Bowrington are an indie brand based in Hong Kong and have delved into naval history to find inspiration ofr this vintage 42mm bronze cased automatic. Featuring a nice aged patina, lume on dial, vintage leather strap and tropical style dial colour, it’s on Kickstarter right now and heading towards its funding target.

Dubbed HMS Tamar, this watch marks the sinking of the Tamar in Hong Kong harbour during World War Two, when the British base there came under attack from the Japanese.

HMS Tamar was actually a Victorian era ship, powerd by sails and steam engines. In the early 20th century it had been converted into a floating base at HK, serving as an admin centre, training barracks etc. It was towed out into the harbour and scuttled as the Japanese attacked on 11th December 1941, during a night-time attack. The Tamar held air in the hull for some time and would not sink, so the British gun battery had to shoot holes into it to make sure it vanished benath the waves. The wreckage was discovered in 2015 and the anchor is on display in HK today.

OK, back to the watch. The Bowrington is owered by a trusty Seiko NH35 movement, this is a budget auto for collectors who want that classic bronze/steampunk vibe. It has a 22m lug width, so you can choose another vintage strap or bracelet if you like. The watch is rated at 200m depth and the winding crown is also bronze by the way.

At just £211 on the early bird price, this is a very good value automatic watch and one of the cheapest bronze cased watches we have seen on the market recently.