0. Requisition:  Essentialist Mission Watches

This recruitment notice is for all of you out there with adventure in your blood, and missions to tackle.

VALOR / HONNR / SCOUT / COURG.42

Those aren’t typos. 

Aviation Way Points 

HONNR and COURG waypoints near Washington, D.C.

VALOR / HONNR / SCOUT / ENDUR / COURG are navigation points used by pilots to chart flights across the globe. Waypoints are composed of 5-letters and made to be spoken as a word so pilots can quickly transmit their location via radio.

Why character traits? We are all time travelers on a mission.

Mission Control, we have a problem.

Together, we are navigating a hell storm of disease, fear, anxiety depression, and profound loss — personal, loved ones, and freedom. We’re in the trenches. But we can climb out together. Up and over. We were made to fly. 

We need COURAGE.

We need HONOR.

We need VALOR.

We need to SCOUT.

Character traits are the airframe of our time machines — our souls.

And these are your mission timers …  zero distraction, everything you need, nothing you don’t.

TACKLE YOUR MISSIONS.

If nothing else, we’ve been reminded. Sobered up. About humanity and our own vulnerabilities. 

But we don’t stop there.

True hope that is not just a wish, but a hope that rolls up your sleeves and says get to work. Onward. Upward.

Let’s go.

Table of Contents

1. What: Problem vs. Solution
2. New Recruits:
   • A. HONNR
   •  B. SCOUT
   • C. VALOR
   • D. COURG.42
3. Straps
4. Design Parameters
5. Stretch goals
6. Timeline: Where we’ve been and what’s next
7. Specifications
8. Back & Share. Thank you!
9. Partners / Enablers / Allied Forces

1. Problems. Solved.

? Vintage-Fragile vs. Robust & Dependable      
Built like a tank, with a workhorse movement rated to run twenty years before needing service.

?  Overpriced vs. Maximized Value      
We cut out middlemen to maximize your value. But more than that, it means cutting out layers between us — so we can connect directly.

?  Cheap Generic Parts vs. Crafted from Military-Grade Materials      
Aerospace-grade titanium, ultra-hard anti-reflective scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, super-bright luminous paint. Soft iron Faraday-Cage defeats the magnetic fields everywhere.

?  Jewelry vs. Focused Functional      
The uni-directional counterclockwise rotating diver bezel provides triple function of timer, countdown, and second time zone. Models with inner rotating bezels provide double bezel functions.

?  Trivial Distractions vs. Essentialist Design      
WWII fighter pilot instrument dials and essential designs are the epitome of proven form and function. Why? We don’t think watches need to be shiny, plastered with logos, cluttered with messy unnecessary text and difficult to read.

?  Sloppy Date placement vs. Integrated Date Window      
Unobtrusive optimized design.

?  Hassle and charging drain vs. Automatic & Long Life      
Powered by your movement and long-life batteries — instead of the pain of constant charging and the waste of frequent battery changes.

<INSERT PRESS IMAGE>

LOVE/HATE relationship with vintage watches. 

I inherited watches from my grandfather. One was a black dial dive watch. It was my favorite, but the bezel had been ripped off somehow. The gaskets were inaccessible, irreplaceable, so I always worried water would damage it. It was a manual wind and sometimes I’d forget to wind it. 

So, I went in search of an equivalent watch worn by pilots. Everything was vintage/fragile, too large, or just replicas only good for a water splash.

Not finding what I was looking for, we decided to design our own watch. 

We figured we see if anyone else wanted to come along for the ride. We launched COURG in our first campaign, which backers fully funded within 3 hours. In all, more than 2,200 backers jumped on board.

Now we’re back with new pilot-diver hybrid designs, building on COURG, to further equip your missions. 

COURG was the first titanium automatic watch fully funded on crowdfunding. COURG was the first hybrid cockpit instrument fused with diver tools in a reasonable size for any wrist — male or female.

2. PATHFINDERS. Meet the new recruits.

LIMITED EDITION — Many of the variants will not go into full production.  

MISSION CRITICAL. ZERO DISTRACTION. 

BUT THE WATCH IS NOT THE POINT. YOU ARE.

We exist to equip and encourage you to tackle your missions. We believe each one of you is called to glory — to a life with meaning, adventure, and honor. And in turn, we believe you can bring powerful change to the world around you.

Iconic WWI Trench + WWII Pilot Instruments Fused with Modern Science

• Zero Distraction / High Visibility. Ultra matte black dial, zero distracting logos or other unnecessary complications. Day or night use with Superluminova lume.
• Indomitable. Scratch-resistant, aerospace-grade titanium, and workhorse movements.
• Triple-Function Mechanical Bezel. Stopwatch, countdown timer, second timezone.

A. We enlisted HONNR

because HONOR is a core character trait on which we stand. We hold fast with integrity in the onslaught of cutting corners and “good enough” and instead illuminate the narrow path for those who seek.

Inspired by WWII cockpit instruments and gauges. 

<INSERT HONNR GRAPHIC>

<INSERT HONNR 4X4>

<INSERT HONNR MORPH>

The venerable A-13A and A-9 were military specs that served for decades as onboard nav tools in U.S. aircraft.

Original A-13A Mil-Spec:

HONNR + A-13A:

A-9 Cockpit Clock:

<PLAY>

B. We enlisted SCOUT

because we must go first, go ahead, and build the path for those who come after us, and while it’s easier to stay in the back, complain and cower — we choose to chart the course and walk in front and share the intel.

Modular. Swappable. Rare Seiko Field Master aka “Contra,” upgraded. 

Two Variants: A-9 and 1/A

PLAY

SCOUT 1/A Quartz for the little man #familieswhohike:

C. We enlisted VALOR

because VALOR is courage in action. It is the powerful force and purpose driven leadership for mighty work even in the grime filled trenches of day to day slog that makes it tempting to hide and shrink back in apathy and mediocrity. Valor is service under fire.

<INSERT VALOR GFX>

<INSERT VALOR 4X4>

Variant: Type-E

When you’re in the trenches, you want something you can quickly read. You don’t want to fumble around for a pocket watch, which was fashionable for men in the early 1900s. 

With the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, the U.S. military saw the need for wristwatches that could be read quickly when coordinating maneuvers.

This variant is inspired by a U.S. military specification produced by Elgin National Watch Company in Illinois and issued to soldiers in World War 1. This dial (aka Black Star) was used in different style cases named after high profile generals such as Pershing, Kitchener, and Foch. 

As far as I know (correct me if I’m wrong), but I believe this to be the first black dialed U.S. military watch. The battle proven field-tested design went on to serve well into WW2.

We slaved over the hands and numerals for the Type-E. I mean we do that with all the variants we design, of course. But because the Type-E has such a specific character to it with a legacy going back to WWI we wanted preserve and also clean it up a bit because of some strange inconsistencies in the number shapes. 

At the same time we wanted to capture the feel of the quirkiness of the design that so captivated me when I saw it! It was a tight balance. 

The hands were a tough call. The original ones were bold for the period, but a bit ornate and curvaceous for my tastes. I knew they had to go, but designing the update took a loooooong time to get the balance right with such a strong personality to the rest of the dial. 

I also wasn’t sure how you all would feel about the star markers. That took a lot of refining to get to the right size where it wasn’t garish, but still felt distinctly like stars and not like blurry dots. 

The other design conundrum was the Elgin eagle logo. It’s part of the distinctive look of the original and even though I want zero logos, I also felt like I should have preserved that one just because of its DNA.

VALOR Type-E DLC:

Updating the eagle and shield took a ridiculous number of iterations, but I’m glad we kept at it and stayed true to our guiding design principles and kept the eagle and shield etched black on black.

Variant: Model 11

aka MoD W.W.W. (British Ministry of Defense Watch, Wrist, Waterproof). In WW2, the MoD created a military specification for black-dialed watches that were accurate, waterproof, and shatterproof. These had seconds subdials.

Instead of looking in the civilian market, the MoD accepted designs from 12 Swiss manufacturers. These 12 different designs are called the Dirty Dozen today by collectors. 

A successor design from the W.W.W. post-WW2 was a new spec called 6B/346 Mk.11 created by the British RAF with pilots and navigators specifically in mind to use in “astro-navigation purposes.” Hence, this spec was also called the “Navigator’s”.  

PLAY

VALOR Model 11:

VALOR OFFSET With Seconds Subdial

It’s a quirky design that probably does not have mass appeal. I really wanted a subdial seconds, but none of the movement calibers also had a 4PM crown. 

There was one movement that was close, but then the crown was at 4:30 and I just couldn’t take it being misaligned like that. It’s one of those things once you see it you can’t unsee it then it always just feels wrong and off. 

Now, the VALOR Offset, runs a Swiss Sellita SW-260 movement.

VALOR Model 11 Offset:

I even went as far as consulting with a watchmaker about having a custom caliber built to move the seconds wheel, but the gearing would have made the movement unacceptably thick. In the end, the best I could do for now is an offset dial. 

There is a historically practical precedent for the offset and particularly with trench watches and “drivers watches”, this layout provided a more direct read. I also had this one built a CuSn8 crown because the first watch I received from my grandfather had a crown where the chrome had been worn off and I always enjoyed that patina.

PLAY

VALOR Type-E Offset

VALOR BLACK STAR

Original WWI Trench Watch in Titanium

Ultra limited custom project to install original WWI Elgin Black Star trench watch movement and enamel dial in an upgraded titanium case with sapphire and legit water resistance.

You’ll join us to help make critical design decisions. We might even be convinced to make these with an exhibition case back.

Each watch will be uniquely serial numbered and made to order and American built.

Elgin Black Star original dials and movements:

Elgin original 15 Jewel movement, circa WW1:

We’re also going to machine a titanium or bronze cage to suspend the movement inside the case.

D. And you remember COURG. 

We re-enlisted COURAGE because it is what pushes us out into the deep — and where our truest most powerful journeys begin. And now, more than ever we must choose the right and often difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions, even when we know the going will get tough and fear conspires to paralyze.

BEYOND THE SUPERSIZE

Rotating Inner Bezel Adds Fourth Function.

We fielded many requests for a larger version of the original COURG (39mm). But we weren’t just going to supersize the design.

There had to be a reason. And I realized that with the additional dial real estate, we could add an inner rotating bezel. This functions as a tracker for a second time zone, and keeps the outer bezel free for other timing operations.

COURG.42 A-11 | Type-A | GCT

Variant: Type-A

The German aircraft ministry developed designs for their WWII pilots, called B-Uhren — short for Beobachtungs-uhren (“Observation Watch”). and is often referred to as a Type A or flieger. The Luftwaffe owned these watches, and the pilots were forced to return them after each mission. These were 55mm! 

Variant: A-11

WW2 American fighter pilots strapped to their wrists and helped lead to the Allies’ victory. The U.S. military contracted multiple American watch companies to build these watches and called this specification A-11.

PLAY

Variant: GCT

I always admired the WW2 GCT pocket watches used by U.S. Air Force bomber navigators. But I’d never regularly use a pocket watch and a marriage watch would still be too large and delicate for my liking. Now, with more dial real estate I wanted to see if we could deliver a GCT. To me the GCT design is the U.S. answer to the German Type-B.

PLAY

3. BUCKLE DOWN, STRAP IN

ABOVE STANDARD BALLISTIC NYLON G10/NATO MIL-STRAP: BLACK 20/22MM

FEATURES

• Exclusive titanium hardware
• Solid buckle construction with no spring bar failure point
• Quick dry
• Machine washable

This is an upgraded ballistic nylon material with a tighter weave that provides added flexibility and comfort, while preserving the rugged trustworthy dependability.

Fact Check: This strap design is often referred to as a NATO strap, but the original name was G10. The British Military of Defense first issued spec G1098, and soldiers requisitioned their own from the quartermaster with the easier to remember G10. Now you know.

The secondary strap prevents the watch case from sliding around and secures the watch where you want it on your wrist. And if one spring bar on the watch were ever to fail, this strap provides backup so your watch doesn’t fall off the strap.

Did you know? DuPont originally designed ballistic nylon during World War 2 to provide lightweight defense for pilots’ and airmen flak jackets to protect against metal shards or debris from inbound munitions. The researchers developed an exceptionally tight weave, typically basket pattern in 2×2. The thread pattern produces durable construction and limited stretch in all directions.

4. DESIGN PARAMETERS 

HAND DRAWN DIALS.

The dials we design are all hand drawn. No off-the-shelf fonts. 

“In reality, only a small and decreasing number of watchmakers go to the trouble of creating custom lettering for their dials. More often, watch brands use off-the-rack fonts that are squished and squeezed onto the dial’s limited real estate. You just can’t get the same kind of character and unique number forms from generic computerized fonts. ” 

That’s why Wonder Woman Grace, co-founder, aka design maven, aka CFO, aka prime minister of crew, spent months poring over historical documents and photos investigating the proportions, shapes, angles, x-heights, spacing to get each number just right. 

What you see in the prototypes is a result of that hard work. But she’s not done yet.

Before we hit production, she’ll make one last round of refinements to each and every dial to ensure each number, shape, and dial are up to her exacting standards.

FLASHBACK TO PROTOTYPES

<INSERT SPECS>

<INSERT DESIGN PRINCIPLES>

5. Case Backs

We don’t need or want pretty pictures or exhibition case backs. We’re not a crew that spends our time staring at the back of our watches. 

Exhibition case backs are additional weak points for water ingress and inconsistent with what our watches are first and foremost: Tools.

Our original COURG case back was designed by a talented COURG crew member Richard Halford. He drew inspiration from aviation VIN plates.  

It was an exceptional design and we ended up producing the case back with only some minor adjustments.

PACKAGING

These crates have been our current packaging that we’ve shipped watches in. We like them and have found that the crate and waxed canvas roll offered opportunities to make packaging that secured watches but could be useful beyond.

Redux & Co. exists to equip and encourage you to tackle your missions — both hardware and wetware (mind, soul, spirit, character).

REDUX — adjective | re·dux | rē-ˈdəks | re-ducks                                  

In Latin, redux (from the verb reducere, meaning “to lead back”) —and can mean “brought back”, resurrected, or revived.

We make iconic EDC tools that equip pathfinders to tackle their missions.

We believe that courageous explorers build a better world.

We aim to encourage and equip you to live with purpose and adventure.

While other companies are racing to the bottom of generic and “minimalist”, or the other end of over-complicated, difficult to read, blingy, we stand for something more. 

We stand for you, the essentialist.

We believe you deserve to own the most endurable products, with uncompromising customer service that treats you like friends.

I have already launched multiple successful crowdfunding campaigns. We launched COURG, the first titanium watch successfully funded here. I was also co-founder of Redeem the City, a successful journalism project about faith in New York City.

We’re a husband and wife and two-tyke team based in the Seaport District of New York City.

I’m a believer, maker, and journalist, adventurer. Words for Popular Science magazine (lots of aviation and #avgeek goodness!), The New York Times, and Fast Company.

CREW 

But it’s not about us — it’s about the Redux crew: We are fighter pilots, designers, emergency physicians, CEOs, journalists, soldiers, engineers, philanthropists, biologists, missionaries, firefighters, and more.

Crowdfunding Natives and Superbackers

Tons of businesses jump into Indiegogo because they want to take advantage of the community here. They’re drawn by the synergy of a platform that brings lots of eyeballs in a short amount of time. They test their ideas. Make a quick buck. And sadly sometimes never deliver.

We understand backers because WE ARE backers. We’ve backed nearly 40 campaigns (probably more before the end of this campaign ? !). We’re here to build community and connect directly with you so we can work together. We’re not here to just ring the cash register and add another transaction. 

Indiegogo is an amazing community of builders, makers, dreamers, and change makers. And we’re thrilled to be active advocates of our fellow creators and you, our backers!

<INSERT TIMELINE GFX>

Turbulence Maneuvered

We had planned to launch this campaign in 2020. But we all know how that went.

Not only did our supply chain implode, like so many businesses, we also ran out of inventory.

On top of all of that, we noticed that our son’s remote Zoom-schooling was less than optimal for him. We initially thought it might be the best of both worlds: public school and homeschool. But instead it was like the worst of each with none of the benefits. That’s not to say the school trying their best, and we have so much respect for all the teachers and administrators braving the challenges. But it just wasn’t working for us. So, we decided to unschool him full time.

And I left my day job to do it. So, now Redux is a family endeavor with the littles learning about small business! We’re all working together.

Let’s Achieve Escape Velocity — We Need Your Support to Build the New Fleet!

We’re ready for production, I have samples in hand, the technical drawings, I have the suppliers ready to start production. The only thing missing is the initial order fee. I need to order a minimum of 500 watches per model, and that’s where you come in.

By becoming a backer for this project, you help us fund the first production run so we can afford to begin manufacturing, and not to mention you score an awesome watch at a steep discount!

Now, let’s raise a ruckus! Given the chance, we’ll soar together!

My reach only reaches my immediate network. Liking Redux & Co. on Facebook or inviting friends and family via email will make a huge difference and help our project gain the momentum we need.

So, please back our new design projects now! With your continued support we can pull up the landing gear for departure and push full throttle!

Thank you so much for your continued support and for joining us on this adventure!

ALLIED FORCES

Special thanks to our talented friends, co-conspirators, and enablers —

<insert sammy levine>

Wingman and Editor