One of the fun parts about running The Union is all of the different brands I am introduced in and outside of BMX. You would be amazed at how many companies will drop an email asking if we can promote their brand on the site with zero real interest or knowledge of what BMX is really about. I’ve turned down a lot of people along the way since there’s no room for them on The Union or in BMX.
A few months back I caught wind of a new watch brand called Novo Watch that got my attention. They’re a watch company that comes from an action sports background like BMX, skateboarding, snowboarding and MMA. It seems like 2012 was a year where BMX picked up a lot of clothing and apparel brands from underwear to shoe lace belt brands, so I figured some of you might be interested to see what’s out there for watches. I recently got a closer look at Novo’s Absolute watch and have been pretty stoked on it. If you’re looking for a watch that doesn’t look like you bought it in a kids store… Take a peek.
All right, so first off… Why am I even talking about these guys? Well, like I said above, they’re a pretty new brand that is starting to get things going and they’re definitely stoked on BMX. I’ve been talking to the owner Steve for a few months now about some of the things they are looking to do with BMX and it sounds they are making moves in the right direction. Their BMX team is just getting going, but I’d imagine you will be seeing more from this small Canadian brand in the coming months once they get a few more riders on the team rocking one of the watches on their wrists. That’s really all I can say about that right now, but the brand is definitely going to be hooking up a few riders in 2013.
Second, the watches are dialed. I got my hands on The Absolute and I’m really digging the look of it. I’ll be honest, before this, I was never really a watch guy. I always used my phone to check the time and I don’t really get too fancy in the first place. I’m definitely a t-shirt and jeans all the time guy. Plus, I’m not going to be retiring any time soon and I run on a real tight budget every month like I’m sure most of you are doing too. But every now and then it’s nice to have something fancy you’re stoked on, right?
Alright, so let’s take a closer look at the watch. The Absolute is an all stainless steel watch that has removable links so you can adjust it to fit your wrist. I ended up taking out 3 links for a good fit. The watch itself kind of threw me off. The logo actually rotates and the line shows the hour, then there are two arms for the minutes and seconds. It took me a little bit of time to get used to how to check the time to be honest. I told you I’ve never really had a nice watch, haha. The size of the watch is a little bigger than I thought it would be in the photo, but it’s not massive by any means. It has a diameter of 43mm and a thickness of 12mm. If you don’t wear a watch normally, it’s got a bit of weight to get adjusted to as well, but like reading it, you get used to it. The watch feels and looks like it’s high quality, so I’d imagine this thing will last me quite a while if I don’t go breaking or losing it by being a dumb ass.
You can find a Novo Watch logo on the side, the name of the watch on the bottom side and a logo on the hinge. Nothing too over the top and it has a real clean look that makes it look pretty fancy. I’ll admit I’ve had a few girls grab my arm to inspect it a little closer. Definitely not a bad way to get a conversation going.
The price tag is a little steep if you’re a broke BMX rider, but it’s not terrible. The price is pretty much nothing in comparison to some Rolex’s that go for $10,000+, haha. You can pick this watch up for $200 through their online store. Not really feeling the look of it? They’ve got 6 other watches for sale including a black version of the Absolute that you can check out here that range in price from $160.00 – $240.00.
Overall, I’m digging the watch and I think anyone that’s looking for a unique watch that stands out, these guys might just be what you’re looking for. I’m personally excited to see what they can do for BMX since they’re definitely looking to do some cool things for us this year. They’re still pretty new so it’ll be cool to see where things go for the brand in the future as well. I’m sure this won’t be the last time you hear about this brand.
You can find out more about Novo Watch by visiting their website — NovoWatch.com.
