Marvin Menke said he was always drawn to high-quality wristwatches, but not the high prices that usually accompanied them.
That, the Manhasset resident said, is what motivated him to create Hemel — his own brand of wristwathches.
The Hemel timepieces offer what I like to call ‘an extreme value proposition’ which means you’re getting a lot of watch for your hard-earned money,” Menke said.
Menke said his watches are made from he called an incredibly durable 316L stainless steel with military style straps, scratch-resistant sapphire crystals, a robust brass retainer system, 100-meter depth resistance and an ultra-precise Miyota 9015 movement — all for under $300.
“I’m a watch guy. I’ve been studying and collecting watches for many years,” he said. “That’s why I know that the most frustrating part of being a watch collector is the fact that most great timepieces are simply unaffordable.”
To help finance and launch the wristwatches, Menke said, he has created an online crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter.
“The day I launched on kickstarter, I raised over $12,000,” he said.
Menki said he has raised just over $32,000 of his $41,000 goal with 13 days to go.
A design consultant who works from home, Menke said all the people who have donated to his crowd funding campaign do not know who or what he does.
“Majority of my backers are complete strangers,” Menke said. “Instead of going to the bank and getting a loan with astronomical interest, I decided to raise that money online.”
He said all his Kickstarter backers will be able to purchase the watch at $199 instead of the $399 price tag when the watch is released commercially.
Menke said the wristwatch is an iconic military timepieces refashioned for the modern gentleman and true watch enthusiast.
“I love watches and I guess it’s obvious that I decided to create my first wristwatch as an homage to the rich history of military timepieces,” Menke said.
He said he set out to develop a luxury men’s watch that combined the iconic heritage look of mid century military timepieces with the refined style of the modern gentleman.
“All the timepieces in the HM series feature technical specs that he said every true watch enthusiast looks for — like a Miyota 9015 movement, a 316L stainless steel case and sapphire crystal,” Menke said.
Menke, who said he owns well than 20 wristwatches, said his love for wrist watches began when he was 9 years old and his father gave him a Timex wristwatch.
“I would be in my room just looking at the watch all the time,” he said.
Menke said he has since passed the Timex watch his father gave him to his 15 year old son.
Menke graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1992 and returned to obtain a BFA in Packaging.
To invest in or pre-order Hemel watches, visit https://kck.st/1RB7uEc
