Exclusively at The Microbrand Store, these watches come with both the stock stainless shark mesh strap with diver's clasp, plus a Panerai-style hand-stitched vintage Italian premium leather strap with large stainless pre-V buckle.
The PolAm Hamtramck is a very smart looking automatic dive watch with a story to tell. It strongly features PolAm's Polish-American heritage with the red and white Polish national colors, the Polish word for automatic on the dial, a Polish eagle on the back of the watch, and optionally a Polish eagle on the dial as well. The timepiece comes in a nice red and white presentation box that, yes you've guessed it, also features a Polish eagle emblem.
Why We Love This Watch
Obviously for fans of Polish watches, this will be a no-brainer. For the rest of us, the watch has an unusual entrancing red, white, and silver color scheme that is very well thought out, and can be very appealing, with the red on the bezel varying from a purplish-burgundy to a brighter red, depending on the angle. The stainless silver color is also accented by the matching shark mesh bracelet that comes with this timepiece. However, it looks equally good on a solid link bracelet, or a burgundy NATO or leather strap.
You may also notice an unusual feature with the bezel in that it's a count down bezel rather than a count up bezel, with the last 20 minutes marked out instead of the usual 15 minutes. Joe Wichowski, the creator behind this watch is an avid cook and for him the most important time when preparing meals is the last 20 minutes. The Hamtramck is very much his personal take and dream design of a watch that suits his needs and tastes, which provides an intimate connection to the person behind this microbrand.
With a strong design and bright colors, this timepiece does very well as a modern dress watch, but it still has a robust dive watch heritage that makes it very versatile, with an ultra-reliable movement, scratch-resistant domed sapphire glass, and 100 meter water rating.
The Story Behind the Hamtramck
The phrase on the back of the watch reads "kuj żelazo póki gorące", which means "strike while the iron is hot". We think that's very apt here. Joe originally ran PolAm's Hamtramck sales campaign on Kickstarter, during the December holiday season, a time when backers don't normally want to pledge for a watch that'll be delivered at some future date. As a result, it didn't do so well. However, Joe persevered, struck while the iron was hot, and ordered an entire production run anyway, eventually setting up shop to sell these timepieces on Etsy, one by one. We think his confidence in the design was justified and we're excited to be carrying PolAm in The Microbrand Store, the first time Joe has allowed his "baby" to be sold anywhere else.
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Watch Specifications
- Type: Microbrand watch.
- Reference: PolAm Hamtramck.
- Complications: Date.
- Color Scheme: Red, white, and silver.
- Water Resistance: 10 ATM / 100 meters / 330 feet.
- Diameter: 46mm, excluding crown.
- Lug-to-Lug Length: 51mm.
- Lug Width: 22mm.
- Height: 14mm.
- Case: 316L marine grade stainless steel.
- Case Back: 316L marine grade stainless steel.
- Dial Type: Applied indices.
- Dial Glass: Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal.
- Bezel: Rotating with diver-style markings.
- Lume: Swiss Super-Luminova
- Straps Included: 1x 22mm stainless shark mesh strap with diver's clasp, 1x 22mm premium vintage Italian leather strap with large pre-V buckle.
- Movement: 24 jewel Seiko NH35A automatic movement.
- Oscillation: 21,600 BPH, (6 ticks per second.)
- Hacks: Yes.
- Hand Winds: Yes.
- Automatic Winding: Yes.
- Power Reserve: Over 41 hours.
- Manufacturer's Warranty: Manufacturer does not provide any warranty. This watch comes with our own supplemental warranty coverage as a courtesy to our customers.
