Draken partners with the New Zealand Alpine Team

We are very excited to announce a partnership with the New Zealand Alpine Team. The NZAT is probably New Zealand’s most dedicated Alpine team, focusing on mentorship and training for New Zealand’s up and coming climbers. You could say they are the shining beacon in a sport that is extremely demanding, and takes years and […]

Update on the Draken Peregrine

On my trip to China I got the first glimpse of the Draken Peregrine pilot watch. It’s always exciting seeing a prototype for the first time, knowing that these are the only versions of a watch that exist. It’s also interesting to see if everything worked out as you planned it on paper. Even with […]

Introducing the Peregrine

While the Tugela is in production, we wanted to get the ball rolling on our next watch. Even before we launched the Tugela there were a couple of designs that we had in the filing cabinet, just itching to be refined. One being a chronograph watch, the other a pilot watch. We wanted to build […]

New strap samples coming soon!

We’ve received a photo of the other strap colours from our supplier. Looking forward to doing some pro photos of these on the Tugela.  

Final Dial Design

After a long deliberation I’ve decided to change the style of the dial slightly. I really want the Tugela to be a unique dive watch design, that can stand on its own when viewed next to a Rolex or Tudor, and not be a homage. I also think the new design ties in better with […]

What is Kickstarter and how does it work?

Kickstarter is probably the most well known reward-based crowdfunding platform available on the web, but there are other well know ones such as Indigogo and PledgeMe. But what is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding is a way for new startup companies to raise money to be able to literally ‘kickstart’ their company. Companies will come up with ideas, […]

The Movement

But first, some education… Often when talking about watches, people refer to the movement of the watch. This is basically the motor that runs the watch on the inside. Today, the main two typesย of movements, are quartz and mechanical. Since the late 1970’s, early 80’s, quartz watches became the dominant type of movement used in […]

The Box Design

So, I’ve been debating whether to go with a travel case (a popular option among many microbrand watch companies) or a box. The advantage of using a travel case is that you can reuse the case again for storing a spare watch while wearing another watch on your wrist. The cost of a travel case […]

The Date Ring

The other detail on the dial that I am really excited about, is the date window, or more specifically, the date ring behind the date window. I have managed to find a supplier that can do lumed numbers on the date ring! the Date ring will be glowing white text on black background, and for […]

The Case

The case of the watch will be made from 316L Stainless Steel, also known as marine grade stainless steel.ย There are many types of stainless steel. 316 is known for its increased corrosion resistance. A typical composition of 18% chromium and 10% nickel, commonly known asย 18/10 stainless, is often used in cutlery and high-quality cookware.ย The finish […]