The boys from Brooklyn are back with their (now annual) watch fair event in the heart of San Francisco: Wind^Up. Using the same location as last year, Zach, Blake, and the rest of the Worn & Wound crew managed to assemble 30+ plus watch brands to show their novelties and in some cases new watches being introduced for the first time at the fair.
Located at the same industrial elongated art studio from last year on Geary Street, in what has become San Francisco’s art gallery district, the place feels like an easy, small, inviting trunk show or garage sale. Back again this year are Oris (overall sponsor), Autodromo, Junghans, Oak & Oscar, and Vero watches presenting their novelties and some (like Vero and Autodromo) a new model made especially or introduced for the first time at Wind^Up.
Chatting with Zach briefly, I get the sense that everything was manually curated and selected to push Worn & Wound’s mission of giving a venue to showcase small, unknown, and indie watch brands. The fair is almost like the antithesis of the large shows that have gone on in the first quarter of the year. And because Wind^Up is open to all, besides a few security guards at the entrance and roaming the main hall, there is very little barriers to entry. All are welcome.
In addition to the indies I mentioned and one or two mainstream watch brands, you can also find watch strap creator Everest who makes an excellent (from experience owning one) custom fitted rubber band in different colors for Rolex models and other mainstream watch models.
Also next to Everest is the indie watch brand Monta which showed me some of their novelties, including a very wearable Atlas GMT watch with an integrated bracelet that could go toe-to-toe with some of the best out there in terms of case and bracelet finishing and feel on wrist.
Downstairs you will find more, such as the Worn & Wound shop and the newcomers to the fair such as Halios and Archimedes and others. Both Halios and Archimedes make some of the most beloved entry-level watches on the market today. So a great chance to see their novelties and even meet the founders.
I’ve only scratched the surface of the many cool watches to see, experience in the metal, and all of the watch nerdery to be had at this fair. If you are new to collecting watches or have steered away from the
”out of the beating path” brands and instead focusing on the most common horology names, then I'd highly recommend going to 459 Geary Blvd to visit the Wind^Up fair. Last day is Sunday April 27th, open from 11a until 6p.
The boys from Brooklyn are back with their (now annual) watch fair event in the heart of San Francisco: Wind^Up. Using the same location as last year, Zach, Blake, and the rest of the Worn & Wound crew managed to assemble 30+ plus watch brands to show their novelties and in some cases new watches being introduced for the first time at the fair.