For the past two years if you go to the website of popular Dutch watchmakers Grönefeld, you will be instantly met with a pop-up that reads “Sorry, for the moment we can’t take new orders until further notice. We are now processing the overwhelming amount of reservations we’ve received after the launch of our 1969 DeltaWorks and 1941 Grönograaf. Thank you for your patience and understanding.” In the words of DJ Khaled, they are suffering from success. It’s consequently a massive surprise that they’ve now announced the launch of an entirely new brand called Grøne and an all new wristwatch, the Grøne Manueel One ‘Sjef’s One’.
Grøne is designed to be a more widely available and more accessible take on the same design language and principles that have made Grönefeld a success. Essentially, while people wait many years for a high end Grönefeld they can sate their appetite with a Grøne. Or if like the vast majority of people you will never be able to afford one of their top end models, a Grøne is a dramatically more realistic prospect to buy. It’s essentially the same concept used by Japanese master horologer Hajime Asaoka with his extremely exclusive eponymous brand and his accessible Kurono brand.
What of the Grøne Manueel One ‘Sjef’s One’ itself? Well, the official name of the model is the Manueel One, which is a reference to the fact that it houses a manual movement. The nickname ‘Sjef’s One’ is then a dedication to the founding brothers’ father, Sjef Grönefeld. It has a 38.5mm diameter case in stainless steel with an equally svelte thickness of 9mm, putting it right in the pocket of the current zeitgeist for smaller, vintage proportioned timepieces.
The dial has a central tremblage engraved disc in copper, salmon colour surrounded by a brushed, steel coloured hour scale. The hour markers are then delicately facetted wedges that overlap the two sections. Combining all these features together you realise that this is technically a sector dial design. There are even hints of Art Deco influence though it’s nowhere near as strong as the majority of sector dials.
Inside, the Grøne Manueel One ‘Sjef’s One’ houses a modified Sellita SW210. As I briefly mentioned earlier it’s a manual winding movement, meaning it has to be wound using the crown in order to run. It’s actually the winding mechanism that’s been modified by Grøne as they have adjusted the torque for a more satisfying winding experience. It has a 42-hour power reserve, which is pretty standard in today’s market.
As for pricing and availability, the watch is priced at €2,150 excl. VAT (approx. £1,790) and is a limited edition of 388 pieces. Compared to something like a Tissot, that’s not exactly accessible and is still very exclusive. However, on the other hand, compare it to a six figure Grönefeld with less than 200 pieces available and they might as well be giving these Grønes away. Preorders start on the 19th of November 2024 at 2pm GMT. They are also limited to one purchase per customer. If watching Kurono launches has taught me anything, these are going to sell out within hours, if not minutes.
Price and Specs:
More details at GRØNE.
Grönefeld chasing some of that “mid-range” model cash.