Watches have always fascinated me. As a kid, I recall my very first wristwatch. It had a light blue band with Snoopy dancing on the watch face, his two arms moving to always tell me the time.
As I got older, I moved into the digital watch phase and through a number of school years even had one of those neat calculator watches. My friend Ethan had the coveted Pac-Man watch that let you play the game in horribly functioning fashion. It did play the cool Pac-Man theme though!
I also wore tons of comic book themed watches in high school and college including a Watchmen smiley face, Death from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and even the Punisher, just a simple black watch with his white skull emblem on the face. That watch actually played a key role in me meeting my wife. But that’s a story for another day…,
Then cell phones took off and suddenly people weren’t wearing watches as much as they used to. Myself included. FitBits and Apple Watches were the next logical step. But now, well, it may just be me, but I feel like classic watches are making a comeback. And I for one am welcoming it with open arms.
I’d been toying with the idea of purchasing a new watch when the fine folks at Nordgreen reached out to me. They’re an International Watch company founded by “two lifelong friends, watch enthusiast, and born-and-bred Danes on a mission to deliver true Scandinavian design and lifestyle to everyone.”
What caught my interest with Nordgreen, besides their impressive collection of sophisticated watches, was their company culture. They strive for an open and honest environment and proudly share their mission on their website. Part of that has to do with corporate sustainability. With every watch you purchase, the company will support one of three different causes, based on your choice: access to clean water, a clean environment, and a full education.
These days with corporate greed at an all-time hight and corporate trust at rock bottom, something as simple as being a truly goodhearted company at its core means a great deal. I encourage you to read Nordgreen’s Story for more information on the company itself.
The Pioneer by Nordgreen
Now, what about the watches?
Well, when Nordgreen asked me to review one of their watches for my blog I instantly knew which one I wanted to take for a test drive.
The Pioneer.
Looking at this bad boy instantly made me think of my dad’s old watch. It was a diver type watch with all sorts of dials on it and even had a stopwatch with a 60 Minutes-type of tick. I always loved that watch and would play with it any chance I could.
That watch always kept me company (well, along with dad too) when we had to sit around for long, boring concerts, family gatherings or even religious services. I would start and stop the stopwatch all the time and then click the “reset” button to jump the second hand back to its starting point. I can still “feel” the action of it all when I take that stroll down memory lane.
The Pioneer not only tells the time, but with tons of extra bells and whistles… yes, including a stopwatch.
The watch arrived in a simplistic-yet-sophisticated packaging, which is easily the most appealing part of this company’s products. Like Apple, Nordgreen lives and breathes in minimalism. Yes, there are a bunch of things all going on at once (lots of dials, the date, second hands etc.) but they’re all done in a very simplistic style that complement each other.
While I’ll always love my dad’s black stopwatch, I chose to go with the black strap, white face and gun metal color. You can customize the look with various metals, leathers and face colors.
I absolutely love how the Pioneer looks and can’t wait until this lockdown is over so I can start wearing it to an office outside of my house!
Nordgreen is more than just the Pioneer, though. They have a slew of Men’s and Women’s watches to choose from, all featuring the same simplistic, sleek feel.
Here’s the Philosopher with a Black Leather Band.
And the Native, featuring a Rose Gold color and band.
And the Women’s Infinity in Gold.
To be honest, the hardest part about getting a watch from Nordgreen is choosing the right color combination. They even have different colored Vegan Leather bands, which I know a few of my non-leather wearing friends would appreciate.
Slick. Caring. And Simple. That’s how I’d describe Nodgreen as a company, along with their fabulous products.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s “time” I got going.
I received a complimentary watch from Nordgreen for review purchases on this blog. All thoughts and opinions are my own.