Today, were going to look at two Kickstarter projects, two very different approaches to wrist watches. While the Tatoskok by ManchesterWatchWorks (MWW) is a sporty looking diver designed for the explorer in you, Travisleon’s Heirloom Series is a classic dress watch collection for the more formal occasions.

ManchesterWatchWorks Tatoskok

Designed in Manchester VT, the Tatoskok – a Native American name of a water beast that used to live in the Lake Champlain – is the contemporary incarnation of a diver tool.

The more I look at it, the more I realize the wealth of tiny details that make this watch quite a uniquely designed piece. There are no superfluous features and design elements, everything has a purpose and the proportions are right.

This is MWW’s second shot at this project. Last autumn, the quartz version TatoskoQ failed to raise the necessary funds, this time they are back with an automatic model, powered by a Miyota 9015.

If the stainless steel case is 42.5 mm, the knurled unidirectional bezel is 43 mm, offering a good grip when rotating it. The same knurled pattern is present on the crown at 4 o’clock.

The textured dial features thick, layered C3 lumed markers and a 12:00 marker inspired by the American diver down flag.
The Tatoskok will come with a black PU strap and engraved buckle.

On Kickstarter, pre-order prices range from $230 to $206. For more details and pictures, head over to http://kck.st/1AHezeM

Travisleon Heirloom Series

The Heirloom Series represent Travisleon’s debut as a watch brand. They don’t hide their source of inspiration, which are the Calatrava models made by Patek in the 30’s.

The Heirloom Series offers four flavours: stainless steel, rose gold plated, white dial, black dial and a combination of these. The dial features index sticks and raised dots as well as dauphine hands. The case is 40 mm in diameter and 10 mm in height, including the domed sapphire crystal.

The see-through back will unveil the customized Miyota 9015, with a cote de Geneve dec orated rotor featuring the Travisleon logo. On top of this, the rose gold PVD model will have the rotor coated with rose gold.

On Kickstarter, the reserve price ranges from $279 CAD to $319 CAD, or bundles starting at $538 to $1088 CAD for the hard core fans of Travisleon. More about this project at http://kck.st/1sjEwiV