Sponsored Post
The Stranger Watch Company Thoroughbred Collection dates back to the early ’80s, to the city of Taraz, Kazakhstan – a city with a 2000-year history, one of the main stops on The Great Silk Way, and the city where Stranger Watch Company founder Jahn Karsybaev grew up. Karsybaev’s uncle owned a horse ranch and his primary business was domesticating wild horses. He would turn wild animals into these beautiful galloping horses, most of which would later take part in Equestrian and Polo events. Growing up, Jahn visited his uncle’s ranch every summer and was truly amazed by these elegant yet powerful creatures.
The most amazing part was seeing the transformation process of wild stallions turned into graceful horses. This was quite an inspiration, and he really wanted to pay tribute to that in some shape or form, and this watch collection was a perfect opportunity to do so. The Stranger Thoroughbred Collection includes 4 distinct models: Akhal Teke, Andalusian, Mangalarga, Oldenburg. These were the actual breeds that Jahn had a chance to encounter in person at his uncle’s ranch.
The formation of the Stranger Team dates back to 2003, and that is when a story was born of how passion for watches can break the barriers of culture, age, and status. It starts with Steven and Jahn. Steven was an executive at one the most prominent banks in the United States, ABN AMRO, while Jahn was just starting out as an intern fresh out of college. One at the top of the corporate ladder, the other, at the very bottom. The status gap does not get any wider, and very seldom is it that the two extreme ends can connect unless there is an unprecedented factor that brings them together. As you may have guessed, such a factor was their passion for watches. Fast forward 5 years, and the company is thriving.
The Stranger Watches Team
The focus of the company is on developing successful micro-brands for specific cultures, such as Amir watches and Miami Watch Company, and they are the makers behind several successful brands (which cannot be named due to NDAs and confidentiality agreements). Their most recent creation is the Stranger Thoroughbred Collection which is manufactured from quality materials.
The objective was to create an elegant yet minimalistic timepiece without too much sophistication and complexity in design and movement. The 42mm case features grain patterned designs on the side and sapphire crystal on both front and back. Full attention to detail comes to life on the dial. The etched dial with horizontal patterns highlights its grace. The absence of the seconds hand particularly compliments the simplicity, combined with the 3 subdials showing the week, month, and 24-hour time.
Stranger Thoroughbred Collection watches are powered by the Miyota 9120 movement. Although Stranger tends to agree that the 900 caliber movements have become somewhat “mainstream and rather usual,” they are still very reliable and affordable alternatives to comparable Swiss movements. The Stranger team has been working with Japanese movements on various collections and has had no issues thus far.
Additional Specifications:
Case height: 11mm | Case Length: 51mm (incl. lugs) | Water resistance: 5ATM
Currently, the Stranger watches are available for pre-order via KickStarter, and Stranger is offering aggressive discounts (from $200 & up) off the retail price of $599 – $649 and attractive rewards for early backers. strangertime.com
