# Carpathia Watch Co.



## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello,

My name is Mark Para I am the founder of Carpathia Watch Co. from Chicago. I have spent the last year pursuing my passion for watches and design. Carpathia's founder, designer, and watchmaker. I am a first-generation Polish-American, born in Chicago. A graphic artist by trade, I aspired to turn my lifelong passion for wristwatches into my main enterprise. I have designed watches for several other companies, and spent years collecting and restoring vintage timepieces. My love of antiques extends to my vast collection of watchmaker's tools including an original 1920's J.H. Rosburg watchmaker's desk produced in Chicago.

About Carpathia Watch Co.

Carpathia Watch Co. represents the return of the luxury watch brand to Chicago and strives to create distinctive timepieces that embody tradition and cultural influence for a new era. Taking inspiration from this diverse, world class city our watches are versatile yet timeless. Every Carpathia watch is designed and assembled in America, influenced firmly by our European roots, with a Swiss movement at its heart.

I am a lifetime watch enthusiast as well as a relentless discoverer and renovator of vintage watches. With years of experience in restoration, I resolved to leave his mark on the world of fine timepieces. At Carpathia Watch Co. we relish the hands-on experience of creating something personal and to create a watch that outlives trends, continuing to be handed down in tradition for years to come.

At Carpathia Watch Co., we are craftsmen, artists, and watch aficionados.

I began my lifelong affinity for horology as a child traveling through Europe and ogling watches through shop windows. If anyone in the family had an old watch laying around, I was sure to try and claim it for my own, slowly building a collection. Listening to the distinct tick of every watch with wonderment, I pondered the mechanical inner workings.

At the onset of design, we knew we wanted our watch to be rooted in tradition but to reflect modern trends. We drew influences from those little known European watch brands I collected, as well as high end luxury watches. With understated elegance, high quality and simplicity, Carpathia watches are true originals.

Our name comes from the Carpathian mountain range which traverses the land we originate from in the southern part of Poland. We wanted to embody in our product the overwhelming sense of beauty and inspiration we feel when we return home to the Carpathian Mountains. The breathtaking simplicity and grandeur. Our logo, the white stork, represents the concept of lifelong migration and is considered a sign of prosperity.

I am currently working on our website and hoping to launch August of this year 2017. If you would like to view more of my watches please check out @carpathiawatches on instagram. We will be selling 4 limited edition watches called the Ascent. Color combos are as follows

- Ascent Rose Gold

- Ascent Chrome

- Ascent Brushed Gold

- Ascent Matte Black

All Carpathia Ascents will be fitted with the following.

- Automatic ETA 2824-2 Top grade movement

- Domed sapphire crystal in front

- Sapphire display caseback

- 5 atm water resistant

- Genuine leather straps with case matching clasps

- sunburst dials

- date window

- 2 year limited warranty

- Assembled by me

We will have a limited number of 300 units to pre order. Each retail price will be 950.00 usd after our Kickstarter campaign. There will be discounted tiers on kickstarter which we have yet to decide.


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

Welcome Mark

Let's see some of your personal collection before you reveal your kickstarter. All fellow watch nuts here, so no need for the marketing BS some kickstarters try (finest 316l stainless steel for example. It's just 316l stainless steel)

And comments posted are the views of the members. If they think your watch is fugly they might tell you! And vice versa too of course.


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## deano1956 (Jan 27, 2016)

hope the watches are better than the drawings :laugh: no offence but you did come here .

deano

image borrowed from website ? :biggrin:


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

I'm tempted to back it purely because Mark had the decency to actually locate the correct sub forum


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Hey Mark, that's actually not bad... I would say that I really like everything about it but the dial... A few decades of patina would make it look great definitely... Perhaps that finish is just not my thing.

Interesting that you chose to write SWISS MVMT on the dial rather than SWISS MOVT.


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

scottswatches said:


> Welcome Mark
> 
> Let's see some of your personal collection before you reveal your kickstarter. All fellow watch nuts here, so no need for the marketing BS some kickstarters try (finest 316l stainless steel for example. It's just 316l stainless steel)
> 
> And comments posted are the views of the members. If they think your watch is fugly they might tell you! And vice versa too of course.


 Haha yes I have quite a few watches, It seems that since I am new to the forum I cannot post pictures yet? Kind of a noob this forum is a bit different than the car forums I use.

This is actually my second forum that I have ever posted on in regards to my watches. Not everyone has the same taste so I take no offense to anyone that speaks there mind. As a designer I am used to people not agreeing with my decisions. Each aspect of my watch is designed based off of design elements that influence me.

Well Glad you at least like the case haha. As far as the patina I think that would take away from the luxury aspect of the watch brand. If all is successful I wouldn't be opposed to a patina style watch.

Typically when you abbreviate something you remove all the vowels i've seen it done both ways this one just appealed to me more and is not used by every watch brand. :thumbsup:


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

hughlle said:


> I'm tempted to back it purely because Mark had the decency to actually locate the correct sub forum


 Appreciate it, I want to reach out to true watch people i'm not some rich guy throwing money at a project i'm quite the opposite. I am a designer and I have loved watches my whole life. I am trying to reach out to people who are like me not people just buying into a fad.



deano1956 said:


> hope the watches are better than the drawings :laugh: no offence but you did come here .
> 
> deano
> 
> image borrowed from website ? :biggrin:


 None Taken.

Considering it is a rough sketch I would assume so haha. Since you managed to post a sketch i'm sure you saw the actual watches. With all designs come rough sketches.


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## Caller. (Dec 8, 2013)

Hi Mark, I've just had a quick look and my favourite part of your watches is the tone of the blue dial, which looks great. However, for me, the movement used is too small for the watch as evidenced by the position of the date window, which I find odd and would get rid of or at least have it the same colour as the dial, with the number in white. The biggest problem I have is that I can't see what extra you're bringing to the game? Plus I'm not really a fan of dress watches. But good luck! :thumbsup:


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Caller. said:


> Hi Mark, I've just had a quick look and my favourite part of your watches is the tone of the blue dial, which looks great. However, for me, the movement used is too small for the watch as evidenced by the position of the date window, which I find odd and would get rid of or at least have it the same colour as the dial, with the number in white. The biggest problem I have is that I can't see what extra you're bringing to the game? Plus I'm not really a fan of dress watches. But good luck! :thumbsup:


 Thanks for taking a look at them ! A lot of people will have their own ideal perspectives of what should be the correct placement. When I was designing the dial I wanted to make the date window cohesive with the 10, 2, 4 and 8. If you look at the date wheel on majority of the watches being made today you can say they are oddly positioned I guess its just preference. The size of the watch was geared toward a more modern size which I compared with the 43mm Hamilton Jazzmaster. The navy blue dial is one of my favorites as it has a nice variation of color in different lighting.

What I am bringing to the game is the hands-on experience of creating something personal and to create a watch that outlives trends, continuing to be handed down in tradition for years to come as many of the watches I have collected. Also I am bringing a luxury watch brand to one of the biggest cities in the world; Chicago. I am bringing an entry level luxury swiss watch that is built to last and that is showcasing the diversity of Chicago and the people living here.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

At least a sensible concept from Mark! I'd suspect this might be something that will be more appreciated in the US than the EU - - it's like when various US makers did exactly this sort of thing, importing and assembly using Swiss Bitz and Americum Cases and assembly.

Good Luck Mark,a tad rich for me as a TIMEX man :thumbsup:


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

mel said:


> At least a sensible concept from Mark! I'd suspect this might be something that will be more appreciated in the US than the EU - - it's like when various US makers did exactly this sort of thing, importing and assembly using Swiss Bitz and Americum Cases and assembly.
> 
> Good Luck Mark,a tad rich for me as a TIMEX man :thumbsup:


 Thank you for the kinds words ! Yes there are a wide array of markets as we know it so perhaps this will have its own niche. Im doing what I enjoy so that is all that matters to me =)


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Just an update my website is now live.

www.carpathiawatches.com

Next steps -

- Recording a video

- launching kickstarter in August if all goes according to plan


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## JayDeep (Dec 31, 2016)

Like the name for something, but not a watch brand. Maybe a specific watch model, yes.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

JayDeep said:


> Like the name for something, but not a watch brand. Maybe a specific watch model, yes.
> 
> Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk


 Appreciate the feedback but the name stands it has a meaning behind it which ties into the brand identity.

Our model name for our first line of watches is Ascent.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Yes i thought the name had something to do with the Carpathia liner which saved survivors from the Titanic disaster, i have a Carpathia medal somewhere awarded to the rescuing ship

On the dials, the 5 minute indice markers have a slot cut out on the dial edge for a tiny dot of lume, but there is no lume there, so it kinda looks like a dial which has been re-furbed, as that is what they do and dont put the lume back.

Seeing as there is lume on the hands how about a dot of lume on the dial ?


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## AVO (Nov 18, 2012)

Ascent? Could be therefore a reference to the Carpathian Mountains which are partly in Southern Poland?


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

I have read about that ship ! The markers do in fact have lume on them as well as the hands =)



AVO said:


> Ascent? Could be therefore a reference to the Carpathian Mountains which are partly in Southern Poland?


 Yes indeed that is where the inspiration for the name came from !



harryblakes7 said:


> Yes i thought the name had something to do with the Carpathia liner which saved survivors from the Titanic disaster, i have a Carpathia medal somewhere awarded to the rescuing ship
> 
> On the dials, the 5 minute indice markers have a slot cut out on the dial edge for a tiny dot of lume, but there is no lume there, so it kinda looks like a dial which has been re-furbed, as that is what they do and dont put the lume back.
> 
> Seeing as there is lume on the hands how about a dot of lume on the dial ?


 The dial markers do in fact have lume as well as the hands =)


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello Everyone,

We are very proud to announce that our campaign will be going live this Sunday October 8th on www.kickstarter.com. To get the best deal on an Ascent please subscribe to the mailing list via our website www.carpathiawatches.com. The first 120 watches will be half off of the retail price $600.00 USD. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. The campaign will be live for 30 days.

Cheers,

Mark


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

*Our campaign is now live please check us out! Carpathia Watches *


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello All,

We have canceled our campaign and will be restructuring our production and perhaps finding ways to cut cost to make these watches available to the public.


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello Everyone,

We are launching our new kickstarter campaign Tomorrow =) The first 50 watches will be priced at 549 usd. We also have an updated website where you can view the watches. www.carpathiawatches.com

Thanks for the support


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## KAS118 (Mar 2, 2014)

Well done on achieving your funding goal


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

KAS118 said:


> Well done on achieving your funding goal


 Than you!

Hey everyone we have added several add ons to our campaign as per request. You can now add an Eta 2824 2 Top grade movement. Check out the kickstarter to see the other addons. We will also be adding the option to choose the color of your hands. Thank you for all of the support thusfar

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2114627445/the-carpathia-ascent?ref=creator_nav


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hello guys,

We were successfully funded ! We are very proud and excited to get these out into the world. If you missed out on the ks deals you can still directly preorder the watches via our website.

www.carpathiawatches.com . Also check out this great review by Two Broke Watch Snobs.

A great review by Two Broke Watch Snobs check it out​
​
http://twobrokewatchsnobs.com/carpathia-watch-review-ascent/​


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## Carpathia Watch Co. (Mar 15, 2017)

Hey everyone if you missed out on our kickstarter you can still preorder on our website www.carpathiawatches.com

Thank you

Mark


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