FASHION | JORD Cora Automatic Watch in Koa and Rose Gold Review

For the last year, we've seen certain watch brands grace the Instagram and blog accounts of our favourite fashion and lifestyle bloggers and though I am not a fashion blogger I do love clothes and accessories in addition to beauty products. For those of you that remember, I have experience with fine jewelry and watches owning six quartz Swiss ETA movement watches of my own. One thing I could never find in quite the right style for my wrist was an automatic women's watch. There was a TAG women's Carrera I was eyeing, but it still wasn't quite right so why not try a style that is completely different? JORD Wood Watches is exactly that. With bracelets and casing made of handcrafted wood in only the finest grain, JORD offers both mens and womens watches in both quartz (battery-operated) and automatic (no battery) movements. With styles ranging from classic dial colours to more fashion forward colours like turquoise and purple, there is a little something for everyone.

I chose the Cora in Koa and Rose Gold*($275.00 USD) which is an automatic movement. I always love a little bling on my pieces and loved the Swarovski hour markers in addition to the rose gold dial. Most luxury watches are automatic in their movement as it is a true testament to horological craftsmenship that there is no battery or computer allowing the watch to keep time. So, what makes an automatic watch GO? There is a spring that is "wound" by kinetic movement, like the movement of your wrist, that keeps all of the other gears in constant motion. It's really quite incredible!
 

When my Cora arrived, she was beautifully packaged in a what else, but a WOODEN box with the JORD logo laser-engraved into the wood.

Now, THIS is why I love automatic watches! Many automatic watches will often have skeleton casebacks to showcase the gears and parts that allow the watch to keep time. The caseback as well as the crystal are made of sapphire crystal which is incredibly scratch resistant. On the Mohs scale of hardness where diamond is a 10, sapphire or corundum is a 9. While it is not resistant to blunt force trauma, the only thing that will scratch the sapphire crystal is a diamond!

The bracelet and watch head are made of natural handfinished koa wood and finished with tung oil, a drying oil that dries on contact with air. The watch itself is water-resistant, but please don't take it on a swim or into the shower as you risk damaging the entire movement! The bracelet itself feels comfortable and lightweight despite the larger wooden links. The JORD team also offers bracelet sizing for an additional $10 so that it is ready to wear when it arrives at your door!

The crown is finished with the JORD logo and is what is called a "screw-down" crown. This means that in order to change the time, you first to have to unscrew the crown and pull it out. The nice thing about having a screw-down crown is that it prevents dust and moisture from entering the movement so always make sure that the crown is firmly screwed down! When the crown is pulled out, you can also "wind" the spring inside the movement by screwing AWAY from you. Right away, you will see the start of the "heartbeat" of the watch. This watch has a 36 hour power reserve which means that even if you are not wearing the watch, it will keep time for 36 hours before finally stopping. This is why a number of people will choose a quartz over an automatic movement as resetting the time can be an annoyance if you only wear the watch occasionally.

Automatic movements have more parts than a quartz movement resulting in thicker casings which is why it was hard to find a watch that suited me. While the watch still looked a bit heavy on me, it felt very comfortable. This mid-size dial is very much on trend right now in the watch and fashion world and I find that on me it sits between a statement and a message of subtlety. 

Final verdict: For a trendier watch, JORD incorporated a number of details that many luxury watchmakers do from the screw-down crown to the sapphire crystal skeleton back. Time accuracy was also quite good, maybe losing a few minutes every month (which is completely normal with an automatic movement). The wood aspect is the main selling feature and is perfect for a casual day out or dressed up with sparkly bracelets for a Sunday afternoon tea. Bloggers have spoken that they love this watch and even for someone like myself that has worked with watches from a $250 to $250 000, I can say that you are truly acquiring something special when going with JORD.

To purchase your own JORD watch go to www.woodwatches.com and check out the selection! Free shipping worldwide!

Luxury Wooden Watch