Diving Watch

Nº 1973 Black

£495.00

Diving watch limited to only 100 serial numbers (request number at checkout).

Designed and assembled in-house by WT Author.

Built in 10 working days and shipped from our UK workshop with free worldwide shipping.

Key Details

It’s named after the year the iconic G10 NATO strap was issued by the British Ministry of Defence.

Case

Polished Stainless Steel

Power Reserve

Miyota Nº 8217 Automatic
40 hours

Strap

G10 NATO Strap & Silver-Tone Stainless Steel Jubilee

Water Resistant

200m or 20 ATM

Diving Watch

Our Craftsmanship

Movements

Pioneering Watch Calibres

Each diving watch is assembled around a highly-reliable movement to give you the ability to maintain the watch with us directly or with another service.

The Miyota calibre Nº 8217 is an analogue automatic movement, assembled in Japan. 

It is produced in-house by high-speed automatic assembly lines and undergoes strict quality checks to ensure long-lasting design.

The component includes repairable metal clockwork with a very powerful stepper motor and fixed pulse.

Materials

Type 316L Stainless Steel

With its extra-low carbon content and added Molybdenum, type 316L stainless steel is incredibly strong and extremely resistant to corrosion from seawater or acidic liquids.

It’s also magnetic resistant, unlike the general-use stainless steel grade of 201 or 304L.

We select 316L as the choice of material to provide an affordable, unique diving watch without ever having to compromise on quality.

Every watch is built with British and imported parts and assembled in our workshop.

Diving Watch

Technical Specifications

Case

NO-1973-K

Nº 1973 Black

Limited to 100 serial numbers only

43.5mm

14.45mm

49.5mm

Type 316L stainless steel

Silver-tone

200m or 20ATM

Solid Sapphire

Screw down seal
Etched serial number

Signature red, anodised aluminium

Dial

Black

Satin

Gloss red/yellow painted “tuning fork” hour markers & minute track.

Light Green Lume

Polished stainless steel hour / minute hands.

Movement

Nº 8217

Automatic

40 hours

Hours, minutes, central seconds

21,600

-10/+20 seconds per month

Parashock anti-shock

Strap

G10 NATO 22mm

Jubilee bracelet 22mm

Premium nylon strap fastened onto the case

Solid stainless steel jubilee bracelet fastened onto the case

Polished silver-tone stainless steel

Black, Orange & Silver

Diving Watch

The Presentation

Packaging

Recyclable, Renewable, Reusable, Biodegradable & Sustainable

The innovative cardboard packaging has been engineered as a lightweight solution to reduce wasteful distribution.

With a recycling rate of over 80%, corrugated cardboard has the best UK recyclability record of any packaging material, saving an area the size of Greater London from landfill every 4 months.

We endeavour to use recycled stock at every possible opportunity.

Our well-designed ‘right sized’ solution provides maximum protection with minimal use of material to eliminate waste, as well as reducing storage & transportation costs.

The inherent beauty of this repurposed material is adorned by our own exclusive artwork.

Artefacts

The Story of WT Author
Artefact 1: Numbered & Signed Screenprint

A signed and numbered limited edition sketch print, pressed on the finest certified ethically-sourced stock.

The exclusive artwork is a sketch detailing the divers watch design.

Artefact 2: Chapter 8 from the Book of WT Author

The story of the Nº 1973 visualised within a beautifully formatted book that includes stunning photography of the full watch chapter. 

Artefact 3 : Numbered & Signed Blueprints

A signed and numbered limited edition technical drafts, pressed on the finest certified ethically-sourced stock.

Artefact 4 : Set Of Watch Assembly Photographs

Professionally produced photographs capturing the Nº 1973 watch build process.

Diving Watch

What Our Followers Say

When it comes to our watches, we always want to hear what our followers think.

December 11, 2021

So got my 1973 last week, and WOW!!! I love it!. At first glance I thought perhaps the colours on the dial were a little muted, but when I realised just how much it glowed after being under the light, it all made sense. It looks fantastic. The size of a watch is always difficult for me as I always seem to compare to my Nixon 51-30, which is like hanging a wall clock on your arm, but the 73’s size is just about perfect. The dial looks great, especially with the 24hr sub-dial in there, the bezel catches the light differently from every angle and the contrast between matt and polished finishes really catches the eye. Thanks for fitting the Jubilee bracelet, that is something that I think really sets it off. I promised myself that my next ‘proper watch’ purchase would be an automatic, and to be able to get one for the price I did from you guys and it be as exclusive and handmade all adds to the experience. I thought that buying a watch blind would fill me with doubt as I really like to get a hands-on feel for them, but the way you guys set up the Kickstarter experience, combined with the regular email updates and the ‘sneak peek’ pictures etc. made the whole experience so much better than expected. Thanks for yet another absolute beaut of a watch; I’m proud to add it to my collection.

Tim Bird

Diving Watch

What the Press says

“We come barreling right out of the gates with our own unique vision” and roll from there…

We’ve been featured in some of the world’s top publications, and they just can’t get enough of us.

Wristwatch Review UK
@wristwatchreviewuk
“The WT Author Nº 1973 raised a few eyebrows when we previewed it last March. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the watches are now in backers’ hands, and I was pleasantly surprised when one dropped through my door just before Christmas.”
British Watch & Clock Makers
@BWCM
“We’re the official Trade Body representing Britain’s watch and clock makers. WT Author is the independent microbrand that designs and builds limited edition watches from our workshop in Shropshire.”
Kickstarter
@kickstarter
“The new mechanical tool watch collection built by WT Author. We assemble bespoke products full of character, meaning & originality. Named after the year the iconic G10 NATO strap was issued by the British Ministry of Defence, the Nº 1973 watch introduces the renowned diving aesthetic to our growing collection of timepieces.”
Yanko Design
@yankodesign
“Kickstarter has still been an absolute boon for small-time creators looking to connect directly with passionate customers and patrons. If anything, it’s helped the independent watchmaker reach a larger audience without having to jump through the hoops that the luxury watchmaking industry has set up precisely to keep outsiders out. Just ask UK-based independent watch-design and watchmaking studio WT Author, who is taking to Kickstarter to release its 8th watch since the company’s inception in 2013.“
A Blog To Watch
@ablogtowatch
“Based in the heart of Shropshire, UK, WT Author is a contemporary company that builds every watch to order in its workshop. Each new series from the company, including the Nº 1973, indicates an impressive level of rumination on aspects such as design and components.”
Crown At 4
@crownat4
“The English microbrand WT Author is introducing an automatic diver. The N ° 1973 takes its name from the NATO strap that we use today all over the world for any sports model. In 1973, the British Ministry of Defense created the G10 strap , what today we only improperly call the “NATO Strap”.”
The Wristwatch Review
@thewristwatchreview
“It’s been many a month since we’ve had WT Author on our pages. When they were starting up, we actually went through a number of their watches (1905, 1914, 1929) before we took a break. Well, as you can tell from that lineup, they’ve been bringing their watch design through the decades, and time marches ever forward. Now, they’ve launched the latest – the WT Author 1973 – on Kickstarter.“
Watch Trotter
@watchtrotter
“Sam Holland and Jon Shakespeare are passionately dedicated to creating watches in their Shropshire workshop near Birmingham, and they do it in an artisanal way, doing things the old way. Jon is the “watchmaker” and Sam the “creative”. After 45 models and 7 watch collections, they are ready to present the new Nº 1973, available in 100 pieces for each color: black, blue, green, orange and yellow.”
Adventure 52
@adventure52
“We hadn’t heard of WT Author until now, but it’s a British watchmaker based in Shropshire that makes some lovely adventure-inspired watches. The brand is about to announce a new design, called the Nº 1973, which has a dive-watch styling and launches on Kickstarter.”
Wristwatch Review UK
@wristwatchreviewuk
“We do our best to feature British Brands at WRUK, so we were excited to hear about the WT Author Nº 1973 – handmade here in the UK. The Nº 1973 comes to Kickstarter and is available as a limited run of 100 pieces in five colours: blue, green, black, orange and yellow. Powered by a Miyota movement, it will retail at £500.”

Diving Watch

The Making of Nº 1973 Black

We’re excited to share our passion for horology with you through our fun, informative and engaging videos. 

Together, we’ll unravel the intricate artistry and precision engineering that goes into creating these marvelous masterpieces.

Diving Watch

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Nº 1973 Black

The New Chapter

After 11 years of creating bespoke watches, we’re embarking on an exciting new journey focused on custom design services. While we’re stopping the production and servicing of our own collection, we remain dedicated to the art of watchmaking. Join us in this new chapter as we continue to craft unique, timeless pieces for others.

Jon, Sam & Sarah