Barrel shapes and carbon bodies – WishDoit Captain Kidd Forged Carbon

Technology has come a long way. The manufacturing methods nowadays, compared with 20 years ago are incredible. If your were thinking of having a forged carbon body watch for under 500 GBP, people will put you straight into an asylum.

One of the main reasons of the leap is because everyone uses 3^rd parties to produce innovation and then, the knowledge stays somewhere else, given the opportunity to create something special at a cheaper price. This is not a new formula, think of when Rolex decided to switch to in house movements for their Daytona Cosmograph, decades of experience with a Zenith movement should be always beneficial.

Then think about cases, experimenting with different materials has been exploited quite a bit lately and there are plenty of good examples where ceramic, titanium and carbon have been used.

Today we have a testament on both areas with the most ambitious WishDoit watch to date, the Captain Kidd in Forged Carbon. This is not a watch for fainted hearts, it is something special.

WishDoit have been pushing a lot for affordable prices in special watches, we are big fans of them and luckily, we are one of the first getting our hands on such an unique watch, it really represent something that we are clearly passionate about: innovation and affordability.

Should we begin?

Technical specifications

Barrel shapes were quite popular in the 90s. Frank Mullers were everywhere and suddenly they weren’t , but with an innovative look and high-end manufacturing, Richard Mille took its place. Sure the watches were as priced as a 3 bedroom home but no one doubted their technical know-how, the looks were easily replicable but the movement, suspension, antishock capabilities and skeletonization were impossible to achieve at a lower price range.

This doesn’t mean that WishDoit has a magic wand to produce a Richard Mille costing less than 1% but the final effect is remarkable and miles ahead of what other big brands are doing, again at a lower cost. The Captain Kidd is 42mm in diameter by 50mm lug to lug and as mentioned it has a beautiful elongated barrel shape made of forged carbon. The benefits are clear, strength and lightness with a dark touch which gives a very different vibe that your regular round stainless steel case, it is a statement piece.

Framing then internal part of the case, we have a rose gold track that encapsulates one of the best looking movements I’ve seen at this price point, the watch is a showstopper and I cannot stop wearing it, more on that later.

Staying with the movement, the front of the watch has a symmetrical view with one part being the balance wheel and the other one the mainspring barrel. They both have an great looking architecture and they are not just for show because the mainplate provides more shock resistance than a regular set up, it is technology at it’s best. The handset matches the rose gold of the railtrack and it is pointy looking with a seconds hands that provides even more movement to the composition.

The side of the case is as ergonomic as the sapphire glass, it all bends nicely to conform the wrist. The back of the watch has some attention to detail too. The automatic movement delivers 80 hours of power reserve and has also been skeletonized from the rotor to the balance cock, it is incredible to think the machine tolerances that WishDoit must have at its disposal, it is something special to see. The movement not only looks good with that rhodium plated treatment but it also performs well, the rotor is silent with a lovely ticking sound coming from the back of the watch.

The 50 meters of water resistance also give the Kidd a great sporty use.

On the wrist

There are good things about carbon that do not manifest in strength only and that is how light this watch is. Formula 1 teams are obsessed with the wonder material and is not a coincidence that we watch nerds also do. The Captain Kidd weights only 76 grams which is the weight of a full Hershey chocolate bar, incredible eh?

This translates not only on comfort to the wrist but also a wearing experience that cannot be match by anything in titanium or even plastic, it is a true luxury feel. Then we have the ergonomics, there is no point of having a barrel case if is not comfortable and in my 6.25 inch wrist,  it feels like a cloud because it hugs from end to end, sure is not a small watch but wears like a charm.

Then of course we have the rubber strap which no only is soft and comfortable but It add to the full black stealthy mode of the Captain Kidd, it pairs quite well and if you decide that this is not the right look, well WishDoit has you covered with several option on their site, the quality is always there.

Then we go to the legibility which was of course a concern of mine. With all the skeletonized mainplate, legibility can always be an issue but those rose gold hands with the large 9 and 3 numerals on the side, the Captain Kidd is easy to read and to use every day. What I enjoy the most is that is as beautiful on the front as it is on the back, I am taken by it.

Concluding thoughts

There are undeniable things in our hobby that we enjoy. Technology is the first one and when it is combined with looks, well we have a winning combination.

In my eyes, to have a black forged carbon dial with a unique pattern on the case should be costing thousands which brings us to the next point, the price. WishDoit is asking for the Captain Kidd 319 GBP on pre order which is unparallel with the prices in the market today for a forged carbon piece. In fact the closest competitor would be 5 times the price and without an skeletonized movement. And let’s not forget, not two cases are identical.

If you are in the market for something technological, special and affordable, well this Captain Kidd should be the first thing on your list. It is an outstanding proposition and I am not just saying this because of the price but because what it brings to the table, a mechanical piece unique in an exotic material with a movement made to look outstanding. I know where my money is going.

for more information please visit https://wishdoitwatches.com/products/captain-kidd-forged-carbon-lume-tonneau-skeleton-mechanical-watch

Technical specifications

DIMENSIONS

Shape Tonneau

Diameter 42mm*50mm(1.65in*1.96in)

Thickness 14.8mm(0.58in)

Weight 76g(0.167lb)

FEATURES

3 Hands/Super Luminous/Power Reserve

5 Years Warranty

5 ATM, 50 Meters

MOVEMENT

Automatic Mechanical Movement, self-winding

Frequency 28,800 VPH (4.0 hz)

Power Reserve 80 hours

Jewels 21

MATERIALS

All Case : Forged Carbon - created by compressing carbon fibers under extreme pressure and heat.

Top Glass Sapphire Coated Mineral Crystal

Caseback Glass Mineral Crystal

STRAP

Strap Width 25mm(0.98in)

Strap Length 21cm(8.26in)

Fluorine rubber strap with matte stainless steel buckle.

DIAL

Full Super Lume & Forged carbon

Brass dial, processed by 30 processes such as frosting, electroplating, and polishing.