MISSION CONTROL, WE HAVE TOUCHDOWN.

Ladies and gentlemen we’re on our final approach into the Kickstarter departure gate, with 14 days before we can fully disembark. On behalf of your crew here at Redux & Co. we want to exclaim,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Thousands have joined our COURG maiden voyage and enriched the project way beyond our expectations. We are humbled by the passion, enthusiasm, and confidence you have entrusted us with. We are elevated by the friendships we’ve formed, the encouragement shared through both clear skies and stormy headwinds.

I set out to share not just a watch, but a journey of design and community with our backers. I didn’t want to settle for another Kickstarter as an e-store experience. And I’m so thrilled about how the #COURGcrew responded and took the adventure to another level.

My goal was to push the COURG off a ledge and see if anyone out there would be willing to catch the vision and come soar with us. Many of you have gone far and above the call of duty. You’ve been awake with me into the wee hours of the morning sending epic soundtracks for inspiration, you’ve sent notes to spur me on, and enCOURGed me to stay anchored to the vision.

In short, I was sounding a call for people who understood our values and aspirations, a crew of true fans to set out on a journey that will extend beyond these formative 30 days we’ve shared together. Thank you to all of you who have not gone AWOL despite naysayers and other noise.

TXFR TO GROUND CREW PERSONNEL

We now embark on an even more arduous portion of the adventure — transferring efforts from the excitement and exhilaration of prototype flight to the ground crew that will dive into the trenches to transform the initial air frame we launched with and integrate the final design refinements into production models, which must live up to my — and your — obsessive expectations.

TIMELINE

I will make every possible effort to deliver as promised on timeline and also keep you all updated along the way. In fact, payment details will not clear Kickstarter/Stripe processing for 14 days. But you’ve all stepped up, and now I will take the next step early next week before that confirmation to start locking up our supplies and movements out of my savings so that’s squared away.

USAF: C130 & F-15 Eagle Crews

We’re stoked to now be in multiple discussions with ACTUAL REAL LIFE flight squadrons and flight crews that are interested in developing special edition deployment instruments for their missions. WOW. That astounds me and urges me to push the limits of COURG even further. What an honor. And no worries, if those collaborations work out, those units will enter the pipeline only after K.XXXX.YYYY are clear production.

A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION

One last little fun bit here from mission control — many of you have asked for a stretch goal of a leather strap. While I don’t have the margin to giveaway the Italian or Horween leather strap, I’ve found a way to give you a little special something:

The now-upgraded top grain leather strap on the waxed canvas folio has been boosted to 20mm with brass hardware and a Redux & Co. hot stamp. This means you’ll be able to double this up as a watch strap in wrap style, or if you feel so inclined, you can chop it down to size.

Hope you like it. Hope you rock it. Or a friend who digs it.

My left wrist get’s all the attention. Here’s what’s on my right wrist most days, a constant reminder for myself to remember True North in a topsy turvy world:

RADAR UP: BackerKit

Kickstarter recommends founders wait 14 days minimum before sending final backer surveys. We’ve chosen to work with BackerKit to help streamline the process. A big plus is that they hook in directly to our shipment and fulfillment partners. BackerKit tells me it may take up to a month for survey completion rates to hit 90% (an important so that we can finalize production particulars). That’s crazy to me.

PLEASE PLEASE keep an eye out for the BackerKit survey so we can square away those details quickly.

ADD-ONS

For those of you who had wanted to upgrade/add-on, it’s not too late. When those backer surveys hit your inboxes, you’ll have the opportunity to fine-tune your pledge levels, preferences, and add-ons.

This is far from my last communique, so here we go my friends. And congratulations — you made this happen. I can’t wait for what’s next.

In the meantime let’s celebrate this successful landing and rally for the next leg!

A deep heartfelt thank you with fist bumps all around, tackle your missions, and Godspeed. elbert, over and out.