A while ago we published an article on the 80th birthday of Lebois & Co. A company originally founded in 1934 by Raymond Dodane. As we briefed you earlier, Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick wants to resurrect this 80 year old brand to fulfil his long time dream of creating his own timepieces. Timepieces that reflect the classic Lebois & Co timepieces but with modern specifications.

This coming Friday, Lebois & Co will start their crowdfunding process using Kickstarter. Van Wijlick wants to introduce the first model of the resurrected Lebois & Co: the Avantgarde Date. The Avantgarde Date will be the first model in the new collection and will come in three variations. Each limited to 100 pieces dedicated to be ‘relaunch edition’ for those who want to take part in the crowdfunding proces. Later on, the Avantgarde will also become available in the regular Lebois & Co collection without the special ‘relaunch edition’ engraving on the caseback. The price of the watch during the Kickstarter project will have a special price to make it extra interesting for participants. When the crowdfunding process is done, the normal price tag will be used.

Lebois & Co AvantgardeLebois & Co Avantgarde Date

The Avantgarde Date is a 40mm timepiece in stainless steel using a Swiss mechanical movement by ETA. This ETA 2824-2 movement is a solid workhorse and used by many Swiss watch brands. First, Lebois & Co will introduce you to the white dial model with a blue (genuine) alligator strap limited to 100 pieces only. This watch, reference 112.412, will become available as a reward in the Kickstarter project.

Lebois & Co AvantgardeA water resistance of 100 meters (or 10 ATM) will be guaranteed by Lebois & Co. A screw-down case back with special engraving (‘relaunch edition’ watch) will be fitted as well as a sapphire crystal on the front. The watch has a thickness of 10,5mm. Very modest dimensions that fit a typical modern dress watch.

Roman numerals for the minute track are printed on the dial and the hour markers are applied (stick) indexes. Lebois & Co and the original founding year are also featured on the dial. The date aperture at 3 o’clock is positioned left from the stick marker, so it doesn’t interfere with it. The model name is located in the minute track between 8 and 6 o’clock.

AvantgardeThe design of the case is clearly inspired by the former collections of Lebois & Co and classical dress watches in general with its curved lugs that bend a bit downwards to the wrist. The crownguard is something typically from today’s watches and protects the crown (and therefore its mechanism inside) from unwanted collisions.

The official Kickstarter project URL and the price of the Avantgarde Date watch will be revealed this coming Friday. Keep an eye on Fratello Watches or the official Lebois & Co website.

Update: You can now participate in the Kickstarter project, click here.