Inspired by their roots in the Pacific Northwest, brothers Ryan and Andrew Beltran first launched their all-natural hardwood and stainless steel watch collection, Original Grain on Kicstarter in 2013. What began as a modest goal of $10,000 went on to become the third most funded fashion campaign in Kickstarter history: they raised nearly $400,000 and they’re ready to do it all again.
Original Grain has launched their newest collection: The Barrel. This unique line will present watch lovers with six original designs to choose from and the option to include a first-of-its-kind DUO band that will serve as an adapter for the Apple Watch. Fans of a classic timepiece and Apple’s latest technology, will now be able to proudly display the Barrel design on their outer wrist and their Apple Watch on their inner wrist.
The collection will feature the first and only reclaimed whiskey barrel watch along with five additional stainless steel and exotic hardwood models to choose from. All inspired by the design of the original barrels, from the thickness of the lugs to the detail on the case, no element was overlooked. Their feature design, the Whiskey, is made from authentic American oak, reclaimed from whiskey barrels sourced right in the USA and still containing a trace of the spirits in the wood in every watch.
The Beltran brothers, who share an appreciation for well-designed watches, couldn’t ignore the excitement surrounding the Apple Watch. They knew its release was a huge moment in time (literally) for technology, but couldn’t help but notice drawbacks to owning one. Beyond the obvious replacement of a traditional watch, there were concerns around lack of privacy and constant distractions. Concerns they were quickly able to solve by creating the DUO band and thus, allowing Apple Watch wearers to be far more discreet with personal information and incoming alerts.
“We had such an incredible experience during our first Kickstarter in 2013, that we couldn’t imagine using any other platform to introduce the DUO to the world and to our fans,” said Ryan Beltran, co-founder of Original Grain. “For anyone, such as ourselves, that’s recently struggled with choosing between fashion and technology–the DUO will eliminate that stress entirely, while offering a better option for interacting with the Apple Watch.”
Each watch in The Barrel collection is available as a stand alone item or with the Original Grain custom DUO connection clasp that can be added to any wood and steel designs offered. By pledging $129 or more, the first 500 backers will receive their choice of any watch in the Barrel collection. Full retail price will be $299 and pre-sold watches will be shipped in October of 2015.
