Windup Watch Fair 2025 Recap
Some of the coolest up and coming watch brands showed us their hero products and new releases.
Spring is in full swing and the weather is finally warming up in the Bay Area. Last weekend I ventured into San Francisco to attend the Windup Watch Fair, a convention that travels to Dallas, SF, Chicago, and New York every year. G Shock, Oris, and Frederique Constant all had booths there, but the vast majority of other companies present were microbrands with just a handful of employees selling pieces under $1000. You could find everything from a german brand that was creating the next generation of pilot watches to a local San Francisco founder that finds his inspiration from classic cars and large cases. There were ~50 brands in attendance, but I’ve highlighted my favorites below. A big shoutout to my friend Jonah Robinson who joined me and took the product photos.
Xeric
Xeric took home the award for having my favorite watch of the convention - The Timeline Retrograde (pictured above). At the top of every hour, the minute hand will springs back up as it resets to continue counting the minutes, while the hour hand will do the same at noon and midnight. Xeric was founded by the owners of watches.com. Under the holding company are other experimental watch brands like California Watch Co., Archetype, Asterisk, and several others. Xeric has also done a partnership with the Kennedy Space Center to produce NASA-inspired watches that look incredibly interesting and futuristic. Out of all the brands I met, they had the most interesting designs that will turn your wrist into a conversation piece.
Oris
Founded in 1904 in the small swiss town of Hölstein, Switzerland, Oris was definitely one of the oldest watch companies present. In the picture above, Jonah is wearing their Big Crown Pointer Date 8th Anniversary Edition with a 40mm bronze case and a green dial that give it a slight vintage look. Oris is very well known to watch enthusiasts but they’re trying to increase their brand awareness to a much wider audience. To do this, they’ve created limited edition watches to honor the legacies of MLB legends like Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. Their representatives confirmed that there aren’t any plans to implement full sports marketing strategy, but being opportunistic while the country is on the brink of a recession might not be the worst thing in the world.
Brew Watches
Jonathan Ferrer started Brew Watches after working as a designer in the industry for years. As a coffee aficionado, he draws his inspiration for his watches (and the name of his company) from the design of espresso machines. In practice, this manifests into a design very similar to tv dial watches from the ‘80s. Not pictured, but they also have a watch with a blue and yellow dial that is pretty close to the Michigan maize and blue, so of course I’ve added to my wishlist. The team is based in New York City and now has 10 full time employees and are starting to refine what their brand will look like in the future. By far one of the most fun brands to interact with.
Christopher Ward
The UK-based brand definitely had the most foot traffic out of anyone else in attendance. Both press and regular attendees were all vying to see their newly released C12 Loco. It was nice, but I had my eyes on finally getting to try on their hero product- the Bel Canto (pictured above). This particular watch has a Sonnerie au Passage, a chiming feature that normally goes for well over $10k, but Christopher Ward has always prided itself on not price gouging their customers. The more I learn about their brand and interact with their staff, the more I’m impressed. Their North American brand director Mike Pearson has a background in and passion for growing watch brands, so he’s the perfect person to be able to focus on their growth here in the states. Click here check out the piece I wrote on the story of their brand I wrote last month.
Beaubleu
One of the few French brands in attendance, Beaubleu aims to challenge the status quo and defend creative freedom. As you can see, the watch hands are circular instead of being straight, creating an incredibly unique look. Unclear if they were truly the first to do it, but they’re definitely one of the only companies that currently have this design that I’m aware of. They also prioritize craftsmanship and quite frequently do limited runs of various models that include the number on the back of the case showing “X of 900”. This is a common practice, but not every watch company does it. I think there’s something special about knowing the exact piece you have if you decide to purchase something that’s part of a limited run.