Made of historical canvas
»You can't discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the coast.«
– André Gide.
Made of historical canvas
Special Collection Bjørnsund
»You can't discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the coast.«
– André Gide
True to the wisdom of the French writer Gide, BandWerk ventures into new waters with the Bjørnsund special collection. Unlike in the past, the interior of a classic car was not used for the production of the new special collection, but instead the sail fabric of a historic ship: the Bjørnsund Haikutter.
Using unusual and historical materials for the production of Apple Watch bands is not new at BandWerk. The approach of working with a real ship's sail, on the other hand, is.
The basic idea of bringing a touch of the legendary history of a vehicle to the present is retained, but unlike in the past, it is a unique marine vessel with a history of almost one hundred years.
The Ship
The Ship
The year is 1929 when Bjørnsund (then still under the name C. F. Tiegen) left its shipyard in Esbjerg, Denmark, and set sail for the first time.
It is a so-called "Haikutter" (shark cutter): a special type of ship which - contrary to what the name suggests - has nothing to do with catching sharks. Rather, these sailing ships, which were additionally equipped with a motor for the first time, were so successful in fishing with nets due to their speed and maneuverability that they were far superior to other fishing trawlers - similar to sharks.
After being used in the fishing industry for almost 40 years by its first owner, it changed hands several times from the end of the 1960s and was given its current name Bjørnsund for the first time in 1968.
In 2006 it found a new home port in Karlskrona, Sweden, where it was maintained for several years by a team led by sailing enthusiast Per-Inge Lindqvist and used for guest trips.
The Bjørnsund is now owned by the Greifswald sailmaker Sebastian Hentschel. With the team of his company "Tuchwerkstatt", he has been restoring the ship since 2018 in order to transform it into a workshop and meeting platform for traditional sailing craft.
You can find more information about the restoration project on the project's website, which is expected to be continued with a lot of passion and dedication for the next two years until its completion.
The Sail
The Sail
The sailcloth made of white Dacron fiber tells an exciting story of many years on the high seas, not least because of the irregular patina on the surface.
Thanks to its unique properties, such as high water resistance and its long durability, the polyester fabric is a very suitable raw material for watch straps.
Specifically, the material comes from the so-called "Klüver" (sometimes referred to as jib) of the Bjornsund. The task of the triangular sail, which is attached to the jib boom in front of the bow, is primarily to support the turning movement of the ship.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of detailed records, it is not known exactly since when this sail was used on the Bjørnsund. However, we suspect that the sail has been in use on the ship since the rigging was completely renovated in 1995.
By using cork as a filling and lining material, the watch band is not only comfortable to wear but also waterproof and completely vegan.
Finest Craftsmanship
Finest Craftsmanship
Even though no leather is used in the manufacture of the Bjørnsund collection, every watch strap is made entirely according to the rules of traditional leather craft.
As with every other BandWerk product, we rely on tried and tested craft techniques for production in Germany.
A major challenge in the making of the canvas bands was cutting the raw materials. Unlike leather, Dacron fabric cannot be cut or punched very well. The resulting edges would fray too quickly and reduce the life of the strap.
The solution: By using laser cutting technology, the fibers are immediately sealed, preventing the edges from fraying.
In numerous work steps, the canvas is first connected to the filling and lining material and then sewn to it by hand.
Finally, the recesses and holes for the pin buckle are punched and sealed again by the laser.
This way, a historical sail is transformed into a unique watch band in several hours of manual work.
The special collection Bjørnsund includes three different strap models in different designs, each limited to 500 units. The names Esbjerg, Karlskrona and Greifswald pick up on important milestones in the ship's long history.
The models are available in a maritime style with blue and red stitching, classic with black and white stitching, and with a characteristic sail print. You have the choice!
We support sea rescue
We support sea rescue
Working at sea has always been associated with great dangers, especially for those who have pledged to rescue others from adversity. To support this work, we had planned to donate a portion of every watch band sold to the German Society for Rescue of Shipwrecked People (DGzRS). Since this is not very easy to organize and also from a transparency point of view, we decided to support the sea rescuers as part of this project with a lump sum of € 10,000 (~ $ 11,300 USD).
With this amount, the DGzRS can, for example, finance 400 lifebuoys, 34 emergency backpacks or a new ship propeller. If you would like to find out more about the work of the sea rescuers, you will find further information here.
Give your Apple Watch a unique maritime charm and bring almost a century of history back to life. With the special Bjørnsund collection from BandWerk. Out now.