Packard 1899 Model-A Limited Edition
For some reason there is a Packard watch.
Well, the backstory seems to be that some watchmaker is attempting to resurrect the Packard Motor Company. And there's a watch.
It's an automatic diver, so there is literally nothing interesting to say about it. American assembly.
"A subtle early-century radial pattern completes the design by showcasing an original authentic elegant look."
I think there are 50 of them, one per state? The 1899 is not just a year but also the price. I'm totally serious.
https://packardmotors.us/products/1899-model-a
Q: When did your love for Packard cars and timepieces begin?
A: My love for Packard cars began in 2019 and timepieces long before then. My great-uncle taught me how to fix clocks. I applied my skills to watchmaking as a hobby. In 2010, I decided to do watchmaking for part-time income. In spring 2019, I was driving to an event and saw a 1951 Packard for sale. I stopped, studied its unique design, then called my father who is a retired auto mechanic. He explained how Packard was the pinnacle of the U.S. auto industry for years—the one all others looked up to. I researched the company and found Packard is an American automobile industry icon that made amazing inventions which defined exclusive American elegance and automobiles for generations. I fell in love with what the company came to represent: pure American beauty. I then learned how one of the two Packard brothers who founded the company had a watch collection and high interest in mechanical watch movements.
Q: Packard Motors has released a limited edition debut timepiece, the 1899 model. Is there anything specific that went into the design to make it special as Packard’s original debut timepiece?
A: Yes, it was inspired by the very first Packard car. It was designed by J.W. Packard in 1899. He was challenged to make his own car after complaining about the poor quality of another brand he bought. Challenge accepted, and the response changed the world forever.
https://www.americanessence.com/packard-motors-advertorial_11971.html
Started as a quartzbro goofing on the mechanical snobs, wrote for thetruthaboutwatches.com, and lately started finding forgotten familial vintage watches in need of love.
I like the idea but the execution doesn’t seem quite there yet 🤷
I'd probably be less incensed and more inclined to like it if their own press shot didn't show grime all over the seconds hand...
“It's an automatic diver, so there is literally nothing interesting to say about it.”
This pretty much sums it up for me.
I can't make the connection between the Packard plant and the aesthetics of this offering. The dial resembles a camera shutter, not a car, motor, tires, rims/spokes, etc. Looks like the Bond dial in my opinion.
The Packard plant is all but torn down. The plans are to erect high end condos and shops. So if I have this watch and am visiting Detroit i will have to look at pictures.
I'm not a fan of disparaging anyone's work, that being said this is not a very thoughtful attempt visually to depict a part of Detroit history.
I own brief cases that lean towards the Motor City and have at least integrated "tire treads" on the product, etc.
Thanks for posting Oscar.
I can't make the connection between the Packard plant and the aesthetics of this offering. The dial resembles a camera shutter, not a car, motor, tires, rims/spokes, etc. Looks like the Bond dial in my opinion.
The Packard plant is all but torn down. The plans are to erect high end condos and shops. So if I have this watch and am visiting Detroit i will have to look at pictures.
I'm not a fan of disparaging anyone's work, that being said this is not a very thoughtful attempt visually to depict a part of Detroit history.
I own brief cases that lean towards the Motor City and have at least integrated "tire treads" on the product, etc.
Thanks for posting Oscar.
To be polite, I also thought this was in no way the ornate, or at least sumptuous, pre-war styling that one would expect. And that it looked like the 007 gun barrel.
The clash between the glorious art deco typography of the logo and the derivative modernism of the case, markers, bezel is horrendous.
Misaligned bezel, crooked 12 o'clock indexes, grimey looking seconds hand. Not to mention a dial so "basic" it's watch version of a Karen with a pumpkin spice latte. That's a hard pass for me. I wouldn't buy it with stolen money.
@PoorMansRolex for once we agree on something 🤣
I think the box it comes with more reflects the era the car was founded in than the watch does.
I can't make the connection between the Packard plant and the aesthetics of this offering. The dial resembles a camera shutter, not a car, motor, tires, rims/spokes, etc. Looks like the Bond dial in my opinion.
The Packard plant is all but torn down. The plans are to erect high end condos and shops. So if I have this watch and am visiting Detroit i will have to look at pictures.
I'm not a fan of disparaging anyone's work, that being said this is not a very thoughtful attempt visually to depict a part of Detroit history.
I own brief cases that lean towards the Motor City and have at least integrated "tire treads" on the product, etc.
Thanks for posting Oscar.
I wouldn't call your remarks disparaging. Constructive criticism of one's artistic or engineering work is how progress is made. This to me is neither. Just a thinley veiled money grab.
The clash between the glorious art deco typography of the logo and the derivative modernism of the case, markers, bezel is horrendous.
I'd need an art student to tell my what the style of the logo typeface is, but I don't think it is art deco. It is indeed very discordant to the rest of the watch.
I think the box it comes with more reflects the era the car was founded in than the watch does.
I was thinking of adding that shot as a second image but I was too lazy.
The packaging is indeed more on theme.
I was thinking of adding that shot as a second image but I was too lazy.
The packaging is indeed more on theme.
Thanks for adding the pic… did not have time when I added my comment as I had a meeting I had to get to.
What is up with that Bond dial? Omega at least had the decency to put that awful thing on caseback
Not to mention it is everything but dial 1:1 rip off of previous Hydroconquest. Somebody is getting sued from Swatch group soon. And the funniest thing is they charge 50% more for this crap🤣 wtf have they been smoking
As a watch enthusiast, car enthusiast, designer, and native Detroiter, I can't see the connection between this watch and Packard's history, its cars, its era, its factory, or even a poetic interpretation of its brand essence.
The marketing copy—somewhere in between Chat GPT 0.1 and Google translate—is even less confidence-inspiring given the bad grammar, typos, and misused words.
I wouldn't be so hard on it if it wasn't $2000, but that's a price you have to earn with exceptional design and finishing. This is ultimately a parts-bin execution...and a bit of a missed opportunity to create a timepiece that truly evokes a golden age of American industrial design and opulence.
Who would be silly enough to wear a watch touting an automobile? This guy right here.
Best of luck to this guy as he pursues his interests, but I'm not seeing the connection between the sweeping elegance of a Packard and this kinda clunky dive watch. I guess a space watch would be farther afield, but at least you can time things with those?
Perhaps if they try a second release, something dressy-sporty would work better. Even a retro-inspired field!
I don't know about you but the first thing I thought when I saw the dial is, "Whoa, is someone making a homage of the Speedmaster Bond anniversary watch?"
The case looks very Longines
Ahem..
Seriously? I see this pattern every morning when I unplug the sink after I finish shaving and there is nothing elegant about it whatsoever.
I don't see how this homage to a Pagani Design diver's is going to revive Packard. I still wish them the best, thought, and if it all fails they can start again and try to revive Trabant.
Unless it has 16 mainsprings I don’t want one!
I think they should invest the fist $1,899 they get on a better website 😂