The ‘Burnham’ Watch by Oak & Oscar

Horology nerds, pay attention: A new Chicago-based watch brand called Oak & Oscar just hit the scene, and they’ve hit the ground running with their first (and limited-edition) timepiece, the Burnham.

Closer view of the watch face.

Closer view of the watch face.

Named after Daniel Burnham — Chicago’s notable early-20th-century architect and urban planner whose famous designs include the Flatiron Building in NYC and Washington D.C.’s Union Station — the Burnham watch is all about obsessive attention to detail. Allow me to quote the company’s founder Chase Fancher about this obsession:

The numeral 8 alone required almost 80 hours of design time to ensure that it didn’t resemble a military stencil, and the placement of the counter balance on the seconds hand perfectly eclipses the logo on the dial – dubbed by a well-known watch collector and tech-guru as the “Stonehenge Effect.” The list goes on; color-matched date wheel, hash mark on the numeral 7, inner dial ring, lume color, custom case shape, twin strap holes, detailed rotor design and a couple other hidden details.

Such scrutiny appears to have paid off, because the watch is just gorgeous. In addition to all the details listed above, the company uses carefully-selected Horween leather custom-dyed with orange highlights to compliment the seconds hand. Inside the watch is a Soprod A10 automatic movement, with some perlage applied to the bridges and star-shaped cutouts on the rotor for added flair.

The customized Soprod A10 movement.

The customized Soprod A10 movement.

At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, that’s not all! Buyers will also receive a matching Horween leather watch wallet, with enough space for four watches, an extra strap, and a strap-changing tool. It even comes with a nylon navy blue spare strap sporting orange stitching and a signed buckle.

The watch wallet. (Straps pictured not included.)

The watch wallet. (Straps pictured not included.)

Oak & Oscar are only making 300 Burnham watches for release in early fall, and as of this writing (May 11th, 2015) the pre-sale price is $1,450 USD (down from $1,650).