I wish you a happier and a more peaceful 2023.
 
While on a personal level I couldn’t be more delighted with how busy – our best year to date – we have been at Linde Werdelin for the past 12 months it has globally been a grim year; just emerging from the pandemic and straight into Russia’s war on Ukraine.
 
I can’t really explain why this has been such a good year for us but it could be something not related to economy and more that we have been around making watches since 2002 and that more and more people appreciate what we do and how we do things at Linde Werdelin.
 
When I think back on the year the first piece we launched was the 3 Timer Ukraine which we came up with on a Sunday and launched Monday early March – and what a response it received! We were inundated with requests and support. It was to the credit of our clients that we were able to donate a significant amount to Red Cross Ukraine.

Early summer we launched two series of the Oktopus Moon 3DTP – at 60 grams our lightest watch yet, complete in proprietary 3DTP (3 dimensional thin ply carbon) and a slightly updated case with a more integrated bezel as well as a newly designed moonphase. The moonphase complication was originally conceived and developed in 2009 together with renowned Danish master watchmaker Svend Andersen of Andersen Geneve.
 
The most important event for Linde Werdelin was celebrating our 20th anniversary on the 26th August. We celebrated it with the launch of 20 pieces of an Oktopus Moon 3DTP Black Ink – our both lightest and darkest watch yet.

Our 20th anniversary year is an opportunity to move forward and make some significant changes – one of which is to launch not limited numbered editions; a first in more than 16 years of watchmaking – we feel this new chapter will provide for more creative freedom.

These will be series that are not strictly limited by an absolute number but more by our capacity and what we decide in terms of how many we can make over time. The first launch was the 3 Timer Sunset Collection which are also the last 3 Timers we will launch – both the beginning and the end of an era.

We are also celebrating with 20 anecdotes published throughout the year (one of which is this one). The anecdotes are giving us a chance to look back over these 20 years and remember the most important choices we made in building our business in a sensible and sustainable way. Of course we have also made a lot of mistakes but as long as the right choices outweighs the not so right choices then all is good.

Late in the year “House of the Gods” premiered; a film featuring Leo Houlding and his team on the epic adventure climbing Mount Roraima in Guyana, South America – if you enjoy sitting on tender hooks is it a film for you to watch. We supported this adventure back in 2019 and made a special SpidoLite 3DTP with extra lume in the dial for Leo Houlding to wear on this expedition.

For me the New Year will start exactly the way I like it – in the mountains with our family – and to top it off the beginning of the season has been spectacular so I’m very much hoping for some great skiing.

With my very best wishes for 2023,

Jorn Werdelin