About a month ago I wrote about my thoughts on the growing number of watch projects on crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Having covered a number of projects some of which have been successful and others that have flopped, I decided to lend my voice to the ongoing conversation. For the most part, my comments were very critical of the recent push to flood with market with unimaginative and inexpensive quartz watches. I was afraid of product dilution but more importantly I was hoping that someone would take notice and create more thoughtful products that reflect the demands of the market. We all have seen the knockoff Daniel Wellington’s or SEVENFRIDAY’s that populate many of these platforms but fortunately for me, someone answered my call for greater creativity and this was LunoWear.

Boman Farrer (left) and Ryan Krantz (right)

At this point I know some of you are disinterested in hearing about another crowd funded watch project but give me a moment to tell you why these guys are different from the masses. As skeptical as I am about new watch products especially quartz watches, I am a sucker for brands with history. History is definitely apart of why this story and this brand spoke to me. LunoWear’s founders are bringing four generations and a century's worth of watchmaking experience to the table. Much respect! While I can say that I am personally impressed with their history let’s unpack the whole story a bit more.

LunoWear’s co-founder- Boman Farrer, has watchmaking pedigree that spans nearly a century dating back to his great-grandfather. Farrer’s great-grandfather, Wilford Adams, lost his leg in a sawmill accident that forced him to learn another trade. A few years later with help from the state of Utah, Wilford Adams would become a trained watchmaker and open his own shop. Wilford’s son, Calvin Adams would inherit the business and introduce his grandson Boman to the world of watches. Boman who naturally grew up around watches recently found himself looking for a quality wooden watch for his next purchase. After scouring the market, Boman ultimately found a few options but none of them embodied the quality or design elements he had hoped for. From his own experience, Boman alongside business partner and co-founder Ryan Krantz, began sketches for their own wooden watch. For both Boman and Ryan this process was extremely iterative, which admittedly was another big draw for me. The amount of product testing and general attention to detail was surprising given their price-point.

Calvin Adams (left) and Wilford Adams (right) — Calvin Adams (left) and Wilford Adams (right)

The Miyota 2035 was chosen by Calvin Adams to be the workhouse behind LunoWear’s wooden watches. As with all of the components of this watch, using the 2035 was not a forgone conclusion but rather a product of rigorous testing and review. Ultimately all of the components of these watches were approved by Calvin Adams and the rest of the LunoWear team.

Now that I have successfully given all of you a history lesson, let’s get to the important business, the watches. LunoWear has produced four different models each of which contains a natural wood either bamboo or ebony. Available in two sizes, men’s watches being slightly larger than women’s, these watches are lightweight and comfortable on the wrist. A combination of both the wood used and genuine leather straps add to the overall on wrist appeal of these watches and people love them!

LunoWear has experienced a tremendous amount of success already. To date, their Indiegogo campaign has raised over 200k USD in less than one month. The campaign has nearly 3k supporters and has surpassed funding expectations by 2,186%! This is simply unheard of, but is it too good to be true?

In the past I have balked at the opportunity to cover similar wooden watch projects from crowdfunded platforms. First, I wasn’t really interested in wooden watches but second and more importantly, I felt these projects lacked a brand identity and salient product. LunoWear addresses both of these issues head on. They have created a substantial brand that brings more than just novelty to the wooden watch category they also bring quality.

Whether or not you are compelled to buy a wooden watch from these guys doesn’t really matter but you can’t deny what LunoWear has done so far. In a few short weeks LunoWear has managed to captures the attention of thousands and in the process they have shown how crowdfunded campaigns should be done. Right now backers can snag a LunoWear wooden watch for $65 USD!