Worn & Wound
Review: the Holthinrichs Signature Ornament LAB Series 1.24
One of the most satisfying experiences you can have when you write about watches is when a new piece completely meets or exceeds all of your expectations. This is a somewhat rare occurrence. When you see as many watches as we do, we notice all the little imperfections, compromises, and, sometimes, flat out mistakes. It means that even when we like a watch a lot our minds naturally go right to the idiosyncrasies that make it less than perfect. Because, after all, no watch is perfect. There are always small things that will bother you or that you wish had been handled in a slightly different way. But then, sometimes, a watch comes along that legitimately stuns you. Even better when it’s from a brand that you’ve been waiting literally years to see if they could live up to the lofty ambitions they set for themselves, that they told you about over coffee in Geneva at an impromptu meeting with a table spread with rather rough prototypes. Holthinrichs is a brand that’s been on my radar for just about as long as the brand has existed. Their design language, inspired by architecture, the elegant lines of classic sports cars, and their home city of Delft, is infused with a uniquely Dutch sensibility, and has always grabbed me. Brand founder Michiel Holthinrichs has emerged as one of contemporary indie watchmaking’s great characters. I hope he’d take it as a compliment if I described him as Biver-esque, but there’s some connective tissue there for sure in the way Mich...
