Back in 2015 we approached MREW with memories of a successful watch collaboration with SaS the water clean-up charity in a previous life. The recipe of a beautifully considered special edition watch and a generous charitable donation proved to be a virtuous one and something we felt could be really rewarding. We met with MREW, threw some watches around and shared how we construct our watches differently. At the following MREW board meeting, the decision was unanimous that a collaboration should be explored.
Mountain Rescue teams are all volunteers who set out in all conditions and often at the most inconvenient time such as a Family Christmas to rescue those in difficulty. It was exactly such a call out that left such a lasting impression with Co-founder Alex Brown having witnessed a rescue on Cumbrian TV as a teenager one Christmas.
We set about designing this first EB collaborative project with discretion and empathy, putting ourselves into the shoes of team members. The design needed to be subtle so that those in the know, would recognise the watch and those with no connection wouldn’t. No obvious logo on the dial but instead a subtle embossed black on black imprint of the MREW cross and mountain emblem only visible in the right lighting.
We’re into the second iteration of the MREW Special Edition and we’ve been able to incorporate a number of functional enhancements that lift the watch to a higher professional specification including larger hour batons, oversized 12h timing bezel marker marked out in red, and an anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
As reliable workhorses go, it doesn’t get much better than this special edition watch and from the sale of every one, we donate £36 towards vital kit and equipment for the volunteers. We have already donated many £1000’s and in addition there’s a very handsome discount scheme for team members (get in touch here if you’re a team member and please include proof of membership). Every watch comes with a highly functional straps and single sided screw in strap bars with socket tool that locks into the end of the bars to make strap changes fast and easy.
We’re so proud to be a key supporter of the charity. We didn’t start the business to become philanthropic but with this and so many other projects under our belts, (all generating funds for deserving causes), it’s definitely become a big part of who we are.
