As I covered just last week, Tom Ford has some rules for wearing watches in 2019. We knew from his recent runway show and release that his eponymous brand was gearing up to release its second wristwatch, this time a round model. It comes just a year after releasing the Tank style, quartz powered Tom Ford 001 collection (covered in-depth in the previous link).
Well, the Tom Ford 002 collection has been officially released, and it’s about what we expected. There’s some stuff to like and a lot not to like, so let’s dig in real quick. As promised, the 002 collection has a circular case, measuring 40mm in diameter. This seems a bit big for a bezel-less dress watch, but whatever. I also haven’t seen any thickness measurements yet, but I doubt it sits thin: the straps do this weird nato-like thing where they loop through the lugs. This is surely because Tom Ford is intent on selling you multiple straps, and making straps easy to change like this will encourage such additional purchases. But, it’s going to make the watch sit oddly on the wrist, I’d think.
The watch comes in a mechanical automatic version priced at $3,590, and a quartz version, starting at $2,590. The mechanical pieces have — what I have to admit is a nicely executed — date window, while the quartz pieces are time only. But, the quartz models eschew the seconds hand, so you won’t have to endure the dreaded quartz tick (which Tom Ford himself has admitted he hates).
Tom Ford says the timepieces are made in Switzerland, while the straps come from Italy. As I covered recently, being made in Switzerland isn’t easy, but it’s also not difficult. Tom Ford is producing its watches with Bedrock Manufacturing, the parent company of Shinola, which uses Ronda as its Swiss manufacturing partner.
Ronda makes only one mechanical movement, released in 2016, the R150, or “Ronda Mecano,” so I imagine that’s what Tom Ford is using in its automatic pieces. The movement was designed to be a “replacement” for the common ETA 2824, so has a similar size and a power reserve of 40 hours.
Listen, the 002 collection is a high price point for what’s the equivalent of an ETA 2824. For example, if you look at our list of great watches with ETA 2824 movements, you’ll find some viable options under $1,000. If you’re paying for something from Tom Ford, you’re paying for the brand as much as anything, but at this price point, you can walk over to the Cartier boutique and have some great options as well. Hell, you can go with a vintage Rolex Ref. 1600 or Ref. 1603 Datejust for the same price as the automatic 002, and get yourself a watch that won’t depreciate in value by 75 percent the minute you strap it on your wrist.
Tom Ford has been blazing trails in the fashion industry for decades, and it’s clear he’s now blazing a bold new trail for fashion watches. Not a ton of brands have tried to charge this much for a fashion watch, but if anyone can do it (and get away with it) it’s Tom.
Summary:
Price: $2,590 (quartz) | $3,590 (automatic)
Movement: Ronda quartz | Ronda R150 (automatic)
Size: 40mm diameter
Style: Dress