Kickstarter – Back from the future with the TiMe22 Robusto Automatic

There are many different types of watch projects being proposed on Kickstarter, but it’s our job to sort through and find the new up and coming ideas that tick off a few crucial boxes, here at Monochrome-Watches. We like to see pieces with re-introduced mechanical movement, combined with an innovative design or function. The TiMe22 Robusto Automatic, with a retro design and futuristic construction seems to fit perfectly into our gauge.

Designed with inspiration coming from the 1970’s rebellious fashion movement, or even more specifically “the Pulsar watch”, the Robusto maintains a very similar clunky kind of style, with a large thick bezel that levels off flat with the crystal. It’s a little bit of an odd look, but after inspecting the details and gazing into it’s reminiscing shape, a feeling of curiosity prevails along with the urge to fasten it onto the wrist.

The story behind this watch begins with Stefan and Marc from the Netheralands, both engineers and born in 1970. They grew up in the midst of a fashion revolution, they watched year by year as the watch industry bounced between a huge variety of styles. One style caught the attention of both of them, and so they now share the same dream of bringing back an iconic retro look with a modern cutting edge twist.

They’ve come up with the Robusto, a high quality timepiece on another level. It’s constructed with Ti5 Titanium, the same Titanium used in the aerospace industry, which is classified as “Grade-5” and one of the strongest alloys available. It comes in two dial choices, Royal Blue or Mocha – Imperial Red and Lunar Black will also be available once the Kickstarter project reaches the 30,000 Euros milestone.

The Robusto has a hexagonal 45mm case, and it has a brushed finish that is scratch resistant. It’s also virtually indestructible, is waterproof up to 200 meters (suitable for divers), and comes with a lifetime warranty. Stefan and Marc have big confidence behind their dream.

Dutch engineering wouldn’t be complete with a little help from the Swiss, at least in the case of the Robusto, which has an automatic Swiss ETA movement. This is the same movement used in many other luxury watch companies. The movement chosen matches the construction quality very well; it’s powerful and reliable… So-to-say, a workhorse.

The big question remains: is there a market out there for this watch? It’s undoubtedly unique, and has a proven past in terms of it’s style.

But the overall desire for a timepiece like this may be present only in Europe, where minimalism with a twist is slightly more popular. Although it’s possible the advanced features and functional wearability may spark interest in America as well. We will only really know once the watch has officially launched, which could be as soon as February 2017.

You can view or contribute to the Kickstarter project page here. The opening retail price listed is 899 Euros, which is a significant increase from the early Bird version which launched at 489 Euros. This is a watch built for a lifetime of use, so the price seems reasonable.

If you want to view more details or fund the project, you can view the Kickstarter page by clicking here.

This article is written by Matthew Catellier, who covers “Value Propositions” for Monochrome, and also publishes affordable timepieces on his own website Watch Review Blog.