A couple of years ago camouflage patterns became a thing, and most of the high-end leather goods manufacturers decided to jump on the bandwagon, some sooner rather than later. While it took Smythson of Bond Street a little longer than most, the Oxblood Camouflage Burlington Cardholder and Passport Holder are must have if you like camo leather goods. Since we’ve talked about Smythson a few times here at WCL, we don’t need to tell you much about their history but instead, focus on the cardholder and passport holder we have here.
Posts tagged #Leather Goods
Experience: Smythson Greenwich Holdall Bag. The Attention Grabber While Attending the SIHH in Geneva.
After receiving dozens of compliments about this bag during our time attending the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève last month, we decided to do a feature on it and tell you everything about it. At the end of the day, we know you come to WCL for the extensive watch content but also because of the good life and the occasional Paella recipe on our Instagram stories —no pun intended. As we travel the world in search for new luxury items to fall in love with, bags are one of our biggest weaknesses here at WCL and Smythson of Bond Street along with Faure Le Page are among the top of our list due to their exclusivity and understated look, very much like wearing a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST with ruthenium toned dial.
Baselworld: Shinola. A Beautiful Story Made in Detroit.
One of our favorite discoveries this year is Shinola. A fairly inexpensive brand that launched in 2011 after adopting the name of the extinct Shinola-Bixby corporation founded in 1907—a manufacturer of small-scale shoeshine. Today, Shinola manufactures handmade bicycles, leather goods, journals and watches; all of them, proudly American made and part of a growing movement that celebrates the beauty of manufacturing and investing in the American workforce.
To build the first handmade watches in Detroit, they had to build the
first watch factory in the city. A brand with great marketing,
back-to-basics craftsmanship, high quality materials and superb branding
make Shinola a brand to follow closely in the upcoming years. Made of U.S. and Swiss components and assembled in Detroit, this bright concept started with a partnership with a world-class watchmaker based in Switzerland to help them build a state-of-the-art watchmaking factory in 30,000 sq. ft. of the College for Creative Studies—CCS— in midtown, Detroit. Then, they began training Detroit locals on the delicate process of movement and watch assembly. The quality, designs and finished product are up to par with that of Swiss made timepieces in the same price range and category.
Shinola's pavilion is located on the third level of exhibition hall 1 across from Festina and Doxa. The modern design of this pavilion—evoking the modern architecture lines of Philip Johnson, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe—, the custom bicycles, leather straps, journals, footballs, unique looking watches and the Shinola cola we received upon departure, make this exhibit one of the most unique displays at Baselworld.
The calibre inside the Shinola watches is named Argonite and it is made of Swiss components in its majority. The calibre was named after the building that houses
their manufacture—the Argonaut, where GM’s legendary design teams produced countless industrial innovations, from the first fully automatic transmission to the first heart-lung machine.
All watches come with a unique manufacturing code, composed by a category number, a series number and a case number. All of these, engraved on the case back in a style that evokes the old black metal plaques that used to be used for VIN and engine serial numbers on cars, decades ago. For more info click here.
