Cars and watches go hand in hand.
Even ignoring the obvious link between Motorsports and chronographs, you
will find the two machines attract the type of admirer. REC Watches of
Copenhagen has taken this association to the next level by actually
using a car as raw material for a watch. For this review, they sent me a
Mk 1 M4 chronograph, with a dial cut from a 1978 Morris Mascot, a BMC
Mini model unique to Denmark. I
could not review the watch without also getting a better feel for the
car too. Lucky for me, I have a couple friends with a Mini problem.
Among the many Minis in their menagerie is a Union Jack bedecked
survivor, originally sold in 1967 in New Zealand, and later shipped to
the US. It was only natural that I conduct my evaluation from within the
Mini's surprisingly commodious confines.
REC takes its name from recover, recycle, reclaim. Founders Christian
Mygh and Jonathan Kamstrup are passionate about reusing found objects.
They see the stories in old items and strive to incorporate that spirit
into the final product. As a car guy, I get it. Our vehicles possess
great character. As we drive them we discover their idiosyncrasies and
learn their personalities. Of course, some cars have more soul than
others, for example, the humble Mini. This tiny wonder was introduced in
1959 as a fuel-sipping economy car and was sold the world over,
marketed under many names and constructed in several variants with total
production topping 5.3 million cars over more than 40 years. The Mini was a motoring and cultural icon. Both Paul McCartney and George Harrison had one. So did Enzo Ferrari. Peter Sellers had his decked out by Radford with a luxury interior and wicker sides. Steve McQueen's was painted his signature metallic brown. Minis
were the real stars of the original "The Italian Job." They were also
giant killers in motorsport, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times.
Like I said, they've got soul - crazy, Swinging London soul.
The REC Mk 1 honors its donor with both its design and the integrity of its material. Christian and Jonathan use metal from different parts of the car so the color and texture of each dial will vary. This dial's surface is a mottled grey-gold. The
dial layout is drawn from the Mini's instrument cluster, a center
mounted oval pod with a chrome ring, matte black center, and instruments
set within. On the watch, the oval has an applied, polished ring with
dual sub dials - the 60 minute and 24 hour registers of the Miyota OS21
quartz movement. They are rendered in silver with printed numbers in a
radial arrangement like the car's speedometer, with applied rings at
their centers.
There
is a nice balance to this dial, particularly as your eye travels down
the center from the printed 12, to the oval REC logo, through the center
of the "instrument pod" to the porthole date window and finally to the
6. The remaining hours are marked with applied metal rectangles. The hands are simple black batons and are the only parts treated with lume.
The car may have been mini, but the watch case is maxi
- 44mm to be precise. It provides plenty of space to appreciate the big
steel dial, and as you might expect, it wears large; however, the
quartz movement keeps it light. The M4 has a black ion plated finish
that is matte on the case and glossy on the bezel, which sets off the
grey-gold dial nicely. A large fluted crown sits at 3 o'clock, flanked
by oblong chronograph buttons that operate with firm click. The lugs are
curved downward and only slightly tapered.
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