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MICRO MONDAYS: The William Wood Valiant Bronze is inspired by firemen and smoking hot MICRO MONDAYS: The William Wood Valiant Bronze is inspired by firemen and smoking hot

MICRO MONDAYS: The William Wood Valiant Bronze is inspired by firemen and smoking hot

Zach Blass

If there is one main takeaway from our Micro Mondays series, it’s that you don’t have to spend top dollar to get a top-notch watch. William Wood, a watch manufacturer based in London, works to provide consumers with more approachable options for wrist-wear. They work within familiar frameworks, but with distinct designs and details. The William Wood Valiant Bronze is one such design, with plenty to explore as you delve deeper.

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The backstory

William Wood Valiant Bronze

William Wood was the name of brand founder Jonny Garrett’s late grandfather. For more than 25 years, William Wood served in the British Fire Service, winning commendations for his acts of bravery. He was stationed at Pilgrim Street for the Newcastle & Gateshead Fire Brigade, serving on the Blue Watch. Sadly, he passed away in 2009, but his legacy lives on through Jonny and William Wood. The British watch brand is known for the way in which they upcycle rescue service materials into beautiful luxury timepieces, while donating to international firefighting charities. They are working to convert an old British Fire Station into their HQ and Concept Store, where they will refurbish an old fire engine to drive the length and breadth of the UK, promoting the brand.

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The case

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The case of the William Wood Valiant Bronze is 41mm in diameter and 16mm thick, including its double-domed, blue-tinted, and AR-coated sapphire crystal. In pure tool watch form, the entire case is satin brushed – ready to take on the scrapes of daily wear. While many manufacturers utilise bronze to simulate a precious gold aesthetic, William Wood leverages the material to better pay tribute to the brass found in 1920s firefighter helmets – the inspiration for the brand’s logo. The crown is made of upcycled brass, salvaged from a 1920s helmet, and engraved with the William Wood logo. The 60-minute timing bezel is made from aluminium and features a complete timing scale that goes beyond the usual 15 minutes all the way through to 60. Water resistant to 100 metres, the watch is more than capable of taking a summer’s dive.

The dial

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The dial is  dark navy blue with luminescent cutouts that serve as the dial’s indexes and markers. The logo above the William Wood print, near 12, is applied and made with the same rose-gold plating found on the hours, minutes and central seconds hands. Baton cutouts are found at the 12, 6 and 9 positions, but the double baton deviation at the 12th hour is actually a nod to the markings a Firehouse Crew Manager would have on their uniform collar. For an added detail, the outer minutes track is checkered between hashes, in the manner found on the sides of British fire engines. Even the build of the central seconds hand is inspired by the chime of an old fire engine bell.

The strap

William Wood Valiant Bronze

William Wood have created their very own unique rubber straps, made from casts of Angus Duraline British fire-hose rubber. Not only does this help tie together the firefighting theme of the brand, but it also makes for an incredibly durable and rugged rubber strap. The buckle works to match the bronze tone with a rose-gold plating similar to the treatment found on the dial’s hands.

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The good news is the strap is available in a variety of tones and colours – including red, yellow or green. The default blue option is personally my favourite pairing, not only because of the matching tone but also the fact it is derived from a rare blue upcycled British fire-hose strap donated to William Wood by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service in the North East of England – which means the strap is as rare as the watch! If you’re not up for wearing a rubber strap, the quick-release style tabs on its underside makes it a breeze to swap on and off.

The movement

William Wood Valiant Bronze

 

When I mentioned the case was bronze, I may have buried the detail that it’s literally all bronze – including its caseback. Many brands will opt for steel or titanium mismatched backings, but William Wood went the extra mile to provide bronze all ’round. Besides the brass inset of the crown, the sapphire crystal of the exhibition back is the only component not fabricated in bronze. Beneath, ticks away the reliable Seiko NH35 automatic movement. The caliber is a great way to maintain quality timekeeping, but also keeps costs down for the end consumer. It provides 41 hours of total power reserve, and hacking seconds for greater ease in syncing the watch to a reference clock.

The verdict

William Wood Valiant Bronze

The Submariner has influenced many dive watch designs, across brands worldwide. The William Wood Valiant Bronze is no exception. But it does become more distinct with its source inspiration and distinct details that reinforce the firefighting origins of the brand. It also becomes more unique with its fire-hose rubber strap that cannot be found anywhere else in the world of watchmaking. The watch is familiar enough in form to intrigue a wide spectrum of buyers, but the devil is in the details – and they might just carry you across the finish line, from interested to sold.

William Wood Valiant Bronze

William Wood Valiant Bronze pricing and availability:

The William Wood Valiant Bronze is available now on the William Wood website, and is a limited edition of 200 pieces. Price: $1439 AUD.