Tom Austin
It’s no secret that starting a small watch brand is a challenge. Before we dig into the nuances of the watch’s design, there are many factors to consider. Some brands have been set by revisiting themes from a bygone era, while others aim to solve the problems faced by experts. Or perhaps their goal is to disrupt the world of often sturdy watches with something new and exciting. But one element that is usually difficult to cover is to connect the best microbrands and help them to succeed: passion. With recent surveillance! Fair, I came across a brand I’ve never seen before. As a curious soul that I am, I fired up founder John Glinister with a question about his new watch brand, Ember. After chatting with John and his wife, I was really impressed by how they were so passionate about watches.
Ember was John’s passion project, which began carelessly during the Covid pandemic. With his experience in custom furniture design spilling over his passion for watches, he began sketching the design concepts for his watches based on his preferences. Four years later, the final result of his design began on Kickstarter, raising almost $27,000 in 21 days to get things started. And now, Ember Rocket, who has begun his life as a notebook sketch, is unleashed into the world of British micro-brands.
It’s complicated, but not overly designed
Aside from bright colors, the most impressive aspect of a watch is in that case. Finished in bead-blasted stainless steel, the 40mm case features numerous angled surfaces that not only reminiscent of a wrist-mounted stealth fighter jet, but also evoke the hints of vintage Zenith’s obstacles. I think its form is octagonal, but with thorough examinations it is not. Because the case has about 27 surfaces, all intersecting in different directions.
The only polished surface on the front of the watch is around the edge of the subtle bezel. This provides a great reflective surface to break down subtle finishes. The bead blast finish is also great at preventing micro scratching, adding to the feature of the case, bringing the crown down to provide 100 meters of water resistance thanks to the case back. The caseback itself is also interesting, featuring a mirror polish, in contrast to the motif of the Ember logo.
The case is extremely comfortable, with a muscular, angled lug following the curve of the wrist, with 47mm lug-to-lug measurements. When combined with a thickness of 12mm, this leads to a reasonable proportion of sizes for most wrist sizes, and due to the design of the case, it doesn’t feel overly thick. One slight criticism is that when worn on a bracelet, the watch feels heavy at 160g, but that’s a bit small and not uncomfortable. For comparison, it is about 4 grams heavier than the steel submariner, and although it doesn’t sound much, it somehow becomes noticeable here.
Initially, the rocket was released with colorful dial-matching rubber or leather straps, but as the standard options were not satisfied with the way the case was blended with the meticulous design, Ember recently launched a full stainless steel bracelet designed with the same level of complexity.
The Quick Release H-Link bracelet is made from bead-blasted stainless steel, like a case, and has a clean bevel at its edges, making it easy to handle. There are very few plays on the link. In other words, there are no annoying rattles. And another neat feature is that it is secured with screws rather than the typical pins that are common on watches at this price level. This makes sizing the bracelet an easy task, especially considering that it has a fully sized folding clasp with hidden micro adjustments, another great feature.
A sandwich worth a taste
The design considered did not end in the case. John ran through multiple iterations of appearance before finalizing this sandwich-style dial of the finished product. First, a deep angled rehout sits around the outside, surrounded by contrasting blue dial plates in bright sunset oranges. The Rehaut contains a 12-point 5-minute marker around the circumference. This is clear enough to read easily without making the dial too messy. These marks reveal the underside of the dial sandwich, where the dial room shines uniquely to match the slots in the dial plate.
Bright, polished, room-filled pencil hands sit on the dial and combine with contrasting seconds hands. White details continue with simple dial text, with a fully sized Ember logo placed at 12 o’clock. The rocket comes in five different variations, including the black and blue “Midnight Neon”, the white and green “Glacier White”, the pink and black “Skyline Pink”, the sky blue, the sunset orange, and the “Sunset Orange”. This variety is unusual, so early in the age of any watch brand, we have a favorite issue.
No mismatched movements, no surprises
The rocket is a time-only watch, which helped to keep costs down when it comes to movement choices. Ember chose the Seiko NH38A automatic, and, importantly, the true dateless movement, so there is no position of the crown of illusion to worry about. This is a solid, unadorned mainstay hit beats at 21,600 VPH with a 41-hour power reserve. As he’s unlikely to win a Beauty Award, Ember chose to hide it behind a solid caseback that looks cool.
That said, in addition to the value you get from the case, Ember really stands out with his upgrade to the Miyota 9000. It may also have helped the Ember shave about millimeters away from the thickness.
Close thoughts
It is always exciting to introduce new watches you didn’t know existed, and discovering that the watch was developed with passionate eyes in detail is even more impressive. The rocket is not ready-made, consisting of a bundle of ready-made catalog components. It was the result of hours of hard work and thoughtful consideration, and it not only made sense to wear it, but also brought about cohesive designs that looked fantastic.
Also, rockets are fun watches to wear and are eye-catching for all the right reasons. It’s bright and lively in all the colourways, especially in this orange and blue version. Not only is it the result of an idea of a passionate designer, it’s not about to become something that isn’t. A rocket under 500 pounds is an exciting prospect and is packed with value in places I never thought I would find it.
Ember Rocket Prices and Availability
The Ember Rocket is currently available. Price: £359 (rubber strap), £449 (bracelet)
Brand Ember Model Rocket Case Dimensions 40mm(d)x12mm
