SJX Watches
Garrick Debuts an Affordable, Contemporary Take on English Watchmaking
Garrick is a newish independent watch brand based in Norfolk, England. Founded in 2014, it specialises in watches inspired by historical English watchmaking, exemplified by the S1, an elaborately-conceived, but pricey, timepiece. Now the brand has launched its most compelling buy to date, the Garrick S4. Like its earlier model, the S4 still possesses many elements drawn from English watches of yore, but is executed more simply. The S4 still boasts an unusual level of hand-finished details – including a barrel and crown wheel cover decorated with floral engraving and hand-finished bevelling – but is priced far more accessibly, with a retail price that starts under US$6,000 before taxes. Initial thoughts While independent-watchmaking startups are proliferating, most don’t diverge too far from each other; many focus on dial and case designs that are modern looking, think Ming and Sartory Billard. The Garrick S4 is unusual, particularly in two attributes that set it apart – traditional, pocket watch-inspired design and hand-finished details – which bring to mind an earlier generation of independent watchmakers like D. Dornblüth & Sohn. The most discernible feature of the S4 is the dial, which is unabashedly classical in style. But like the pocket watches that inspire it, the dial has depth, thanks to a multiple-part construction and varied surface finishes, including an engine-turned seconds register. Over on the back, the view is necessarily simpler than that ...
