Canford 15 years in… Hello Canford Automatic

We’re generally not ones for looking back, but… the world has spun on its axis more than a few times since 2011, when we considered and first obsessed over what sort of watches we wanted to bring into the world as Elliot Brown. 

We vowed never to follow fashion seasons and today, just as we felt all those years ago, every time we present a new watch to a customer and describe its unique feature set, the reactions and emotions it stirs have only grown stronger. It’s these values that underpin everything we create today. It’s our origin and our DNA.

The world is full of digital wrist appliances, but this is wrist art (and soul). 

Launching EB with the Canford and Bloxworth collections in 2013 remains a high-water mark for us, with many original models living up to our aim of creating evergreen watches with a timeless aesthetic. In fact, just recently, on the very same day we were shipping the very first Canford Automatic prototypes off to the photo studio, we sold the very last Canford 202-001.

When we talk about Canford, we use words like ‘understated’ and ‘the sort of watch you need never take off’, but more than anything, it’s the mix of a beautifully resolved watch and its largely hidden rugged durability, that's the winning formula.

How do we follow that? Is it simplicity that makes a classic?

The answer is yes… and no!

It starts and finishes in our hearts. Improving a watch we felt was our original ‘perfect’ has not been easy, but in our typical dive-in-and-make-everything-better style, we’re more than a little smug with the result.

When we embark on the design of a new model or variant, we have the benefit of hindsight and huge familiarity with each and every tiny detail. Then there’s always a multitude of fresh ideas to throw at it because, when you’re ‘in’ watches 24/7, if there’s one thing we’re never short of, it’s creativity. 

Many renders are created to capture the new thoughts, ideas, colours, layers, textures and finishes, most of which, it’s fair to say, make it no further than the drawing board. But what we accept is that these are raw-state ideas whose visual presence, versus what we know can and does work, often divides us and stimulates healthy discussion.

The good stuff happens when we start refining, taking away, honing and tweaking the smallest details, like the line weight of the minute markers or the colour of the seconds hand tip. It’s amazing what effect the smallest change can have, either ruining or absolutely nailing the balance we obsess over. Balance is the best word I can think of to describe what it is we’re after aesthetically. To us, a watch either has it or it doesn't - the latter,  as Alex says, "it makes his teeth itch!"

Today, Canford represents a big slice of our DNA. It’s so ensconced in the fabric of Elliot Brown that we sometimes take it for granted whilst our attention is occupied by the next exciting model or innovation. Time and endurance are, without doubt, the greatest test; one that Canford passes with flying colours, but which also opens up exciting opportunities for the future.

So, 15 years since we first drew the Canford and 13 years, 7 months and 16 days since it was first released, we bring you Canford 2.0 - an automatic as we originally conceived, smaller, classier and perfectly balanced.

Our design tendencies (generally) err on the side of quiet understatement, and the Canford Auto is the perfect example.

Viewed on its own, it looks like the original Canford. Viewed side by side, there’s clear DNA, but it’s a leap into the future. The Auto, in its 39mm case, 20mm lugs, high-grade automatic movement, enhanced technical capability and a gorgeous domed display back, is a full 5mm smaller than the original. It just feels right from the very first glance on the wrist, and wears so easily, you can be forgiven for forgetting it’s even there.

"This is a real line in the sand for Elliot Brown, strengthening and redefining our original DNA through obsessive detailing and finishing. The Canford Automatic stands shoulder to shoulder with models from brands many times more expensive and that’s the point. " - Ian Elliot, co-founder

It’s the very definition of a GADA watch (go-anywhere, do-anything). It means you CAN absolutely own a stunningly beautiful, highly durable watch for sensible money. Daily wear becomes the norm because it literally does everything and will take everything in its stride.

Just like the original, but more sophisticated, more refined and, dare we say it, grown up?

This time around, it’s one of the most technically competent watches we have ever created, with a precise, clicking inner timing bezel that is fixed and locked down for the ultimate in professional-grade function.

Those who have had hands-on experience have confirmed our thoughts: “How do I decide on just one model?” That hints strongly at a sure-fire winner. Just how it should be.