Exhibiting at Geneva Watch Week, WOLF has brought out a new collection that pays tribute to the Brogue shoe style.
If you love watches and have been collecting for a little while, then the chances are you have heard of WOLF. The brand was founded in 1834 by Philipp Wolf I in the Silver District in Hanau, Germany, and first started making high-quality jewellery boxes for the wealthy. WOLF later transitioned into making watch winders, safes and watch boxes alongside jewellery boxes and cases, which is why you and I know them today.
WOLF has been around for 192 years, and is still owned by the Wolf family, being run by Simon Philip Wolf V and is still going strong after five generations. Over those generations, WOLF has had a long list of achievements, including the Ballerina jewellery box, which WOLF invented; the company used to make all the watch boxes for brands such as Longines, Ulysse Nardin, Rolex, Omega, and today is proud to have a range of products for just about any occasion when it comes to watch and jewellery storage and transportation.
This year, WOLF has released a brand new range of winders and travel products, which are distinctly British, quite apt as the company is now based in England since Simon Wolf’s father moved to England in the 1950s – The Brogue collection.
A Design Inspired By Shoes
You may not know the name Brogue, but you’ll certainly know the style. Those dress shoes with the perforated leather details on the toe and gradient fade in some cases. According to Wikipedia, it started as practical outdoor footwear in Ireland and Scotland, then evolved into a classic dress-shoe family with several levels of ornamentation. And like many things we have in fashion these days, the style started as a practical solution.
The core brogue detail is called broguing: small punched holes, often combined with decorative “pinked” or serrated edges. This was done in the UK as a way to help shoes drain when worn in wet, boggy terrain. Nowadays, this is decorative and not functional. WOLF has taken this design style and created a new collection that pays tribute to this through the range of winders, watch rolls, and cases.
We caught up with Michael Jappert, WOLF’s Global Director of Sales, when in Geneva recently, and he was kind enough to take us through the collection. If you missed out on the video with him, make sure you watch it below.
The collection has been designed to showcase the Brogue detailing across all the products. The watch winders and soft closing watch cases showcase the toe rose detailing on the top in the classic shoe pattern you see on the toes of Brogue shoes. The edges are also perforated to keep the look consistent. Another small detail is the stylised “W” motif perforated into the outer case, which is a nod to the WOLF brand itself.
On the smaller travel accessories, such as the watch rolls and watch pouch, the Brogue detailing is found around the edges of the cases and the stylised “W” is present.
Each piece in the Brogue collection has been detailed by hand, including the brown burnished look, which is applied by hand, so each piece will not have the exact same look. Being more eco-conscious and animal friendly, the Brogue collection is made from plant based materials to mimic the leather look and feel. Handlig these in person, it is almost impossible to tell it is not real leather on the products, which is a testament to the brand’s attention to detail in both manufacturig and the pursuit of sustainability.