Tony's Jord Watch Review and Giveaway

Today, as I continue to slog my way through the flu and could wholeheartedly use a guest post to keep things hopping on the blogging front, I'm elated to bring you a Chronically Vintage first in the form of an awesome product review written and photographed by my darling husband, Tony. Most of you know of Tony through what I’ve said about him in my posts and the stunning images he takes of me for my vintage outfit posts here, but until now, you hadn't gotten a chance to experience his own style of blog writing firsthand.

Earlier this year I was contacted by popular wooden watch company Jord in regards to the possibility of doing a product review. As almost all wristwatches in general include metal, which often houses nickel, I knew that properly wearing and in turn reviewing one of these myself wouldn't be a possibility (don't let the words "stainless steel" fool you into thinking something metal, such as a watch back, is nickel-free; many steels, stainless and otherwise, contain some nickel). 

My mind, however, instantly turned to Tony, who has an excellent eye for men's accessories and is a keen watch wearer, so I proposed the idea to the company of having Tony pen just such a post and they were totally on board with that plan. 

Below you’ll find Tony's engaging, informative Jord watch review, followed by giveaway details so that you can enter to win a Jord wooden watch for yourself – or, if you prefer, to give a wonderful gift to a special chap in your own life.



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Apple has recently announced their hugely anticipated smartwatch. They are not alone in this field however. It seems as though all of a sudden, the whole gadget industry is reevaluating their stance on wristwear. For almost two decades mobile phones (and more recently smartphones) have engaged in an unintentional war against wristwatches. After all who needs a watch when you can just take a quick glance at your phone?

Perhaps it's the desire to have a computer on our wrist (an idea first implemented decades ago, to the delight of many geeks, by Casio). Or maybe we've come to the realization that looking at one’s wrist is a much quicker process than trying to fish increasingly larger devices from our pockets (or purses for most ladies). The fact is, the watch is back.

Fear not, I'm won’t keep on talking about smartwatches on a blog committed to celebrating the past. Even though I own one (namely a Pebble) and like it well enough. Instead I’ll discuss the type of watch that doesn’t require daily (or weekly) recharges. The kind of watch that will not notify you of text messages and emails, interrupting your dinner or conversation. No, I’m here to chat about a good old fashioned, traditional wristwatch, worn as for the sake of appearance and function, and for the simple purpose of telling time.

In this post, I'm going to be reviewing a Jord Sully watch in Cherry wood, which I received for free from the company so that I could give you my honest opinion, and by extension comment on their whole series of wood watches. I’ll start with a negative comment, the only one I managed to muster, so as to get it out our way. Wood, however stabilized, it's not the type of material that you take swimming. Jord watches are splash proof, but you shouldn’t submerge them. That's a limitation, but one I can personally live with.





Now, for the abundant amount of positives, let's start with its looks and price point. The watch I selected sells for an affordable $139 US, and their range currently goes from $129 to $295 US, depending on which model you choose. In the world of modern wristwatches, these are very reasonable prices.




When I first received the watch and opened the elegant box (pictured below), I was surprised by how visually stunning it was compared to the online pictures. There is something about the appearance of wood that can’t quite be aptly captured with a still picture. The nature of the material also guarantees that each watch is unique. No two watches are going to be exactly the same, much like human DNA or fingerprints.




Wood items can be heavy at at times, but not these stylish Jord timepieces. I was genuinely surprised by the appealingly lightweight nature of this watch, as I had somehow expected a much heavier watch. Yet, despite the fairly large case width (i.e., 49mm which is almost two inches) the watch only weighs 59 grams (a couple of ounces for the imperially inclined). This makes it very comfortable to wear, so much so that I forgot at times I had it on. Compared to most of the other watches I have, it’s noticeably lighter. For example, my (metal) Guess watch with a significantly smaller case width sits at 133 grams, more than double the Jord weight.







The case "glass" is scratch resistant, the clasp is secure and easy to operate, and the more than respectable movement (i.e., a Citizen Miyota Quartz) ensures that it will keep time as expected.

Being made with a selection of natural, sustainable woods from all over the world, Jord watches are eco-friendly and can be seen as a fashion statement along the same lines (the US-based company is aptly named, given that in Norse mythology, Jord is Thor’s mother and the personification of the Earth).




In short, it's an eco-friendly, reliable, beautiful timepiece, with a classic, old school charm to it. Its unusual, and very attractive, looks will definitely grab people's attention wherever you go.





If my review has piqued your interest in wooden watches, the great news is that Jord is offering a giveaway for a $139.00 store credit plus free shipping to one lucky Chronically Vintage reader. I'll let Jess explain the particulars of how to participate below. In addition, you can also save on the Jord’s regular prices by using the coupon code 6503901 (valid for the first 25 uses before December 21, 2014), which will get you 5% off on any purchase.

I invite you to join the giveaway and take advantage of the discount, as a Jord watch would definitely make for a great gift for the men in your life, and with the recently launched ladies series, also an excellent and very stylish jewelry piece for yourself (my apologies to male readers, but the big assumption here is that most CV readers are beautiful vintage wearing ladies).

All photography in this post by Tony Cangiano

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Giveaway details:


Jord has very kindly teamed up with Chronically Vintage to offer one lucky giveaway participant the chance to win a Jord watch of their choice by way of a store credit of $139.00 US plus free shipping on the watch that they select.

This contest is open to readers world wide and will run until 11:59 PST on Tuesday October 28, 2014. The winner will be selected using a random number generator and announced on Facebook and/or Twitter, and contacted by email or Facebook private message, if such contact information is publicly available.

There are five ways to enter this Jord store credit giveaway, and you're welcome to take part in as many of them as you would like. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry method that you do, so as to increase your odds of winning.


1. Leave a comment on this post letting us know what your favourite Jord wooden watch is and how you might either style it yourself or who you'd give it to as a gift.

2. Follow Jord on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway, including a link to Jord's Twitter account and this Chronically Vintage post.

3. Like Jord on Facebook and post about this giveaway on your own account, with a link to this post.

4. Follow, or be an existing follower of Chronically Vintage on Bloglovin’.

5. Follow, or be an existing follower of Chronically Vintage on Instagram.

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A huge thanks to Jord for partnering with Tony and I for this fun product review and wood watch store credit giveaway, as well as to my endlessly sweet husband for his inaugural Chronically Vintage post. If you'd like to see future guest posts from Tony on various subjects, please don't hesitate to let us know in your comments below.

Best of luck to everyone who enters the giveaway - be sure to stay turned next week on Facebook and Twitter to see who won!

♥ Tony & Jessica