Wempe Unveils The ‘Iron Walker’ Stainless Steel Sports Watch Collection
by Anthony DeMarco
Among the biggest trends in timepieces are stainless steel watches with integrated bracelets. Wempe, the German retailer and manufacturer of luxury watches and jewels, entered this watchmaking category with a collection of 16 watches for men and women called “Iron Walker.”
What may be different for a luxury watch is the inspiration behind the product: Ironworkers. These are tradesmen whose primary job is to assemble the structural metal framework supports for new buildings. Today, these are highly trained and highly skilled professionals. However, during the early 20th century, these workers were as much daredevils as tradesmen, working with substandard equipment by current standards and with few safety precautions while dangling upwards of 1,000 feet in the air performing difficult tasks on narrow steel beams. Their most important and high-profile works are large bridges and skyscrapers that remain landmarks a century later. It is the latter that is the story behind the watches, says Kim-Eva Wempe, the fourth-generation CEO of the family owned firm, and Bernhard Stoll, CEO of the Wempe Watch Division.
“We were inspired by a story about the steel construction workers in the USA who operated without safety equipment as they assemble the skeleton of a skyscraper,” Stoll says. “That’s how we came up with the idea to create a watch using a precise stainless-steel case featuring integrated strap lugs.”
Kim-Eva Wempe adds, “By coincidence, our Wempe showroom in New York is located on Fifth Avenue in one of the first high-rises built with a steel skeleton.”
The Iron Walker is the third watch line launched by the 142-year-old company since the introduction of the Wempe Glashütte I/SA watch manufacture in 2006. The watches are designed and assembled in the company’s workshop in Glashütte, a watchmaking center in southern Germany. The identifiers for this new collection are emphasized by the design of the 316L stainless-steel case with angular and rounded flank profiles and the integrated metal bracelet with three rows of links. A total of 16 chronometers are available in the new collection under four categories: chronograph, diver’s watch and two flat dress watches for men and women.
Iron Walker watches are powered by Swiss automatic calibers or quartz movements assembled in the company’s workshop and optimized with a stop-seconds function. The calibers (automatic and quartz) undergo the German chronometric testing process to meet the ISO 3159 standard in order to be classified as a chronometer.
All of the models are currently available at all Wempe locations and at Wempe.com. Prices range from $1,950 to $4,250.
Iron Walker Automatic Chronograph
The 42mm chronograph is available in either a sunray decorated dial in steel blue or in a reverse panda style dial with a matte black background and silver subdials. The various functions of the watch are clearly distributed in a well-balanced design with a framed date display, a tachymeter scale and three subdials. The seconds dial is located at 9 o’clock, the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, and the hour counter at 6 o’clock. The stop seconds is centrally located with a long hand that points to the tachymeter scale, which can be used to calculate speeds. The chronograph is controlled with two pushbuttons located directly next to the side protectors of the crown. The hour and minute hands, and the raised steel hour markers are finished with Super-LumiNova.
The watch is powered by an ETA 7753 Valjoux caliber with a 54-hour power reserve. Both models retail for $4,250.
Iron Walker Automatic Diver’s Watch
This 42mm specialized watch combines technical expertise and a well-thought-out design. It is water resistance to 30 bar and contains numerous safety features.
For shock protection, the unidirectional rotating dive-time ring is mounted behind the sapphire crystal. Its triangular zero symbol is marked with Super-LumiNova that glows blue-green in the dark. The steel hour markers and hands are also marked with luminous material. The seconds hand has an arrowhead tip and there are two screw-in crowns. The watch is powered by an ETA 2892-A2 with a 50-hour power reserve. It is available in a blue or black dial and retails for $3,450.
Iron Walker Automatic Men’s Watch
This is a slim, traditional three-hand sports watch designed to be worn throughout the day for business and pleasure. The date display is located at 3 o’clock and it has a polished steel frame. Raised steel hour markers and the baton hour and minute hands are completed with white Super-LumiNova. The 40mm stainless steel watch is powered by the Caliber ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement with a 50-hour power reserve. It is available with white, black or blue dials and retails for $2,750.
Iron Walker Quartz Men’s Watch
This has the same measurements and style attributes as the Iron Walker Automatic Men’s Watch but it is powered by the Caliber ETA E64.111 quartz movement that has met the same German chronometer ISO 3159 standard as the automatic watch. It has a power reserve of 41 months. It retails for $2,050.
Iron Walker Automatic Women’s Watch
This watch for women has the same stainless steel case and integrated bracelet as the men’s model in a smaller 36mm case size. It’s even powered by the same Caliber ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement with a 50-hour power reserve that is tested to meet the ISO 3159 German chronometer standard. It’s a traditional three-hand watch with a date display at 3 o’clock. The dial is available in three colors: white, black or blue. Steel hour markers are finished in Super-LumiNova. It retails for $2,650.
Iron Walker Quartz Women’s Watch
Identical to the women’s automatic watch in design and style, it is powered by the Caliber ETA E64.111 quartz movement that has met the same German chronometer ISO 3159 Standard as its men’s counterpart. It retails for $1,950.