The Automotive Inspired Xetum Kendrick Watch

April is a month of frenzy in the world of watches, mainly because of Baselworld, the Mecca for watch-enthusiasts. Living up to the expectations, is San Francisco-based luxury watch startup Xetum Automatic Watches with their latest offering, the Xetum Kendrick. While I appreciate well-designed watches very much, I am more passionate about the ones that tell a story. The good news is that Xetum Kendrick is both well designed and has a good story to tell.

Designed in California and made in Switzerland, just like the rest of its siblings in the Xetum collection, the Xetum Kendrick is inspired by automotive instruments, which guide the design. So while the designers looked towards dashboards that made a strong statement, the direction they took was in favor of a design that was uncluttered and subtle in execution. These elements are reflected both on the dial and with the watch hands.

The Xetum Kendrick is purposely modern in design and comes in bold colors of red and blue. This is a significant departure from their previous collections, which were mainly in monochromatic scheme. The watches come teamed with matching NATO straps and a black rubber strap, all exclusive to the Kendrick. In line with the spring/summer collection!

Besides the automotive accents to the design, the other story that Xetum essays is their commitment to the environment. All Kendrick watches come in a watch-box crafted out of solid rubberwood. This environmentally friendly wood is harvested from the trees that have already lived their lifespan and are on their way to be used as firewood. So instead of being reduced to ashes, they are used to craft boxes, thus extending their purposeful life. And of course the watch has been christened “Kendrick”, commemorating a peak of a summit in Yosemite.

While the watch may be Swiss-made, there are subtle hints pointing towards the home state as well.

The Xetum Kendrick collection features bold automotive-inspired dials, paired with NATO or rubber straps – a distinctive new look for the Xetum collection.

Movement

  • ETA 2824 Swiss automatic movement
  • Hour, minute, and center second hand
  • Date indicator
  • 28,800 vibrations per hour
  • 38-hour power reserve

Case

  • 316L stainless steel case
  • Screw down crown
  • 40mm diameter
  • 10 ATM (100 meters) water resistant
  • Dial and hands
  • Black dial (with teal or white numerals) or white dial
  • (with black numerals)
  • Super-LumiNova on hour/minute hands

Crystal

  • Sapphire front crystal with anti-reflective coating
  • K1 hardened mineral crystal on exhibition back

Strap and buckle

  • Rubber strap or NATO nylon strap

Xetum Automatic Watches [ Buy it Here ]