From the Grönefeld Brothers, a New Brand, GRØNE, and an Affordable New Watch, the Manueel One
A new brand is the talk of the watch world today, and the latest example of a trend we’ve seen developing over the last several years. GRØNE is the new project from Bart and Tim Grönefeld, the brothers behind the Grönefeld brand, one of the most acclaimed indies in the world. Following in the footsteps of the M.A.D. 1 project, Kurono Tokyo, and others, the brand exists as a way for admirers of a high priced independent maker to buy into the aesthetic and perspective of the brand at a much more affordable price point. The first release from GRØNE, the Manueel One, carries a retail price of just 2,150 Euros. At retail, Grönefeld watches start at around 50,000 Euros and go up from there. They are also very low production, with fewer than 100 pieces made each year. The Manueel One, according to Bart and Tim, was inspired by a desire to bring their watches to “our our watchmakers, our children, and our friends.” If this sentiment sounds familiar, it’s nearly identical to Max Büsser’s reasoning behind the M.A.D. 1 project, which was initially only offered to friends of the brand, including partners that Max and his team had worked with for years. Like the M.A.D. 1, the Manueel One borrows some aesthetic and design principles from the higher priced watches the brand is known for, but it does so without the serious attention to craft and watchmaking you’d get with an atelier made timepiece. That’s to be expected, of course. Anyone thinking that an order for t...
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