By Ase Anderson in London
After becoming the first watch company to win a prestigious Lonmin Design Innovation Award for their groundbreaking pendant watch, Struthers London have teamed up with Morgan Motor Company to create a bespoke timepiece.
Founded only last year by husband and wife team Craig and Rebecca Struthers, the fledging watch company hit the ground running with its first design, Stella. A platinum pendant watch set with sapphires and diamonds, the watch pushes the boundaries of self-winding watch design. Powered by the motion of the case rather than the wrist, a vintage Universal 69 Microrotor movement is mounted into a spinning ball, which rotates on a platinum axis similar to the gimble of an early ship's chronometer.
In a design inspired by Art Deco, Stella's hand-cut rock crystal hemispheres are set in to platinum bands so that the watch movement can be seen ticking away the seconds while the single hour hand slowly moves around the dial.
As well as winning the 2013 Lonmin Design Innovation Award for outstanding innovation in platinum, the one-off pendant watch was commended by the Goldsmith Craft and Design Council.
Last month saw the launch of a collaboration between Struthers and Britain's last family-owned independent motor manufacturer, Morgan Motor Company.
Having trained as vintage and antique watch restorers, the couple draw on their backgrounds in jewellery, silversmithing and illustration to create designs which merge traditional hand skills with cutting-edge technology.
The Struthers for Morgan watches bring together old and new in two limited edition timepieces, inspired by the traditional trench style popular when the first Morgan cars hit the road back in 1910.
The couple say the challenge was to create a watch which stayed true to Morgan's heritage and details such as the cars' ash wood chassis, hand-beaten paneling and zero-carbon leather upholstery are all reflected in the finished design.
Both styles feature a distinctive leather cuff strap, which raises the watch slightly off the wrist, making gear changing easier while driving. With a 38mm case, the SfM watches are fitted with re-commissioned 1950s manual-wind movements which have been modified and refined in-house by the Struthers. A wide range of alternative movements are available as bespoke options, ranging from antique 19th century English to high-grade vintage Swiss.
Only five rose gold Officer watches are being produced while the Field watch in sterling silver is available in a limited edition of 50, each one hand finished and numbered.
