09 2019 boatinternational.comBOAT LIFE
can’tlayclaimtohavingachievedmany(any?)significantfirsts,
but 15 yearsagoIbecamethefirstpersontowriteanarticleabout
astartupwatchcompanycalledLindeWerdelin.
ThepieceappearedintheFinancialTimes,andthefirmwasso
new that it had yet to make its first production piece – but the unique approach
of the founders appealed to me, and their enthusiasm made me feel confident
that the brand would be around for some time to come.
The men behind it were Danes Jorn Werdelin and Morten Linde, lifelong
friends whose respective careers prior to 2004 had been in the worlds of
investment banking and design. Both passionate horophiles, they set out to
create a timepiece the like of which had never before been seen: a robust and
good-looking luxury watch with a case specifically made to accept a pair of
clip-on, clip-off activity trackers designed primarily for skiing and scuba diving.
The thinking behind the idea was to combine a watch to be proud of with
a wrist-worn computer as an alternative to the generally unattractive data
harvesters that were gaining in popularity. “I loved what those watches could do,
but I don’t want to wear a plastic watch all day – I want a watch I like and to be
able to wear it all the time,” Werdelin told me.
After a while, however, Linde Werdelin dropped the “instrument” accessory
due to lack of demand. But there was certainly no lack of demand for the brand’s
watches and, as the industry boomed throughout the noughties and beyond, so
did Linde Werdelin – and it also proved distinctly pioneering.
Long before most brands had embraced the internet, for example, it was
selling almost exclusively online; it saw the sense in enhancing the appeal ofI
A Double Date with depth
Meet the high-performing carbon watch that has won Simon de Burton’s heart
its watches by creating strictly limited
editions of each model (usually fewer
than 100); it established a “try before
you buy” service, and was also one of the
first watch brands to offer a pre-owned
service to authenticate used pieces and
broker sales.
Its new Oktopus Double Date Carbon
is a truly sea-worthy timepiece that’s
water resistant down to 300 metres and
presents Linde Werdelin’s unique case
shape in “3DTP” carbon that’s formed
from a special layering process designed
to make it stronger and less brittle than
regular carbon fibre.
Launched in May, marking a decade
of the Oktopus dive watch range, the
watch can be had with dial details in
a choice of green, yellow or blue, each
with a matching rubber strap and case
back engraved with an octopus image.
Just 88 of each will be made.
You heard it here first... maybe.
lindewerdelin.comThe case is made of “3DTP” carbon, formed
from a layering process designed to make
it stronger than regular carbon fibreOnce a castaway
paradise and now
home to designer
boutique hotels,
smart yoga retreats
and elevated street
food, Tulum is an
obligatory stop on
the sophisticated
nomad’s global tour.
Written by Julia
Chaplin – the travel
journalist who
coined the term
Gypset (an amalgam
of gypsy and jet set)- Assouline’s latest
book captures the
magic of this part
of Mexico’s Yucatan
Peninsula. Expect
wanderlust-inducing
imagery of hidden
retreats, endless
beaches and
free-spirited crowds.
Tulum Gypset, €85,
assouline.com
Mexican
waveOktopus Double Date
3DTP Carbon, £10,200