While it becomes easier and easier to produce a line of clothing or begin a brand, it becomes more and more important to do it well in order to stand out from the ever-growing crowd. We have a wealth of great brands to pick from at OPUMO and each has been vetted to ensure it stands up to our standards, whether that’s down to the brand’s story, craftsmanship or materials. Sometimes we find a brand that we think deserves closer inspection, this time around that brand is ROUE Watch.
General information
ROUE Watch was founded in 2017 by Alex Iervolino. Still a young brand in a business of giants, ROUE has managed to distinguish itself through design and price. Reigning from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the name ROUE comes from the French word for ‘wheel’, an allusion to the watch company’s inspirations which we’ll delve into a little later.
The mission
We’re not complaining, but we recognise that an overarching style of recent years has been a minimal, bauhaus-inspired watch with an open face. ROUE Watch takes a different approach, filling the face with practical dials and highlight colours. In general, a watch intended for action like a ROUE timepiece will set you back a fair amount. ROUE’s mission is to create high-quality, durable timepieces at an inclusive price.
Inspirations
Iervolino credits his grandfather as the root of the inspiration behind the brand. His grandfather’s taste opened his eyes to the world of great design while his father introduced him to the beauty of classic cars. The passion for design that surrounded Iervolino at a young age sparked him to begin rebuilding design icons, from classic car models to Braun radios and Scandinavian furniture. A decade ago Iervolino began designing his own furniture which developed into watches, thus ROUE. Each watch is inspired heavily by the design of classic car dials and retro design in general.
Top picks
ROUE CHR Two Watch
Characterised by the strap’s exaggerated perforations, the CHR Two Watch is one of the brand’s most popular designs. The soft leather strap can be replaced with a silicone sports band to support the ultra scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass casing. One layer deeper you’ll find a high precision Japanese Miyota chronograph quartz movement that’s water resistant to 50 meters.
ROUE HDS One Watch
Delivered with one silicone strap and another nylon & leather option, HDS One features the same quartz movement and sapphire crystal glass. The case is made of high quality 316L blasted stainless steel with a brushed finish. A bold yellow second hand complements the logo and rim of the face for sporty appeal.
ROUE CAL One Watch
The CAL One Watch is clean and efficient, featuring the least embellished face of all ROUE watches. It does one thing and it does it properly. Fluorescent hands make it easy to read in the dark while an off-white backdrop ensures a vintage feel in daylight.
Shop all designer watches at OPUMO.
We recently took the magnifying glass to another new brand: Morville. Read our brand focus on Morville now.
