WILBUR - For the Rebels
Conventional thinking isn’t a part of Jason Wilbur’s vernacular.
Rather, the founder of WILBUR, an American luxury watch brand located in San Diego, reversed the traditional process of watch development and design when he embarked on his latest work of art – the ultra-limited edition, Experimental (EXP), which is slated to launch in the fall.
When Wilbur started the process of developing the EXP, he went about it totally backwards compared to normal watch brands. Wilbur’s reasoning for this is simple, he didn’t want to limit himself to the confines of traditional watchmaking processes.
“Gone are the days of people buying a watch to simply tell time. A watch is a piece of art, and a tool of fashion and style,” said Wilbur, whose design acumen is heavily rooted in luxury automobiles, motorcycles and future-focused transportation, and his inspiration derived from dreams of machines. “The wrist is simply a place to store a watch and showcase one’s individuality and stature in society. And my watches are for those that break the rules, are rebels in spirit and mind, who love and appreciate the engineering and automotive space. Or, who simply want to have a conversation about the piece of art stored on their wrist.”
Once Wilbur finalized the EXP concept, he scoured the Earth looking for the very best suppliers in Switzerland and the United States to manufacture his components and materials he needed to bring his masterpiece to life. From there, countless hours of artisan-like focus on every minute detail, and using state-of-the-art CAD 3D programs, Wilbur personally designed a stunning piece of art best appreciated off the wrist.
Made in America from concept to finish and assembly, the EXP is like nothing available in the world today. To truly appreciate its three-dimensional sculpture and levels of depth the 9-part modular exoskeleton case offers, you need to take it off the wrist and “let it dance,” said Wilbur. His extensive background in the automotive industry and having worked for industry giants like Porsche and Honda R&D, attributed to Wilbur’s inspiration and design of the brand. Every watch created needs to look good from every angle, not just the top down. The EXP’s transparent glass dials offers a view of the Swiss-made WILBUR modified SW200-1 automatic movement gracefully in synchronized motion like a ballerina troupe on the grandest stage.
But to differentiate the EXP from the brand’s previous “small batch” line-up of extremely limited watches including the Launch Edition and Launch Edition Speed Shop series, Wilbur wanted to design a watch that was a bit smaller, but still featuring the iconic chunky and depth synonymous with the WILBUR brand. “My inspiration was a watch that would be an ‘every day’ drive, much like those that garage the Ferrari, but drive the Porsche GTS to the grocery store.” With meticulous care to every detail, the EXP chassis was fine-tuned to feature adjusted measurements of 41.5mm width, 41.5mm length and 14.7mm in depth. Added to the EXP are ergonomic pre-curved watch straps that can be simply swapped out in a variety of color schemes. Straps will be available for the EXP in ballistic nylon and cordura materials and come in multiple flavors such as blueberry and lime.
The EXP will hold true to the WILBUR brand’s vision of making works of art with extremely limited availability. Slated for release this fall, the EXP will start at $4,800 and be limited production for each variation in the EXP family.
The EXP will be available in the following finishes:
• Ceramic and DLC Steel
• Ceramic and Titanium
• DLC Steel
• Ceramic and TI-Gold
So, who is the EXP really designed for? We are glad you asked. According to Wilbur, it is not for the faint of wrist, the EXP is perfect for collectors, people that love and appreciate the engineering and automotive spaces, or for the individual who wants to accessorize and make their fashion known.
American watch design has been looked down upon for far too long, but WILBUR is on a mission to go against the grain and forge its own path. The EXP, and additional watch launches on the radar, has WILBUR positioned to be a name in the watch space to keep your eyes on for years to come.