Kickstarter Watch of the Week: HTD Watches

Kickstarter is brimming with great watches from all over the world, most of which we will probably (and unfortunately) never get to see. This is why we are all the more happy to have discovered the young Italians behind HTD Watches (Horological Tools Department) in the course of our Kickstarter Watch of the Week research.

The brand immediately stands out from the crowd with their racing chronographs and thereby impressively proves that Italian watches are more than just Locman, U-Boat or Anonimo. Join us as we take a closer look at the brand.

2 Collections, 4 Watches

HTD Watches is the result of two Italian designers, Federico Del Guerra and Federico Zulian, and thousands of hours on the drawing board. Their shared passion for watchmaking and design resulted in two collections that wonderfully capture the spirit of past decades. Although they make no secret of the fact that they work closely with a company from Hong Kong, they fully operate from Florence. Here, in the cradle of the Italian Renaissance and cultural world metropolis, the beautiful watches are designed, but also assembled and maintained to ensure the best possible after-sales service.

Working closely at their side is Renzo, a watchmaking veteran from Florence, who is known far beyond the city’s borders. However, it is not only watchmaking know-how that the experienced watchmaker provides, but also a great deal of inspiration. Renzo’s neighbor was once Piero, a racing driver and owner of an autofficina (car repair shop), who dedicated his life to motor sports.

The Hesagraph

It all started with the Hesagraph collection, which pays tribute to the racing of the late 50s and 60s and is made for the wrist of “King of Cool” Steve McQueen. Just like the racing bikes of the time, the watches in this collection are too good to be just marveled at.

The watches of the collection are all manual-wound chronographs. The column wheel chronograph caliber Seagull ST1901, which is largely based on the Venus 175, is the caliber of choice here. If you now think that this is just another Chinese clone, you are mistaken: The Tianjin Watch Factory, which produces said Seagull caliber, not only purchased the manufacturing rights to the Venus 175 in 1962, but also part of the original production machinery.

Another feature all of the Hesagraph watches have in common is their 39mm case diameter, which not only perfectly matches the chronographs of the 50s and 60s, but is still considered a perfect universal size and should appeal to most watch enthusiasts these days. All watches either come with a leather strap or a on a stainless-steel bracelet and have a more than fair starting price of 299€.

The HTD Hesagraph watches at a glance:

• Case diameter: 39mm
• Lug-to-Lug: 48,5mm
• Movement: Manual wound
• Calibre: Seagull ST19
• Power reserve: 42h
• Glass: Hesalite
• Case height: 13mm
• Lug width: 20mm

Hesagraph Pure Speed   

What makes the watches in the Hesagraph collection different, however, is their dial designs. With the “Pure Speed” you get a chronograph without any frills, but with maximum readability: white lettering and white indices on a black background and two sub dials for the chronograph at 3 and 9 o’clock. That’s it, maximum legibility.

Hesagraph Cannoli

If you are a fan of the Panda dial, you will have great fun with the “Cannoli”. Foodies might now instinctively think of the Italian tube-shaped pastries and are actually not so wrong: The creamy off-white dial is reminiscent of the filling of the sweet temptation from Sicily.

Hesagraph X-RA

The last version is a bit more colourful and even considered a weirdo by HTD themselves. The Hesagraph “X-RA” attracts attention by the orange hands and the red-black sub dial.

Welcome to the Jungle

In addition to the HTD Hesagraph, you find the beautiful HTD Jungle. It is a watch designed for the modern adventurer, with espionage, jungle, shot down planes and underwater missions being its leitmotifs. In case you’ve always desired a pinch of more adrenaline in your life, the Jungle is your go-to HDT watch.

Visually, the Jungle is a close relative of the Hesagraph series, i.e. same case dimensions and dial layout, while boasting one significant difference: the 120-click diver’s bezel. In addition, the Jungle is somewhat similar to the Hesagraph X-RA in terms of design language with its colourful appearance. The yellow chapter ring around the minute marker and the two-color totaliser at 3 o’clock add a refreshing touch to the watch.

The HTD Jungle at a glance:

• Limited Edition: 333 pieces
• Case diameter: 39mm
• Lug-to-Lug: 48,5mm
• Movement: Manual wound
• Calibre: Seagull ST19
• Power reserve: 42h
• Glass: Hesalite
• Case height: 13mm
• Lug width: 20mm
• Bezel: 120 clicks

HTD Watches from Italy

So, why is HTD from Florence our this week’s Kickstarter brand?

Well, for 300€ you can get here, in our eyes, an optically and technically very sophisticated chronograph. The 39mm case is very well executed, the Hesalite glass gives the watch a proper portion of vintage charm and the movement is more than reliable. At this point we deliberately refrain from using the term “workhorse”, but the Seagull ST19 series has been in use for decades and just runs and runs and runs. Purists may pick at the missing movement finish or Chinese heritage, but the fact remains that HTD Watches offers you a damned lot of watch in a very attractive total package and for an incredible price point.

More info about the guys behind HTD Watches and their cool watches can be found on their Kickstarter campaign page.

If you want to learn more about the brand, check out the manufacturer’s site.