Wolbrook, Lake & Sons and Watch Gang 9-Dufa,

In 2019 I saw a Kickstarter ad on Facebook for Wolbrook watches. I liked the design of the vintage dive watch, and the whole origin story of being Neil Armstrong's watch.

But I also did a bit of research. Neil Armstrong did have a Wolbrook watch, apparently from when he was a test pilot and he gave it to his brother (or father). On the moon, he, like the rest of the NASA astronauts, wore the Omega Speedmasters they were issued. 

I liked the look, especially the red bezel, and it seemed like a fun watch to own. It also reminded me of the skindiver watch my parents bought me in high school. It was supposed to arrive at the start Summer of 2020, and I justified the price as an early birthday present to myself.

Then Covid locked down the world.

The Wolbrook people regularly sent out emails talking about their supply chain issues, and I think I finally got the watch 4 months after their projection.

It's a great watch! They've got several watches now, but this one is a Skindiver WT, currently sold out on their website. It's got a Miyota movement and a sapphire crystal. I really like the magnification above the date, and it has a very bright lume. The band has broken in nicely as well, and it's very comfortable to wear. Initially, I was surprised by the size-it's a bit smaller then many of my watches, (especially the ones that have been sent to me by Watchgang), but it's very comfortable on my wrist.

This Lake & Sons I kind of tripped over. I had bought my son a Vaer S5 field watch for his college graduation, since he does not share my passion for watches. I figured the Vaer was a solid watch that was unique and not too expensive. Not everyone will have one, but it's still a basic watch that those in the know will be somewhat impressed with.

When I saw the watch, I thought it had a good look, but I wanted the A5, their automatic watch. While looking at that, I noticed the Bulova Hack watch and the Hamilton Khaki had a similar look, and all were at a similar price point. (A side note, I just saw that the Bulova is down around $200...). I started to Google hacking military style watches, and came across this one.

Lake & Sons is based in St. Paul, Minn., and sells men's gifts and accessories. This is the Pilot Watch, and it currently sold out. I had a discount, so I think I paid just a touch over $100 for it. It was limited to 500 pieces, this being 468, and has a Seiko movement and sapphire crystal. 

The band is a little flimsy, but I've had it for over a year and haven't felt compelled to change it. It's 40 mm, which is the same size as the Vaer and larger then the Bulova or Hamilton, but it's not a huge watch. My only complaint, if I have to have one, is that the lume is pretty much non-existent. You can see my review on their website-it's a great watch. 

Every few months I check the Lake & Sons site to see if they come up with another watch that I might want.

The DuFa

The DuFa arrived in a white box that said 'DUFA' and inside it came plastic wrapped on a grey pillow. It has clean lines, and interestingly, it is made in Germany. A quick glance at the DuFa website finds several German made watches, and several references to Bauhaus design. 'Bauhaus' is an art and design movement which is geometrically based and features no sentiment or emotion.

This particular watch is the 'Polar White' and retails for $386. It has a Seiko meca-quartz movement, though I don't understand why since it has only three hands, and measures out a 42mm. As always, I had to remove a few links from the bracelet, and wearing it now is comfortable. It's not too heavy and has no sharp edges.

Many watches are pictured on the website, ranging from $282 to $711, though many are labeled as 'coming soon,' and have no price listed. At one time, Germany made quality time pieces, almost on par with the Swiss, but the movements of all the watches I looked at are either Japanese or Swiss made. Not a bad thing, but not a big selling point either.

Interestingly, the lume is on only the hands and the 12 o'clock marker. It would appear that the hours would also have lume, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I've worn it several times since I've taken it out of the box. It's a little bigger than I like-I think my preferred watch face size is 40mm, but it's very comfortable to wear. I don't have any others like it, and unlike some of the odd colors I've gotten from Watchgang, the white face always goes with what I'm wearing. It's a casual watch that dresses up well. At first, I wasn't too sure what to make of it, but now I like it.