The De Rijke & Co. x Guy Allen Amalfi is a rotating driver’s watch for the automotive romantic
Buffy Acacia- The Dutch atelier De Rijke & Co. has launched a new trilogy of watches with prolific illustrator Guy Allen.
- The trilogy celebrates travel across Sky, Land and Sea with vintage-inspired scapes in champlevé enamel.
- The champlevé enamel dials can be rotated up to 90°, achieving an easy-to-view angle no matter your driving situation.
With the current climate of Kickstarter-based microbrands, it’s easy to assume that every independent brand you stumble across is essentially outsourcing parts and assembling something vaguely original. De Rijke & Co. is certainly not one of them. It’s a fully fledged atelier based in Dordrecht, with a unique vision on what a modern driving watch should be. Modern though the watches are, a healthy love of everything vintage accompanies them, especially with this new collection of De Rijke & Co. Amalfi watches designed in collaboration with Guy Allen.
If you’re a car fan and you haven’t heard Guy Allen’s name, you’ve probably seen his work. A quick browse of his online portfolio shows a trademark style of sleek and dynamic cartoons. He’s worked for the likes of BMW, Porsche, Abarth, the FIA itself, and he’s drawn more than a few watches for Phillips auctions. This collaboration with De Rijke & Co. explores vehicular relationships with not just land, but also sky and sea. The land model uses a palette of rich reds and oranges to create a sunset drive in a vintage car. Sky actually merges air and water with an old single-propeller seaplane cutting through the pale-blue sky above a slightly darker ocean. Sea takes on a more teal-like hue, with a little barchetta complete with a teak-panelled bow. All of these decorative dials maintain timing legibility thanks to a separate outer sector for the hours and minutes track, and skeletonised hands which don’t get in the way of the imagery in resplendent champlevé enamel.
The De Rijke & Co. x Guy Allen Amalfi is 38mm in diameter and prioritises comfort with tightly-tucked lugs, but it has an even more exciting trick up its sleeve. Rather than a standard upright dial, or the 45° angle preferred by some driving-watch enthusiasts, the Amalfi’s case is designed to be rotated at will. It can even go all the way across to 90°, ensuring total versatility when you want to keep your arms connected to your steering wheel. The fixed lugs are designed to accommodate quick strap changes, so you can thread through a longer strap when putting the watch outside layers of clothing, such as a leather biker jacket. The case-within-a-case construction has a reassuring click which stops the watch from changing angles accidentally, and you can see through the crown slot into some fun, thematic etchings which change on each model of the trilogy. If you’re the type to wear your watches below your cuffs instead of over them, then you’ll be pleased by the total thickness of 9.5mm too.
While the majority of the Amalfi’s parts are prototyped, manufactured, and finished by hand in Dortecht by De Rijke & Co, the movement is a Swiss Sellita SW300-1. It’s a wonderful choice that’s slightly upmarket from the SW200-1, given its slimness and longer power reserve, but it’s still accessible enough to keep the final price from skyrocketing. The 4Hz beat rate gives a smooth sweep to the seconds hand, and the power reserve is 56 hours with automatic winding. It’s visible through a sapphire caseback with minimal decoration, but it’s still neat to look at.
De Rijke & Co. x Guy Allen Amalfi pricing and availability
Each of the De Rijke & Co. x Guy Allen Amalfi trilogy watches is limited to 25 pieces. Price: €3,395
| Brand | De Rijke & Co. x Guy Allen |
| Model | Amalfi |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 9.5mm (T) x 46mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Champlevé enamel with Guy Allen paintings |
| Bracelet | Handmade brown leather strap, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Sellita SW300-1, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 56 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, rotating case |
| Availability | Limited to 25 pieces per reference |
| Price | €3,395 ex. VAT |