex watches – such as a fully-opened tourbillon minute repeater… This was before Peter sold his company and left to become someone else, independent again. After starting a unique concept named “The Naked Watchmaker”, Peter Speake-Marin is back in the watch game with something truly unexpected: affordable watches. Meet Stoic World.
This idea might sound truly different from the image we had of Peter Speake-Marin. Behind the creation of Stoic World is again this wish of independence so dear to Peter. The name of this new venture is based on the antique Greek philosophy of Stoicism, “a way of thinking, a philosophical view founded in Greece 300 BC. The principle? Individual happiness based on temperance and detachment achieved through reason.” The founders, among whom is Peter, share different backgrounds and cultures and come from London, Paris and Hong Kong. A far cry from the PSM watches you’ve seen in the past, they are not made in Switzerland, they don’t have in-house movements but they will be offered at very reasonable prices. Times change, drastically.
Watches crafted by Stoic World are simple, made for everyday use and classic in their designs. Don’t expect high-end, hand-finished watches but rather honest, utilitarian watches on the value-proposition side – sort of a competition to many of the “Kickstarter offers” we see these days. Three watches make their debut: a pilot watch, a sports watch and a chronograph.
The Stoic Pilot
The first watch in this new collection is a classic pilot watch which uses perfectly known codes. A simple, robust watch with a highly-legible dial which relies on the iconic design featured of many “WWII-inspired” B-Uhr watches. The steel case of the Stoic Pilot is well-proportioned with a 38mm diameter and 13mm thickness. The shape is traditional and utilitarian, yet it seems to be well-finished with a polished bezel, brushed flat surfaces and polished flanks.
The dial and hands are also classical: a grey, sun-ray brushed dial with large Arabic numerals, a triangle at 12 o’clock and propeller-like hands for good legibility at day or night. The thick leather strap with rivets is also traditionally designed. The Stoic Pilot features a 100m water-resistant case, a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and a deployant “butterfly” buckle.
Behind the see-through case back is a familiar movement: a Seiko NH35 automatic (an unbranded version of the 4R36) with hand-wound capacity, hacking seconds, 3Hz frequency and a 41-hour power reserve. The movement is visible underneath the crystal, printed with the brand’s motto by Seneca “Nothing is ours, except time.” It will be available for USD 390 (shipping costs included).
The Stoic Sports
The second watch in the Stoic World collection is a sportier, more modern iteration of the sports watch concept. An oversized, solid and robust timepiece with a unidirectional rotating bezel, the “Sports” measures 43.5mm in diameter and is presented with a bolder design. Yet, besides the modern dimensions, the overall style is rather vintage, with several gold accents.
The case is again rated to 100m but the display is here different, with the date located at 4:30 o’clock and a 24-hour indication positioned at 10:30. The movement inside is still provided by Seiko but here we find calibre NH37 (same specifications as the NH35, with different complications). The square-patterned dial has applied indices and is hand-coated in a gold colour, a colour also found on the bezel and the crown.
The Stoic Sports is complemented by a heavy Italian leather strap with a stainless steel, double hinged deployment buckle. On the see-through case back, we have the same printed motto “Nothing is ours, except time.” This model will retail for USD 490 (shipping costs included).
The Stoic Chronograph
The third watch in the debut collection is a classical, racing-inspired and vintage-like chronograph – unfortunately powered by a quartz movement, again provided by Seiko. This chronograph has a clear 1960s inspiration, with its “panda” dial, black-coated bezel and steel case – in all fairness, quite some Daytona inspiration there…
This chronograph has a Seiko VD53 quartz movement and is offered on a steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp and with a solid steel back. The Stoic Chronograph will be the most affordable of the three inaugural watches, and priced at USD 290 (shipping costs included).
The Stoic World watches can be pre-ordered as of today – June 18th, 2018 – on the brand’s website here: www.stoicworld.com
15 responses
Well they might do as Kickstarters, but this is a tragic stepdown for Speake-Marin. I shed many tears if this is the future for watch-making.
Wow. I understand these have a low price, but they look like watches from a mall kiosk.
Bad. Simply bad. PN Dayton and Mark XVIII homages, and i dont know what the hell that diver is….these customized Ali Express watches are wastes of good seiko movements. If i had to sum up this effort in one word, its ‘shameful’.
I am shocked that a respected designer with very unique watches would stand behind a brand of shameful knockoffs. I would expect to find these on a sidewalk table in Chinatown. Ghastly.
I’m sorry but anyone, and I mean anyone can approach high output, no-name, Aliexpress-level watch maker in Ghuangzhou and ask them to stamp a name/logo of their choosing for a factory run of 500+ pieces.
Advertising these kind of watches as your “own” is shameful, especially for people with history in real watchmaking, like Peter.
There’s simply nothimg here he should be proud of. Actually it would probably do him best if he quickly divests himself from the brand and these abominations, sorry ;-(
How is this chronograph different from any other daytona rip-off?
I puhed myseklf and managed to find one thing to like about these watches:- Seneca’s quote engraved in the back.
Looks like depression or something close. The inescapable attraction of horological void.
I wonder if IWC Schaffhausen is going to sue him…
This is why I wear 59 year old American designed and made watches
I disagree with the above ten.
Personally as a huge fan of Peter, i’m happy to see him back in the game. I have no problem with him making watches at a good price point that have design elements from other watches as not everyone can afford to by a PN Daytona or an IWC but might love their designs. These watches in my opinion allow people to experience those classic designs without having to break the bank. As someone who has wanted to buy a IWC mark xviii but did not want to pay 3k for one, i’ve bought the Stoic Pilot and cannot wait to see it in the flesh.
WTF? I own an original Speake-Marin Shimoda and for him to cheapen his reputation with this is tragic. These are homage watches and I am being generous in using the word “homage”. We knew there were financial issues when he sold his interest in the brand and tried to spin the reason why it was done. He could have done so much more.
no,
Peter did not stand next to these so-called watches,
never
They say everyone has his price, but we are all surprised at how little it cost to get Speake-Marin to sell out. The result: two unoriginal pieces ripped from the designs of IWC and Rolex, and a third atrocity that whose severe ugliness was likely the result of being the only watch that wasn’t a knockoff of an established watch. Pass.