TLDR
1969 was a huge year. The Vietnam War ended, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon and Jimmi Hendrix played to a huge Woodstock crowd at 9 am. Strange time for a concert, but what do I know?
I wasn’t alive then, but it was an important year for me - In a little town called Wolfsburg in Germany, my first car was born. A Volkswagon Type1, or a beetle to the layman.
That car was my first introduction to the tactile interaction between humans and machines. I remember learning to drive in it, constantly crunching the gears and violently lurching forward as I struggled to actuate the clutch pedal. It was embarrassing, especially on the odd occasion when I had to pick up my girlfriend from her place, at the top of a hill. I hadn’t made it easy for myself, Volkswagens from that era are very well-engineered but require a certain finesse to drive well. The steering is heavy, the gearbox is vague and the pedals are sensitive. There were no electronics to help you back then either, it’s all up to you.
It wasn’t long until I started to get a feel for it. My gear changes got smoother and I could finally anticipate how the drivetrain was going to react to my input. I would curl my toes over the floor-mounted throttle peddle (yes, I used to drive without shoes) to rev match precisely and soon enough, I moved through the gears with the precision of a bolt action rifle. I was getting used to it just as it was getting used to me. Driving that car was a meditation. Just like in watches, man and machine eventually became one.
Whenever I try to explain to someone why I love watches (and old cars) so much I always come up short. I can never find the words to justify my deep-rooted and probably delusional passion for mechanical objects. I often try to use the story of my VW but efforts to explain are usually met with blank stares and questions of my sanity.
This ravenous passion doesn’t stop at watches or cars though, I love well-made objects of any kind. Give me a handmade frying pan and I’ll wax lyrical about its maker, the way it heats food and the longevity of its integrated handle. I love things that have been thoughtfully engineered. Insufferable, I know, but experiencing a physical and emotional connection with an object is a powerful thing. Perhaps it’s the proximity to something bigger than ourselves that draws us in. Or maybe I’m reading too far into things, either way, when something is done well, you can feel it.
With that in mind, I recently spoke to the founders of a company that I hadn’t really thought much about before. What I found, was a brand that speaks directly to my love of connection, mechanics and engineering, perhaps more than any other I’ve written about before.
It’s time to explore WRK ‘Watchmaking Research Kinematics’
‘Unceasing Commitment To Continuous Development, Innovation, And Technical Advancements That Push The Horological Boundaries.’
I first spoke to the founders of WRK late one night when my kids were away on holiday. Lucky that, because the excitement and passion emanating from my laptop would have woken even the heaviest of sleepers. The brand had popped up on my Instagram feed a few times, but for a week or so I scrolled past without looking into it. Unusual case shape, skeletonised movement - ‘Another Richard Mille’ I thought to myself. Good reminder to always go deeper.
After a few more sightings I clicked the link in their bio and was blown away by what I saw. The WRK website is part engineering case study, part 3d animation masterclass and part video game studio. It’s unbelievably cool, so I did what any self-respecting watch writer would, and sent them a message about it.
Fast forward to our call and I was chatting with Nasko and Caroline, the founders of WRK and oh boy are they a delight! They were sitting next to each other at the same desk, from their home in Modena, Italy. I get pretty nervous when I’m about to talk to brand owners but as soon as we started I felt completely at home.
Nasko is an ex-marketing man, real marketing he says, not that bullshit they do these days (his words, not mine) and has wanted to start his own watch brand for years. After working in the video game industry, he moved into watches to be closer to his passion, and then eventually went out on his own. It’s a story as old as time and one that, more often than not, ends with a product of singular inspiration and purpose. This is what their first watch, the ACF-01 feels like.
The ACF-01
Gordon Murray, the legendary automotive designer has such obsessive attention to detail that he goes to extreme lengths to make sure every part of his car is light and fast. Like the six-piece machined Titanium throttle peddle, or the gold-lined engine bay of the Mclaren F1, every detail is agonised over to optimise it beyond what was previously possible. His more recent creation, the Gordon Murray T-50, also follows this philosophy. I remember watching a video on it a couple of years ago. What stuck with me wasn’t the power or looks, it was the air conditioning controls. Positioned to the right of the steering wheel, they are milled out of a solid block of aluminium and click with a quality that rivals the shutter on a Leica. Every element, no matter how small, has to be perfect. The details are insane, and when added together, they make something very special.
The ACF-01 is the watch industry manifestation of Gordon's attitude toward cars. The philosophy is all there, from the case to the movement, Nasko and Caroline haven’t compromised on ergonomics, weight or performance.
Legendary engineer and founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman once said, “Simplify, then add lightness.” This encapsulates the thinking behind the ACF-01, it’s as pure as they come.
To give you an idea of how much detail and engineering thought went into the ACF-01, I wanted to do something a little different. Let’s go through some of the components individually, get ready to have your mind blown.
The Case - 10.74g - Grade 5 Titanium.
The case of the ACF-01 is pebble-like in its shape and bead-blasted in its finish. Initially, it looks almost too simple, but when you look closer the philosophy reveals itself. WRK describe it as ‘biocompatibility’. When an object is ‘biocompatible’, it’s designed to work well with the human form. It doesn’t just please our visual senses, it collaborates and embeds itself into our physiology. This is an incredible concept that only a handful of brands pay close attention to.
With biocompatibility in mind, the ACF-01 has a curved case back and machined sections on the sides to reduce pressure on the wrist. You can have either a solid case back in grade 5 Titanium or a sapphire crystal one. Although, if I’m honest, having the option of a sapphire crystal case back is a little strange to me. You’ll understand why in the next section.
The Glass - 1.8g - High Strength Polymer
Like the rear windows of a Porsche GT3 RS, this watch has a polymer crystal up front. I found this a little weird at first, I mean, why would a watch of this calibre not have a sapphire crystal!?
After doing my research, not only is a polymer crystal lighter, but it’s much less prone to shattering and doesn’t leave as much debris behind if it does. Nasko told me a story of one of his first customers bringing the ACF-01 back to him after he had used and abused it a little too much, the watch needed to be repaired but he couldn’t have been happier about it. The ACF-01 was designed to be worn, and seeing an owner doing just that was exciting for him. There’s nothing worse than a well-engineered object relegated to seeing the inside of a safe. Dive your cars and wear your watches!!
The Double Wish Bones (Patented) - 0.192g - Grade 5 Titanium
Like those found in high-performance race cars, the double wishbone system found here increases rigidity and shock resistance. This is something Nasko and Caroline are very proud of and they mentioned how hard it was to engineer a movement mounting system like this. So much so that they patented it. Another benefit of this system is the ease of casing and maintenance. Nasko mentioned that when you speak to a mechanic, they usually have a favourite car to work on because it’s easy. You shouldn’t have to pull the whole engine out to replace a timing belt. It’s with this philosophy in mind that the wishbones were designed. Four bolts, a crown stem and the movement is out.
Calibre AMBx - 4.463g - Grade 5 Titanium
The rest of the movement is a masterclass in reduction and optimisation. Wherever they could, material has been removed in order to save weight and the numbers don’t lie. The baseplate is 1.891g, the tourbillon cage is 0.085g and the open-worked barrel is a positively hefty 0.523g. The removal of material not only ads lightness but it also gives the movement a sense of purpose. The mainspring is visible because of the open-worked barrel, and as a result, allows you to see when the AMBx needs to be wound. It’s this duality of purpose that links this movement to the machines that inspire it. There’s no room for components that don’t serve an essential function, or two. Just like the McLaren F1, superfluous details only detract from it’s purity.
What I love about Nasko and Caroline is their total openness. When on our call I felt like I was welcomed into their home (it may actually have been). I got the sense that they had nothing to hide and were happy to share the triumphs and hardships of their journey so far. There’s no denying the fact that they have received a lot of help from partners in the development of the ACF-01, and although some want to hide their reliance on others, Nesko and Caroline celebrate it. Each component’s supplier is outlined on their website, along with detailed explanations of its development and philosophy, it’s fascinating to click through to these companies and learn about the people behind them. Transparency is a rarely appreciated asset in this industry. I could have spoken to Nasko and Caroline all night. I left the call at 11 pm and couldn’t sleep for hours, the buzz of the call wore off slowly.
How do I explain the feeling of a smooth gear change, the solid clunk of a 911 door or the slipping on of a watch like the ACF-01? As I said at the start of this story, it’s almost impossible, but I’ll keep trying if it takes me the rest of my life. Here we go…
When the cool metal of a watch case touches your skin, it soaks up the heat of your fingertips as you start to build your relationship. It’s a marriage of art and flesh, of object and heart and of mechanics and spirit. It gives to you just as you give to it.
That’s why I love watches so much, they are a manifestation of the relationship between humans and the world around us.
Cya in the next one. x
