Luxurious Magazine founder, Paul Godbold, takes a closer look at Swiss Watch brand Wencia and their range of sterling silver watches
When it comes to wristwatches, I freely admit that I am an out and out “Watch Snob”. I generally stick to either the historically great marques such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, Breguet or watch brands that are less known, but rare enough to create a point of conversation.
Aside from being a “Watch Snob”, as the owner of Luxurious Magazine, I am generally expected to have something upon my wrist that matches my perceived status. After all, Luxurious Magazine is the world’s most viewed online luxury lifestyle magazine, and wearing something that can be purchased on the local high street would possibly raise more than a few eyebrows among my friends and peers.
Since my early teenage years, I have been a fan of timepieces. They are an extension of my personality and I find that wearing a good looking watch during special occasions provides me with not only an extra degree of confidence, but often acts as a talking point once glimpsed.
Recently, a man that I hold in high esteem in the watch industry, Tom McCulloch, took time out to properly introduce me to Wencia, a Swiss brand that has been around since 1937. I’ve known of this brand for a while, but not really explored it in too much detail. This is because there are so many watch brands in the marketplace coming out with more than enough products to keep myself and the Luxurious Magazine editorial team busy.
As a collector of watches, I’m somewhat interested in the mechanical movements that power them, but in all honesty, it’s the look and style of the timepiece that makes me want to wear it rather than how it works. Other collectors may well reel back aghast at that comment as some specialist watch journalists will think this blasphemous, but unlike certain individuals in the luxury media industry, I’m just being honest. If it’s not one of the well-known high-end brands, but offers a degree of exclusivity and looks great on my wrist, then that will do for me, and this is where Wencia hits the mark.
Wencia is a brand that produces classic-looking timepieces. They are not too big, not too small and the watches are not flashy or garish, but more discreet and elegant. The bit that I really like is that they make the watch cases out of sterling silver which in my opinion is a very much underused material in the horlogical industry. I’ve made particular mention to the size, as watches come in all forms from small to pretty much enormous, and one’s general bone structure is the determining factor in what you can get away with wearing without looking ridiculous. Those people with Neanderthal sized wrists are probably not going to want to wear a Wencia watch with a 38mm case, but for the majority of us with standard sized wrists, (7”) a 38mm case is just about perfect.
For those that want to argue that watches need to be bigger and bulkier than this, one needs to look no further than the most popular watch model in the Patek Philippe range, the Calatrava. This, like the Wencia watches, is classically styled and comes with 36mm – 38mm cases.
With the Wencia watch range, it’s not just the sizing that to my eyes seems perfect, but I also really like the styling. Take for example the Wencia Swiss Classic W006AS. At first glance you’re reminded of the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5153G-001, but the most startling difference between the two is that the Wencia will set you back less than $1500 in sterling silver, whilst the Calatrava will cost you a cool $37,000 in white gold. I am in no way saying that the Wencia is a true alternative to the Calatrava, but I will say that the price point, exclusivity and appearance of the watch is in my opinion excellent value for a decent quality dress watch and something that warrants serious consideration.
After careful inspection of the Wencia watches, I’ll admit that I am impressed. The size, materials, styling and weight of the timepieces provide a nice feeling of quality so much so that I would be very pleased to wear one and discuss the excellent merits of having a Wencia watch.
For those looking for an attractive looking, quality dress watch that’s not going to “break the bank”, have a good long look at Wencia models, and hopefully you’ll be as impressed as I was.
The brand name “Wencia” comes from “Wenger”, the surname of the founders. The watch manufactory hails from Villiers-le-lac near to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the home of horology, and for more than 50 years, they have worked closely with Valjoux and various small watchmaking workshops of the Swiss Jura. Approximately 10 years ago, David Wenger, the heir to the family business, decided to re-launch the brand, bringing together a team of young designers from around the world. They have since created and launched over 400 different models and various items of jewellery.
For more information about Wencia visit www.wencia.com