THIS WATCH WEARS YOU...
This adventure of ours began in 2011 with a passion to bring back the wonderful stories behind the watches we come across. We take the time out of our weekends to scour the country and abroad for watches that stand out, watches that have a history behind them. This is the beginning of what makes doughboy one of a kind.
"quality over quantity"
8 years later we have over 600 handmade trench-watches in 22 different countries around the world.
we found the name doughboy appropriate to commemorate the term coined to the soldiers of the american expeditionary force in the first world war. Our European allies gave us the name "Doughboy" for the uniforms our soldiers wore. Since these men created the watch that we now proudly make, it was a simple choice to remind us that through horrible conflict, a small piece of technology has benefitted us all.
Doughboy watches slow down the pace of your day in an age where everything around us is automated, calculated, and digital. Everything about the watch you wear has a story, and continues to serve the purpose it was made for almost a century after it was created. They are loud, you can hear them tick, they are heavy on your wrist, you can feel the watch. These watches aren't meant to be purchased and just put on to have a nice watch on your wrist. You wear a doughboy because it looks like nothing else out there, that's what makes your watch one of a kind.
Anyone can take a pocket watch movement, put it into a new case and make a nice looking watch. anyone can promote the idea of taking an old watch and re-porposing to be a fancy gimmick that promotes on nostalgia. anyone can randomly purchase an old watch and make it a wrist watch, all you have to do it look on the internet and you can find companies that do this.
We have been asked in the past why we do not put our namesake anywhere on the watches. Its simple: we can take no credit in the creation of these engineering marvels, our service is like that of the men and women who originally put wire on their cases.
what we create is a trench watch, made exactly like the very first wristwatches ever created near the trenches in europe. they were pocket watches that were crafted by hand into wrist watches to serve a necessity . The watches are kept as original as can be achieved. all parts that are used when something is beyond repair are from a massive amount of parts we have collected over the years. The network of CW-21 certified watchmakers that are at our disposal have over 250 years of experience combined. Everything we create is done right here in Philadelphia, and there isn't a part of our manufacturing that we don't have our hands in. The wire that is on the cases is hand hammered, hand fitted, and soldered by hand. The leather straps that are outfitted on our watches are an exact replication from a period WW1 strap used in conflict. The stitching on our straps is done locally, all of the components on our watches are purchased by local Philadelphia businesses.
no automated machines are used to create any of our conversions, its done with hard work and our own hands in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
That's how things were done, and always will be done the right way.
