The Singapore-based Boldr Supply Company has carved out an enviable position in the watch market in a relatively short period, selling rugged, high-spec, adventurous watches with a unique design flair. Offering state-of-the-art field watches like the Venture, dedicated field medical watches and professional deep-sea dive models such as the Odyssey, Boldr creates products that thrive in the harshest environments. With watches ranging from £299 to £899, all budgets can assess serious choices without compromise. Every watch shares common design characteristics, which are guaranteed technically capable. WatchGecko is delighted to announce that, as of 2024, we are the exclusive partner for Boldr in the UK.
Brand History
Boldr Venture - Credit WatchGecko
We have to go back to 2015 to see the birth of The Boldr Supply Company. The inception team created an outdoor-friendly ‘clever watch’ on Kickstarter called the BOLDR Voyage. Back in those early days, smartwatches had low-durability batteries and Leon Leong, the founder and still driving force of the company, was determined to create a watch that could survive a full day in the outdoors. The only way to achieve this was by utilising a traditional analogue watch battery.
Leon would be the first to admit that the Voyage had a rocky route with as many highs and lows as you would expect to find during any great overland expedition. Despite setbacks, the team must be commended as they stuck it out. Travelling full circle, today we find BOLDR, a respected outdoor tool watch company with an impressive collection of innovative and capable dive, field and adventure watches.
Technical Highlights and Milestones
Pre-2015
Dress watch in development, which was purely experimental.
2015
Kickstarter campaign to develop the Voyage – a smartwatch with a sandwich dial and LED technology. Ultimately withdrawn in favour of conventional watches.
2016
DNA development working with global artists from far-flung locations such as Malaysia, Australia and the USA to create a style that would be unique and have longevity. Specific attention to simple angular lugs, case shape with straight edges, specialist rotor, and case back artwork.
2017
Appointment of brand ambassadors. Adventurers such as Daniel Wells, a Baja 1000 desert rally driver, and Lim Anqi, a world-renowned freediver. Boldr watches tested to the extremes.
2020
Release of classic lines: the titanium Venture field watch, Field Medic specialist operational watch, Expedition explorers watch and professional Odyssey Freediver. These will become and remain the backbone of Boldr.
2021
Field Medic III is the world's first “self-disinfecting” watch. A special Boldr-developed coating actively shrugs off and kills germs. Proceeds of sales go to international COVID relief charities.
2022
Expedition evolves into the class-leading Expedition II.
2023
New Safari range.
2024
After years of close work, WatchGecko was granted UK exclusivity.
Current Philosophy
Boldr Venture - Credit WatchGecko
Boldr have now fine-tuned their designs to a point where their watches are instantly recognizable and beautifully engineered. The titanium Venture rivals any field watch on the market today and, in a simple "value against spec" calculation, offers far more than watches perceived to be the class leaders. Today, every Boldr watch is designed to bring something unique to the market; a generic concept never leaves the drawing board. This philosophy of course, does not lend itself to a new release every month which is why we see a new Boldr as exciting because you know how much thought has gone into that design process.
The prominent families in the Boldr catalogue cover unique fields of operation and are specifically aimed at professionals, except the safari, which is a more general tool watch.
Boldr Venture - Credit WatchGecko
Technical capability of the highest order is paramount for Boldr under the current management. Each watch has to have a unique design element, whether engraving on the rotor or exhibition display case backs with map contours on the glass. If the watch is inspired by a particular part of the Earth, such as the Rub'Al Khali, the tan colour pantones of the watch will be carefully crafted to reflect, in this case, the Arabian desert.
Boldr has engineered itself into a position where they have the luxury of designing watches without compromise. From inception, Boldrs have been designed to be functional tools of the highest calibre yet accessible within extremely favourable price points. This makes Boldr an obvious choice for those who embrace the more adventurous side of life.
All Boldr Articles and Videos:
- Introducing: Boldr The T-Rex by BOLDR x Nitecore
- BOLDR x MGP Ti Odyssey
- The BOLDR Venture Collection
- The BOLDR Odyssey Collection
- BOLDR Odyssey Freediver GMT
- Reviewing The Boldr Expedition II
- Introducing The Boldr Odyssey Regatta
- Who are the Boldr Supply Company?
- Expedition Enigmath: The New Boldr Trio
- Exploring With A Boldr Venture Wayfarer
- Introducing the Boldr Expedition I Rub'Al Khali
- Formex REEF Chronometer Versus Boldr Odyssey Freediver 202
- Introducing Three Cutting-Edge Watches from Boldr now Available!
- Out and About with the Boldr Odyssey Freediver GMT
- The Best Field Watch Under £500? Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical vs BOLDR Venture
- Richard’s Ultimate Field Watch Quest Part 1 : Hamilton Khaki takes on the Boldr Venture
