Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Wren Vessel
It's not often that a microbrand makes a complete pivot in design language. In fact, I'd argue that it's rarely advisable. Once you've built an audience around your existing design codes, introducing a product with virtually zero overlap with what your customers already love is a massive gamble. But NYC-based microbrand Wren, created by Craig Karger of Wrist Enthusiast, has taken that risk today with a completely new design called the Wren Vessel. Last year, I spent some time with the Wren Diver 38 models, which stuck to the brand's singular design language centered around vintage dive watches. Not the most groundbreaking concept in the microbrand space, even if the watches are impressively specced for the price point. But I think it's quite interesting to see that the brand's ambitions are much higher than what it's currently offering, and today's new watch marks the next step for Wren. For this new watch, the brand teams up with designer Max Resnick, a watch designer with a background in automotive design who's done work for other microbrands like VPC, Traska, and Anoma. The final result feels quite original, despite the high-level concept of a modern, integrated sports watch being explored by many brands in many other ways. Wren logo aside, the Vessel shares almost no similarities with the rest of the brand's designs. The Vessel brings a new, integrated(ish) bracelet design that feels almost retrofuturistic in its silhouette, with a generally tonneau shape but executed ...
