Oak & Oscar Brings Together Architecture and Vintage Style

To give you an idea of the level of detail Oak & Oscar’s first timepiece, the Burnham, went through to make a statement for itself, the numeral 8 on the dial required almost 80 hours of design time to ensure that it didn’t resemble a military stencil. Whilst other watchmakers try to draw inspiration from the military, the Oak & Oscar Burnham, designed as a tribute American architect and urban designer, Daniel Burnham, goes the distance to cement their own identity.

Comb over the Burnham and there are plenty of neat design cues to pick out from the counter-balance of the seconds hand that neatly eclipses the logo on the dial, to the colour-matched date wheel, hash mark on the numeral 7, inner dial ring, custom case shape, and detailed rotor design of its Swiss automatic Soprod movement. Instead of focusing on the case itself, Oak & Oscar also made sure that the strap itself suits the timepiece’s classic style. The leather strap itself is made of Horween leather by Indiana-based Woodnsteel, which has perfect orange undertones and will develop a beautiful patina over time. 

Besides the leather strap, the Burnham also comes with a navy heavy-duty nylon strap with a signed buckle and orange stitching from Crown & Buckle. Each watch includes a matching leather watch wallet made by Defy Mfg Co, a Chicago-based bag, apparel, and accessory shop. Made from Horween leather, the same leather used for the watch strap, the portfolio-style watch wallet is fitted with soft protective 100 per cent wool felt from Germany, which can accommodate up to four watches, an extra strap and strap tool. Oak & Oscar would only be producing 300 serialised pieces of the Burnham. More information is available from their website.