BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It’s been quite a while since we’ve talked about a watchmaker from Canada, so it’s worth seeing what’s been happening in America’s Northern neighbour. As it happens, independent watchmaker Bradley Taylor introduces a new, simple dress watch called the Ardea, the Latin word for a heron.
For people who prefer classical dress watches, the new Ardea features a case made from either stainless steel or platinum, measuring 37.5mm x 10.9mm and with 50m of water resistance. The finishing is very simple, just polishing all over, and the shape is simple and classy too.
That makes way for the dial, which has a sterling silver base with a silvery finish on top and a clear lacquer atop that. Elegant guilloché surrounds the dial edge and flows into the retrograde seconds hand at 6 O’clock. The hands are made from a Japanese steel alloy and crafted in-house to give them their unique shape and violet hue (produced by heat). Meanwhile, the applied Breguet numerals are made from platinum. Interestingly, the printed lettering on the dial was designed by Ian Brignell, whose name may not be familiar to you, but whose work definitely should be. Based in Toronto, Canada, Brignell’s work includes the late 1990s redesign of the Burger King logo (which is only just being phased out), the font for Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, Paramount Network’s logo, and the recently redesigned Pepsi logo. That level of expertise is probably why the writing on the Ardea’s dial works so well.
Visible through the caseback is the calibre 475RS, which uses some components from Omega’s 30T2 movement family, produced from the early 1930s to the early 1960s. This makes sense for Taylor, whose watchmaking journey has included training such as Patek Philippe’s Level II course in Geneva, which, along with his work experience, taught him the art of servicing and restoring high-end watches. The calibre 475RS is hand-wound with a 40-hour power reserve and features a classy grained finish with polished bevels. The free-sprung balance wheel is made from grade 5 titanium, which is fairly unusual in the watch world, and the hairspring features a Breguet overcoil.
Each watch is presented on a strap hand-made from beaver tail, crafted in Toronto, meanwhile the aluminium presentation box is made in Montreal. These watches are limited to 50 pieces in total, and Bradley Taylor says he’ll produce between 5 and 10 watches annually. The price in steel is $62,000, and in platinum is $82,000.
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