Original Grain, an innovative American producer of wooden fashion watches, has teamed with Jim Beam Black Label Bourbon to enhance your wardrobe with a limited-edition watch crafted from ex-bourbon barrels. Nestled in the rolling foothills of Clermont, Kentucky, Jim Beam has been distilling bourbon whiskey since 1795. Over 200 years later, Jim Beam’s bourbon barrel wood has found a secondary function thanks to premier wood and steel watchmakers, Original Grain. Each American white oak barrel is inherently unique, making every watch a one-off. JIM BEAM BLACK and ORIGINAL GRAIN design collaboration was inspired by features found in bourbon barrels. It’s an honor to create 500 limited edition timepieces hand-crafted with reclaimed Jim Beam® Bourbon Barrel Wood.
This seems to be a trend at the moment, wherein your favorite whisk(e)y brands want you to dress very well. Recently there have been several such partnerships: Goorin Brothers Hats and I.W. Harper bourbon created a custom branded fedora; Glenmorangie Single Malt teamed with British eyewear specialist Finlay to craft a stylish pair of shades with wood frames made from whisky barrels; and last fall, Basil Hayden Bourbon offered custom-made Quoddy leather boat shoes from New England. Now, the Original Grain/Jim Beam collaboration ensures your wrist is properly attired.
Holding quality craftsmanship in high regard, Original Grain designed the watch with Miyota 8215 Automatic Movement with 21 jewels, mineral crystal glass cover, brushed espresso 316L stainless steel, water resistance, double-locking fold-over clasp, and a 40-hour power reserve. The watch comes with a neatly boxed Gentleman’s Kit, which includes a numbered certificate of authenticity, Original Grain branded flask, premium Italian leather band, link and band removal tool, and branded Jim Beam barrel wood emblem.
Here, Original Grain has knocked it out of the park with this stylish watch, featuring reclaimed wood from Jim Beam bourbon barrels. The watch — limited to an edition of 500 retailing for $499 — features a Miyota 8215 automatic movement, 21 jewels, and a 40-hour power reserve. The elegantly grained wood face is branded with the Jim Beam logo, and the 47mm wood face and bezel sit in a 316L stainless steel case with a combination of steel and barrel wood links defining the band.
Though this collaboration is pricier (thanks to the automatic movement, the accessories in the box and the limited edition status), most of the watches available at their site and elsewhere retail for under $200. Collections feature various combinations of wood, steel and leather, for both men and women. It’s ultra-thin Minimalist collection was released earlier this summer and a new collection, featuring the company’s first chronometer, is scheduled for release in September.
Jim Beam is a classic Kentucky bourbon name with roots dating back to 1795, and with family ties that date all the way back to its origins (though the company is today owned by Beam Suntory, the distiller and face of the brand, Fred Noe, is the great-grandson of Jim Beam). The brand emphasizes its heritage and authenticity, and today offers up several expressions of its whiskey, including Black Extra Aged, which is (as its name implies) matured in oak longer than the four years of the brand’s anchor, Jim Beam white label.
Of course, having an emphasis on sustainability, there’s also an element of giving back. For each watch purchased, Original Grain donates to Trees for the Future, an organization that plants trees in Africa and elsewhere, designed to give communities food and livestock grazing sources and marketable fuel.
“This watch, in a way, is an extra level of sustainability,” says Ryan. “We’re using wood that’s already been harvested for barrels, and we’re donating to plant new trees.”
The limited edition collaborative timepiece is available now for $499 USD via Original Grain.
