There are several brands in the world of horology that I admire immensely. I applaud their creativity and innovative approach to watchmaking. However in some instances the people that work for these businesses are not that responsive or easy to deal with. Admittedly these traits are more common in larger companies or groups. Fortunately there are people (ladies and gentlemen) out there who are very approachable. Within this exclusive club I would definitely include Richard Paige.
I first contacted Richard Paige about eighteen months ago with a request to test one of his wonderful Wrocket watches. He was very forthcoming and promptly shipped a timepiece from Hawaii to South Australia. Since then we have formed a very close working relationship and I have really benefited from his expertise. As I have mentioned in previous articles Richard once owned a successful chain of watch boutiques. After years of selling the same brands he became jaded with the industry and focused his attention on other ventures. It was his love for historic mechanisms that revitalised his interest in horology. However rather than act as a retailer again he established his own watch brand called RPaige.
Previously I have tested two different models from RPaige called the Wrocket Black Dial Titanium and the Stealth Carousel. The latter is really a prototype, which Richard personally owns but was kind enough to ship over for review purposes. Both of these wonderful timepieces shared the same ‘Art Deco inspired 44mm case. They also are constructed from lightweight titanium and weighed only 67.3 grams. For that reason they both felt unbelievably comfortable to wear and I feel they would be suitable for most occasions (with the exception of extreme sports).
Recently RPaige have announced the imminent arrival of a new collection called the Duo Face on Facebook. Ultimately this means that they will no longer be producing the Wrocket as they only have a limited amount of cases left. When I decided to write this article my prime objective was to celebrate these exquisite watches. Over the last few years Richard has procured some very rare and unusual dials. Many of them are extremely beautiful and feature intricate engravings. Apart from manufacturing a cohesive series of watches he has produced several unique 1/1 pieces. Although I love all of the designs I wanted to showcase Richard’s personal favourites in this editorial.
Essentially what makes the Wrocket so special is that every single one of them is completely individual. In a lot of cases the specifications for the movement varies from model to models. Mainly this is because Richard has sourced vintage stock from American companies Elgin and Waltham. The only common factor is the mechanisms have been lovingly restored and are manual winding.
Fortunately there are still a few models for sale on the RPaige website (https://www.rpaigewatch.com) Prices range from $2,500 – $3,500.
