We’ve found a sure-fire way to get a Rolex on your wrist (sort of…)

Luke Benedictus

There’s been much hand-wringing of late about the slow death of traditional men’s formalwear. The writing was already on the sartorial wall in 2019 when, for example, British retailer Marks and Spencer slashed their suit and formalwear ranges by 14 per cent while increasing their leisurewear lines by 12 per cent. And then came COVID-19. During the pandemic, many people began working from home and getting suited and booted suddenly felt more pointless than ever. For many of us, workwear swiftly degenerated into a half-arsed stab at “Casual Friday” at best.

As this trend took hold, certain wardrobe items seemed to be edging towards extinction. “Let me be clear,” Ermenegildo Zegna insisted at a luxury conference in May. “The suit is not dead. But the tie is!”

Yet the fate of one male accessory seemed particularly doomed and unlikely to be mourned a great deal either.

Cufflinks have always been fiddly little bastards. Originating in the reign of King Louis XIV, over the years their role has slowly dwindled to become increasingly ornamental and reserved for the most formal occasions like black tie. Bottom line: sew-on buttons are more practical, convenient and simply make a whole lot more sense.

Except that a new Kickstarter project begs to differ. Creamy Patina is a start-up by two brothers who are obsessed by watches. Their Wilsdorf Collection essentially compromises of working homages to classic Rolex watches brought to life in miniature form with Seiko PC21 movements. And it’s all done through the medium of cufflinks.

The 24mm dial of “the Cuffmariner” pays tribute to the Rolex Submariner  and includes luminescent markers and hands to “maintain the tool watch heritage”.

“The Cuffgauss” is a sleeve-fastening take on the Milgauss and features its charteristic lightning-bolt second-hand.

“The Cuffany” is a nod to the Tiffany Blue Oyster Perpetual in a 22m format.

Finally, “the Cuffmaster” is a loving homage to the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263.

Will these wrist-bond inventions bring about an unlikely cufflink revival? That remains to be seem. But Creamy Patina’s handiwork is  destined to become a favourite in that slightly maligned category of novelty Father’s Day gifts for dads who, quite frankly, would much rather you just got them another bottle of Scotch.