COURG for every mission. Every day.

This watch is for all those of you out there with adventure in your blood, and missions to tackle.

Nope, that’s not a typo.

COURG is a way point, which is a navigational tool used by pilots to chart their flight across the globe. Way points are composed of 5-letters and made to be spoken as a word so pilots can quickly transmit their location via radio. This particular way point stands just outside Washington, DC and as you probably guessed — is pronounced COURAGE.

We chose COURG because courage is a character trait we could all use more of — choosing to make the right and often difficult decisions even when we know the going will get tough.

Be strong and very courageous, friends.

THE LIGHTEST WATCH IN ITS CLASS.

Say goodbye to generic, and say hello to an original. In a sea of trendy me-too off the shelf cases, dials, hands, and cheap movements — we’re going against the flow.

COURG aims to be the first titanium automatic watch funded on Kickstarter, and is the first hybrid cockpit instrument fused with diver tools in a reasonable size for any wrist, gentlemen or ladies. And COURG is a litmus test for a BIG IDEA. Keep reading for more on this.

NAVIGATION: FLIGHT PLAN
Table of Contents

0. Add-ons Chart
1. Why: Mission control, we have a problem
2. What: The solution
3. Pre-launch praise and press
4. For You: Rewards
5. Design: How we solved 5 design challenges
6. Specifications: Premium military grade components
7. Timeline: Where we’ve been and what’s next
8. Add-ons / Stretch goals (12 KS Backer Accomplishments!)
9. Who are we?
10. Back & Share. Thank you!
11. Partners / Enablers

0. ADD-ONS SUMMARY.

Some of you asked for a summary of the available add-ons, here you go:

1. MISSION CONTROL, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

The Redux & Co. COURG watch project started when I looked to add a vintage pilot or dive watch to my humble stable of wrist machines. But I ran into a number of problems in the hunt for a minimal, dependable, reasonably sized, distinctive, and affordable option.

Simply put: It didn’t exist, and so I set out to make it.

With a very specific design in mind and sketches in hand, I researched different material choices, built and tested prototypes — even had 3D printed models of the case made in the process.

I evaluated many potential manufacturers, and consulted fellow watch designers that had helped pave the way and made industry friends along the way.

Now, I’m pleased to say I have all the elements lined-up for a successful run and would like to invite you to join the adventure and you’ll score a sweet watch along the way. And if all goes as planned, you’ll have one strapped to your wrist or a loved one’s wrist by Christmas!

2. COURG TL;DR

• Robust & Dependable — built like a tank, with a workhorse movement rated to run twenty years before needing service, and yet 20% lighter than comparable stainless steel watches.
• Automatic — powered by your movement, not the pain and waste of batteries
• Minimal, Iconic, Functional — inspired by mission critical pilot and diver instruments
• Date — unobtrusive integrated design
• Sweet Value — We cut out the middleman to be kind on your wallet and yet crafted the COURG from premium materials: With ultra hard anti-reflective sapphire crystal, super bright luminous paint, to ballistic nylon, and titanium.
• Designed in the Seaport District, New York City

3. PRESS & PRAISE

Love from #Watchnerds

 Featured by Gear & Design Influencers

• “I’ve been searching for a watch like this for years. Pledging as soon as it’s live!” Z. Petit, PRINT magazine editor
• “Very purposeful watch. Looks like a tool waiting to be used.” D. Huebert
• “I like the project and would enthusiastically recommend it. I know at least one other guy that I think would jump on it in a hot second.” M. Himmelstein, Wrist Watch Review
• “The titanium case looks great and I love that you have opted for the 39mm size. You have a well designed product with its own unique elements.” The Time Bum
• “These are some awesome tactical watches!” Founder, AZWS
• “Congratulations on getting the watch at such a great stage. It looks brilliant, and the specs are spot on,” Watch it All About
• “The dial and hands are excellent. The COURG blends a number of different elements into one attractive package.” J. Enloe, Worn & Wound

4. REWARDS

+ COURG Watch & Ballistic Nylon Strap

Starts at $199 for our backers, Retail: $400. The ultimate time machine. Paired with military grade ballistic nylon strap blacked-out hardware. Why mil-strap style? This enables quick change straps from outdoor adventure to dressed up in 5 seconds flat. Also, unlike other style straps, if somehow a strap pin gets pulled out the watch won’t plummet to the ground and stall your mission.

+ Premium Italian Leather Mil-Strap with Stealth Hardware (Add-on: $39)

Supple leather, matte hardware, thick gorgeous contrast hand-stitching. We’ll be adding a laser-etched logo to the buckle, and perhaps a burned on logo to the leather. (Add this price to your pledge amount and we’ll send backer surveys at the end of the campaign to capture your preferences.)

Worn & Wound x Redux & Co. (Add-on: $57)

Exclusive Horween leather strap design in collaboration with Worn & Wound!

I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve begun to work out some of the details, and we’re collaborating with the good folks over at Worn & Wound to offer an exclusive Horween leather strap design hand made in NYC specifically for your COURG!

Both Color 8 and Natural are distinctive and really set off the blue-gray of the COURG titanium.

The discussion with Worn & Wound led us to collaborate on a design hybrid of the mil-strap-type we’re offering in our rewards (at $39) and a two-piece conventional strap. So this single slice of Horween leather integrates the benefits of the security from the mil-strap with less bulk of a two piece. This will inherit two of the matte/brushed metal rings. [NOTE: It’s still a single piece strap, but without the double layer under the case.] Color 8 (Left) Natural (Right)

Dimensions will be roughly: 20mm wide and 11.5 x .08in / 292 x 2mm

(Add this price to your pledge amount and we’ll send backer surveys at the end to capture your preferences.)

+ STRETCH GOAL ACHIEVED. Waxed Canvas Watch Roll x Travel Wallet & Documents Folio

Waxed canvas watch roll for your travels. (Add this price to your pledge amount and we’ll backer surveys at the end to get your preferences.)

We designed our waxed canvas watch roll to pull second duty as a travel wallet and documents folio if you don’t travel with multiple timepieces. The top grain leather strap that secures the roll also serves double duty as a wrist strap.

5. Building on a Proven Iconic Design

5 Redux COURG Design Requirements

1. Robust & Dependable. From my experience with vintage time pieces I own, I knew that they often need servicing. And by definition, a pilot watch ought to be reliable and pretty much bombproof. Vintage timepieces are often more delicate after decades of neglect. Gaskets wear out, cases loosen, crowns fall off.

I could never swim with a vintage watch or go backpacking. Vintage watches often used plastic crystals that scratch easily and prone to crack.

Solutions:

• Titanium-Grade 2 (Grade 5 Add-on!). This is the stuff they make jet engines, aircraft skin, airframes, and other aerospace components out of. It’s anti-corrosive, 50% lighter than steel, hypoallergenic and anti-magnetic. And then there’s the sweet stealthy matte blue-gray anti-bling.
• Sapphire crystal. Super hard and scratch resistant with anti-reflective layer. 8-9 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamonds are 10. Mineral glass? That’s the stuff on most watches, 5-6, picks up scratches too easily.
• Water resistance 15 ATM (All backers upgraded to 20 ATM!), suitable for swimming, diving.

2. Automatic. I don’t want to deal with finding my watch dead and have to deal with the hassle of replacing batteries. I also want the second hand to sweep smoothly, rather than the tick-tick of the much cheaper battery-quartz movements. There’s also something special about knowing that your movements power the watch through precise mechanical engineering. A fine-tuned machine.

Solution:

• I chose the SII caliber NH-35A movement, which is known among watch circles as a workhorse and made by Seiko.
• This robust machine is rated to run for a couple decades before needing a service.

• Why not Swiss? First, while Swiss movements have set the standard, Japanese engineering has closed the gap enough to where the difference is not worth the much higher considerable cost.Second, even most watch nerds concede that a lot of the premium pricing in comparable level Swiss movements comes down to decorative elements like etching, marketing, and some artificial scarcity. Third, maintenance costs on the NH-35A will be much much lower than a Swiss competitor.

Here’s NH-35A specs:

3. Minimal, Iconic, Functional. There’s this trend in recent years where watches have become larger and larger — to the point of looking downright supersized clownish. Those watches push 47mm, some even 50mm, making them heavy and awkward for most people with non-Paul Bunyan wrists.

In the case of the original pilot watches, they were designed large because pilots strapped them over their flight suits, and needed massive crowns to adjust the watches with gloves. The majority of us won’t have this problem. And now those crowns that were once functional have become merely decorative pieces of metal that dig into wrists.

The majority of watch companies plaster their logos on the dial — often ugly and distracting. Name brands also crowd watch dials with extraneous text such as WR 100, Automatic, and unnecessary numerals. That helps with all the marketing hype and other needless fluff. You, friends, are your own brand.

Solution:

• You’ve never seen this case and bezel design anywhere else. The design is proprietary and exclusively ours. Don’t be fooled by trendy brands peddling Alibaba-sourced off-the-shelf generic cases, hands, cheap movements, glass, and dials.
• The case is considered a mid-size, and at 39mm it’s plenty big and at the same time a good fit for both gentleman and ladies.

• This white on matte black dial is designed to be totally uncluttered — function + form, inspired by the avionics that help pilots make fast decisions at a glance. No silly logos, unnecessary symbols, words, acronyms, etc. This won’t go out of style or make you ever suffer some trendy taste disappointment.
• Case back is solid metal. This watch is designed for people in motion — not those who want to stare at the back of their watch.

• Gear-shaped crown design makes it finger friendly, and meanwhile the crown guard protects the watch stem from bumps. The position at 4PM also means it won’t dig into your wrist. This means the watch has the presence of a 40mm because of the gear teeth for grip.
• I spec’d Superluminova BGW9 (white that glows blue), not many manufacturers use this paint, but ours does!

• Uni-directional counterclockwise rotating bezel. Used by deep sea divers to help them time their air supply for safe descents and ascents. Counterclockwise so if it gets knocked divers gain safety buffer rather than accidentally run out of air. Other useful pursuits include timing steaks on the grill, parking meters, lunch time escapades, any mission where you need a timer.

Triple Function Bezel

4. Date. I found that I rely on this quite often, and it’s rarely implemented well. Usually, it’s placed in the parts of the dial that clutter the face.

Solution: I designed the date window to replace the 4 o’clock position and present a seamless integration into the overall aesthetic. Also, I needed to find a manufacturer who would be able to source white number on black background for the date. Many potential manufacturers were rejected because they couldn’t make it happen.

5. Sweet Value (kind on your wallet) In one word: Affordable. My goal was to come in under $400. I originally had planned to build the watches from 316L steel, which is what you’ll find in most watches on the market, but I’ve always wanted a titanium watch. Not many manufacturers work with titanium because it requires special processes due to the hardness of the material. This means extra work changing the tooling more often and more attention in the build quality.

Solution: By working with high quality manufacturers to figure out the right amount of volume vs. reasonable cost, I was pleasantly surprised to find I soundly beat this target.

6. Military Grade Components

Get in on the Variant, Case Back Design Process, and Final Refinements

As a backer you’ll join in the adventure of adding your fingerprint to the project.

Dials

Variant 1: Type A The German aircraft ministry developed designs for their WWII pilots, called B-Uhren — short for Beobachtungs-uhren (“Observation Watch”). and is often referred to as a Type A or flieger. The Luftwaffe owned these watches, and the pilots were forced to return them after each mission. These were 55mm!
Variant 2: A-11 An homage to the WWII watches American fighter pilots strapped to their wrists and helped lead to the Allies’ victory. The U.S. military contracted multiple American watch companies to build these watches and called this specification A-11.
Variant 3: Zero-hour Refined to the core 3-6-9 hour elements, this dial is driven by diver watch functionality where distractions are stripped away to only essential elements that optimize legibility in murky conditions and aid instant instrument readouts. Zero-hour is the military term for the scheduled time of a mission. Some early fans have suggested we go with larger hands for this variant — and we agree!
Variant 4: Minimalist Draws its design DNA from the Bauhaus (literally “house of construction” or “school of building”) modernist movement begun in the 1920s. We honored that purposeful intention and implemented a linear accent that also preserved the quick read priority.

New Recruit, Variant 5: Type B The brother to the Type-A, this was designed specifically by the Luftwaffe in WW2 for their bomber pilots, who used the emphasis on the minutes for accuracy in bombing runs. This variant will have no date option, it’s just too full to have room for that.

FINAL DESIGNS

Caseback

Yes, this is titanium too. We’ve made prototype casebacks. However, let’s put the FUN in crowdfunding. We want to make this a Kickstarter exclusive backer experience by working together to design a stellar caseback with limited edition markings such as serial numbers!

Top Contenders

We have an extraordinary community of backers. Three uber talented designers piloted our caseback design committee, with one proposal coming in at 21 pages! Remarkable — this is what crowdfunding is all about! #COURGcrew!

MEET YOUR CASEBACK

In the end I really appreciated that this design distilled the aircraft heritage and melded it with the tool watch nature of the COURG. I offer a big hearty THANK YOU from all of us backers to R.Halford for the exquisite design, and to J.Boehm and E.Tsai for strong contenders in the mix!

The copy here is not final, since the manufacturer will need to transfer to the actual dimensions. The titanium line will be TITANIUM G.2 or G.5. The serial number will be K.XXXX/YYYY where x is production number (not linked to order of backer) and y is total production run. I plan to run the serial in one full lot since I feel like we were all in it together — all ~2,000 of us.

Drilled Lugs

After chatting with backers, we’ll be going with drilled lugs. These type of strap holders are much stronger than the standard spring-loaded strap bars, which are not only much weaker and prone to failure, but also happen to be a total pain to use.

7. Timeline: Where We’ve Been

And Now, With Your Help …

Bumps Cleared So Far …

Along the way, we’ve worked out some bloopers and learned some lessons. For example, I found that very few watchmakers willing to or possess the capability to machine titanium — affordably. I queried over a dozen companies to identify the best fit for the COURG project. I narrowed this pool down to 3, and worked them to finalize CAD drawings and design details. Only then did I order samples.

8. Refinements / Add-On’s / Stretch Goals

We had a few ideas in mind, and so did you — and now we’re better together (Bolded is all systems go!):

• Bezel, Dial and Hand design refinements voted on for all 5 variants 
• Backer designed and selected caseback 
• Titanium grade 5 (Add-on) 
• 20 ATM (UPGRADED!)
• Bezel marker refined (Triangle for precision)
• Waxed canvas watch roll / travel wallet & document folio for all backers (ACHIEVED!)
• No-date window option (YES.)
• Round date window (CHECK.)
• Drilled Lugs (Decided.)
• B-Uhren Type-B dial, no date (Boom! Welcome to the COURG fleet.)
• Exclusive Horween leather strap, made in NYC (Add-on)
• Serial numbers with special Kickstarter backer nomenclature: K.XXXX/YYYY, where XXXX is the watch number and YYYY is total production number — these will NOT be tied to backer order number to prevent a logistical nightmare and delay production.

So, please back the COURG project now! With your continued support we can pull up the landing gear for departure and push full throttle!

Our exclusive crate design:

Let’s make an amazing machine together and maybe set off on an even larger adventure …

THE BIG IDEA

The big idea is to build a workshop with headquarters in the Bronx, and bring to NYC what Shinola seeded in Detroit, and Zappos in Las Vegas. Transform communities. Lofty, yes. Every great mission starts somewhere. COURG is our first step.

9. WHO WE ARE

I have Kickstarter experience as co-founder of Redeem the City, a successful journalism project about New York City.

We’re a husband and wife and tyke team based in the Seaport District of New York City.

I’m a believer, maker, adventurer, entrepreneur. I’m a journalist and problem solver at MedPage Today, the purveyor of the world’s finest medical journalism. I’ve also written for Popular Science magazine (lots of aviation and #avgeek goodness!), The New York Times, Popular Photography, and Fast Company.

10. Let’s Achieve Escape Velocity — We Need Your Support to build COURG!

We’re ready for production, I have samples in hand, the technical drawings, I have the suppliers ready to start production. The only thing missing is the initial order fee. I need to order a minimum of 300 watches, and that’s where you come in.

By becoming a backer for this project, you help us fund the first production run, and not to mention you score an awesome watch at a steep discount!

Now, let’s raise a ruckus!

First, Facebook:

My reach only reaches my immediate network. Liking Redux & Co. on Facebook or inviting friends and family via email will make a huge difference and help our project gain the momentum we need.

Thank you so much for joining us on this adventure!

11. Special thanks to our talented friends, co-conspirators, and enablers

Redux & Co. COURG — Component Specifications:

• Case material: Titanium grade 2 / grade 5
• Case back: Titanium, deep corrosion case screw back.
• Bezel: Uni-directional Titanium, luminous triangle
• Flat Sapphire crystal, 2mm, inner anti-reflective coating
• Movement: Seiko SII NH35A
• Date: Window, 4PM
• Case: Width (w/o crown) / 39mm
• Height / 13.7 mm
• Lug-to-lug 46.6 mm
• Lug-to-lug (strap) 20 mm
• Lug width 3.4 mm
• Print dial.
• Super luminova BGW9
• Hands: Super luminova BGW9 x C3
• Water resistant: 15 ATM / 150M (UPGRADED to 20 ATM)
• Crown position: 4PM
• Stem protection: Screw down crown tube + crown guard
• Crown logo: Etched
• Drilled lugs
• Weight: 1.8 oz. (51 grams, ~20% lighter than steel equivalent) Brass movement retainer
• Strap: Black Ballistic nylon mil-strap, PVD hardware
• 1 year guarantee against defects