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New York’s newest watch company gets its name and design from an incredible coincidence in time and, of all things, the American Revolution. James Reeves is the company’s founder and named the company after his sixth great-grandfather, Captain Henry Diefendorff, and the commitment to revolutionary independence that he represents.
The son of Heinrich and Barbara Diefendorff, immigrants from small hamlets outside of Zurich, Switzerland, Henry was most likely born in 1735 in the district of Canajoharie, New York. At that time, central New York was the “wild west” of the United States. When the Revolution came, Henry chose to fight for American cause as a captain in a Revolutionary War militia. On the morning of August 6, 1777, Henry was shot during an ambush at the Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and died – 200 years to the day of James being born.
“I was so moved by the chance connection I have with Henry that there was no other choice than to name the company after him,” said James Reeves, CEO of Diefendorff, Inc. “But in a world where a lot of watches look the same, I wanted to create something different. I used the cause of American independence as muse and came up with a design that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.”
All four watches in the Cornelius Collection feature a case that has 17 big lines and 76 small lines on the front and side, making it the 1776 case and bezel. It’s so unique, that the company filed for an international design patent.
The collection features three sunray dials that come in blue, green, and gray. In addition, there’s a special carbon fiber dial that creates a slight three-dimensional element due to the carbon fiber weave. The watches come with vegetable dyed leather straps to cut down on harsh chemicals and to reflect the dyeing technique used during Henry’s time. Diefendorff is offering a variety of NATO straps and metal bracelets hand-selected to bring out the best of the dial options and unique case.
Reflecting Captain Henry Diefendorff’s Swiss heritage, the watches are powered by a Swiss-made Sellita SW200 movement. The famous SW200 movement is known for being the clone of the ETA 2824 and it has 26 jewels, 38 hours of power reserve, and an automatic winding mechanism with an eye-catching Diefendorff rotor.
As this is Diefendorff’s first collection and in an effort to excite the watch community, the 42mm watches have upgrades at no additional charge. This includes sapphire crystal on the front and on the see-through caseback, anti-reflective coatings for both crystals, luminous hands and markers, and a stepped-up water resistance to 10 ATM.
The watches are available on Diefendorff’s watch store and through other online and social channels. As a special offer to aBlogtoWatch readers, Diefendorff is offering a 10% discount off of its already discounted pre-launch pricing. From now until its pre-launch pricing ends on October 15th of this year, use code “aBlogtoWatch” at check-out.
The watches bring Henry’s spirit and his story into modern day America. Their Swiss-made movement is an homage to Henry’s Swiss heritage. And, because Henry sacrificed his life for independence, Diefendorff prioritizes U.S.-based suppliers.
“There were so many reasons why I started this company,” said James Reeves. “But one of the key reasons is that I wanted Henry’s sacrifice to be known and his name to live on.”
Pricing for the Diefendorff Cornelius watches start at $899, but until October 15, 2018, there is special reserve pricing starting at $764.
Indeed, with so many watches to enter the world, the Diefendorff name can be an hourly reminder of the virtues of the American spirit. To find out more about what is known about Henry’s life, visit Diefendorff’s Do Well, Better blog and tune in to Diefendorff’s YouTube channel. diefendorffwatches.com
