Value Proposition – The E.C.Andersson North Sea, a robust sports watch with Seiko mechanical movement

Launching a watch brand is not that simple, mainly because you have to face an established industry, with its brands, its suppliers and its habits (and some are secular ones…) The watchmaking industry was extremely difficult with newcomers, until our 2.0 era brought to small independent people, however full of ideas, a process called crowdfunding. E.C.Andersson is among them, with the idea of a sporty pillow-shaped watch with a smaller size than the most famous of all the pillow watches (a certain Officine…), with mechanical movement, for a low price and with nice design. Here is the E.C.Andersson North Sea.

Just like most of the newcomers, the brand / watch we’re about to show you will be marketed through Kickstarter, with this campaign. This tool remains clearly today the best possible option to launch a brand with low investments, to test the reaction of the market and to pre-finance projects. Only a few campaigns actually succeed however, it is not surprising to see that the E.C.Andersson North Sea already has a strong success.

The idea behind E.C.Andersson North Sea was simple: the pillow-shaped oyster cases from the 1920s to the 1940s, however in a regular, more elegant and easier-on-the-wrist size. Without naming the exact reference – most of you must have spot a certain Italian brand – the North Sea is clearly inspired by military pieces and the marine world. The shape of the case, the style of the dial, its markers and tracks, everything recalls vintage elements, however the overall partition played by the E.C.Andersson North Sea remains satisfyingly modern. And while the market tends to offer sports watches with immense diameters, this watch combines the benefit of robustness with a certain elegance and reasonable proportions.

The E.C.Andersson North Sea is first of all a robust, all-rounder watch, made to be used and abused. On the other hand, the founder, Erik C Andersson wanted this same watch to be used once out of his sail boat, in a more formal environment once docked in harbor – so to say, he wanted a watch usable in all the possible conditions, elegant enough to be worn in business conditions and robust enough to resist to the harsh climate out at sea. Thus, the North Sea watch features a stainless steel case (made in Switzerland), with brushed surfaces and sharp angles – sharper than the aforementioned Italian brand. On the other hand, the case measures only 40mm in diameter, 10mm in thickness and shows nice details, such as a polished bevels on the lugs or a polished bezel. In the same vein, the crown is not protected, to keep the design pure.

As for the dial, the idea is the same: some sporty and vintage elements, such as the matte black dial or the military-inspired markings, mixed however with more contemporary and elegant aspects – such as the metallic applied markers or the date disc, positioned voluntarily extremely close to the center of the dial. The movement is not Swiss made but produced by Seiko. The E.C.Andersson North Sea Watch indeed features a Seiko NH05. Like all the Seiko production, this automatic movement will offer precision and reliability for decades. It also differentiate this watch from all the other crowdfunded pieces, powered by Miyota, Sellita or other ETA clones. The Seiko movement of the North Sea watch has 50 hours of power reserve, a quick date and stop-seconds mechanism. Then again, such a movement will allow the wearer to have his mind free and to be able to use and abuse of his watch, with no restrictions.

The E.C.Andersson North Sea is delivered with a textured rubber strap and can also receive a mesh metallic bracelet in option (for an extra $50). Prices for this watch start at $495 (approx. €420). Deliveries are expected in December 2016. Orders can be made through the Kickstarter campaign here.

Specifications of the E.C.Andersson North Sea

• Case: 40mm diameter, 10mm thickness – 316L stainless steel, brushed and polished – sapphire crystal on front – 100m water resistant
• Movement: Seiko NH05 – automatic winding – power reserve of 50 hours – hours, minutes, seconds, date
• Strap: rubber stop with steel folding clasp