Removing the battery, circuit boards and pieces of plastic in favor of gears, springs, weights and pieces of surgical steel is bound to lead to increase in price for the timekeeping device you wear on your wrist. Fortunately for all of us, Martenero found a way to release their Ace and Founder models just shy of $500. Inspired by the classic pilot watch (Ace) and 60s / 70s sports watches (Founder), each watch is made from surgical steel, hand built and features a dial and second hand color customized by you. Martenero also packages each individually numbered watch with a handmade leather strap and a waterproof NATO strap in one of eight colors, so you don’t even have to upgrade it yourself.
More Watches
Our 15 Favorite Watches Under $100
Luxury goods offer heritage, stories, and style. But those qualities are not mutually exclusive to affordability.
Uncovering Fiction’s Mystery Watches, From Bond to Gatsby
We’re unpacking the real-world inspirations behind the most enviable—but unnamed—timepieces throughout fiction.
The echo/neutra Cortina Is the Ultimate Affordable Luxury Watch
The Cortina 1956 Chrono comes in at a fraction of the Omega’s lofty $8,100 price tag—and it may turn more heads than its Swiss counterpart.