The vast majority of watches are factory-made products, and this is fine. They are machines after all, and as consumers, we expect the watch we order to look exactly like the watch in the photo, which will be exactly like every other unit ordered by every other consumer. Factories are good at that. But some watchmakers do things a bit differently, taking a personal, hands-on approach. Their watches are not mass-produced clones but individual creations to which they impart a bit of the watchmaker’s own distinctive technique and personality. Such is the case with John McConnico’s aptly named Bespoke Watch Projects, like the Intaglio collection I am reviewing today.
I met John at the 2019 Wind-up NYC watch fair and I discovered that he was not only a die-hard enthusiast and an accomplished designer but also a genuinely nice guy. It was my pleasure to reconnect with him last year and I was delighted when he said he would send his new line to the District Time show. As I take my review notes, I am sitting in front of a huge box, packed full of signs, displays, and rows and rows of watches. I’m tempted to rip into all of them like a kid on Christmas morning, but instead, I’ll focus on just a few examples, including a special watch that John created just to be given away at District Time (this weekend, March 5-6, 2022, be there!).
Bespoke’s approach offers buyers a selection of components to create their preferred watch. The dials are finished by hand and everything is assembled in the Bespoke workshop. Handmade bridle leather straps complete the picture. Everything is done in small batches. You can peruse the Readymade section of the website for a selection of pre-assembled models, or head to the Made-To-Order page to choose a pre-set but unbuilt combination, or to design your own on the interactive configurator. Want yours with a lefty crown? Bespoke can do that too.
For the Intaglio collection, buyers have the choice of 36mm, 37mm, or 38mm cases, all of which are different shapes. For this review, I got the new 38mm tonneau, which is available in brushed/polished stainless steel, or with PVD black or gold finishes. It is just 10mm thick and short lugs keep the 38mm to a compact 46mm long. That slimness is accentuated by the arc of the lugs and a polished chamfer that vanishes as it approaches the mid-case. You all know I love a good dome so it will come as no surprise that the sapphire box crystal drew me right in. It boasts five layers of anti-reflective coating on the inside and raises the overall thickness to 12mm.
I have found that 37-38mm watches wear quite well on my 6.75″ wrist and this one is no exception. Despite its modest size, the Intaglio 38 Tonneau comes off as more tool watch than dress watch. I credit this to the brushed finish and barrel shape, as well as the dome’s height and the proportionately broad 20mm strap. Speaking of tool watch elements, a signed screw-down crown is a nice touch. It is slightly recessed to tighten the lines of the case and helps seal the Intaglio to an impressive 200m.
Once you have settled on a case, you can let loose with 18 dials, 16 handsets, 16 second hands, 7 straps, and 3 movements: STP1-11, ETA 2824-2, and ETA 2824-2 with perlage finishing. There are no bad choices among these movements. All are Swiss, all are based on the 2824 architecture, and all should provide long life and easy servicing. In practical terms, the biggest difference will be the view through the display case back. Personally, I’d go for the STP1-11 as it costs the same as the standard ETA but is decorated comparably to the pricier perlage.
As cool as the other bits may be, the dials set these watches apart. Intaglio is a printing process in which an image is incised onto a plate and filled with ink. John has brass, copper, sterling silver, and gold alloy at his disposal, and some very definite ideas about how to employ them. With the exception of those that are completely sterile, each design is immediately recognizable as a Bespoke Watch Projects product, even when the stacked-circle logo is not present. McConnico clearly likes indexes with long, slender markers that reach deep towards the center, concentric patterns, lightweight typefaces, and the occasional nod to Bauhaus sensibilities. They look thoroughly modern yet remain comfortably grounded in familiar watch face designs. It’s a neo-retro aesthetic that works beautifully.
I had a choice of 15 watches (as will you if you attend the District Time show) and decided on the Super 60 Black and Brass, the Pulsometer, the Monobander Copper, and the giveaway special which features a sterile blue “Modèle Nu” radial dial. Of the four, the Pulsometer may be the most conventional but where other watches keep their specialized indexes on the perimeter of the dial, the Bespoke makes it the main attraction, drawing the lines inward to compress the primary dial. Blued dauphine hands and a red second hand pop against the eggshell white surface and the olive strap is an unexpected contrast in both color and tone.
The Super 60 employs a similar “big index” look but in this case, with a decidedly military bend. Not that the Roman numerals clustered in that center dial and the impossibly long indices look like any army-issued watch I’ve ever seen, but the lumed post hands and overall layout conveys the message while still standing quite on its own. The engraving is more apparent in this brass dial, particularly on the thick numerals, and the rough texture of the brass markings provides a stark contrast to the lush sunray black surface.
For something a little farther off the beaten path, try the Monobander Copper. There are not many watches with patinated copper dials. John handles that as well, chemically aging the metal until it is the right mottled gray. It’s a raw and moody backdrop for the penny-color numbers and the trippy concentric design filling your view. Sword hands filled with vintage orange lume offer the perfect complement. Again, John has created an antiquated quality, not just in the weathered finish but also the Art Deco typeface. Yet you would never think it was an antique as the layout is clearly fresh and modern.
Finally, we get to the Modèle Nu with its wild radial swirl of blue and zinc. For the show prize piece, John went for a black case and hands for this one. Even the lume is black, letting the dial take center stage, accompanied by the pops of orange in the strap and second hand. It’s a fun watch and unapologetically contemporary. Much to my surprise, that black lume actually lit, although you shouldn’t expect it to last as long as a lighter color would.
The District Time prize watch features the ETA 2824-2 with the Bespoke rotor and comes packed in a special wooden box. I think it’s a real eye-catcher and a heck of a giveaway. The prize draw will take place at the show on Sunday, March 6 and you have got to be there to win.
The Bespoke Watch Projects Intaglio 38 collection sells from $775 – $1135 depending on model and configuration. That price range is more than fair for a custom-built watch with these specs, a handmade dial, and a Swiss automatic movement. In fact, it actually strikes me as kind of a bargain. Head over to BespokeWatchProjects.com to work up your own creation, or better still, swing by District Time this weekend and check them out in person.
