The three founders of the Ruhr area label Pottwatch have known each other for most of their lives: Lucas Heinen, Jason Sell and Damian te Heesen spent their childhood together in Oberhausen - in the shadow of winding towers and blast furnaces. The end of hard coal mining in December 2018 marked the end of an era here: the Prosper-Haniel mine extracted black gold for the last time. It was against this backdrop that the idea for Pottwatch was born: a watch brand that captures and reflects the character of the Ruhr region. A crowdfunding campaign helped the three founders turn their idea into reality. 

With their collections, Heinen, Sell and te Heesen have been building a bridge between the history and future of the Ruhr region since 2018. The last coal extracted from the Prosper-Haniel mine enhances the timepieces. Each watch shows a small piece of coal behind sapphire crystal on the dial or on the back. The watches are manufactured in Duisburg and the coal represents the history of the entire region. The timepieces are a piece of home on the wrist, so to speak. The watches from Pottwatch have fitting names such as Heimaterde or Grubenlicht. The label's latest collection is Metropolis: a tribute to the Ruhr and a symbol of the region's successful structural change. The wristwatches bring the coal into the daylight - to the front of the dial. An analog Swiss quartz movement drives the two hands effortlessly over the outlined course of the Ruhr. Surrounded by hard coal, this forms the center of the entire design.

www.pottwatch.ruhr

Photos:

Pottwatch

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 01|23)