A Look At The De Rijke Co. Capri And The Brands Atelier

September 27, 2013

You might know De Rijke & Co. from its Amalfi Series. Those watches feature a driver s case that can be rotated 90 degrees for better legibility while your hands are on the steering wheel. We wouldn t call it a sports watch, but it s certainly not a dress watch either. Right at the end of last year, founder Laurens de Rijke introduced the Capri. He calls it the brand s first dress watch. We visited Laurens at his atelier in the Dutch city of Dordrecht to get to know him and the all-new Capri a bit better.If you d like to know more about Laurens de Rijke s adventurous lifestyle and how he got started in watches, I recommend you read Tomas s article on the De Rijke & Co. Guy Allen Land from the Amalfi Series. The short version is that he bought an old Vostok watch on a trip through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan on his 50-year-old Vespa. However, the watch wasnt the best for the job, so he decided to make the Amalfi Series. The idea for the new Capri came from the desire to create something not round and dressier. Let s take a look at what that looks like. The De Rijke & Co. atelierLaurens invited us over to his atelier in Dordrecht. That s where he brings his ideas to life. On the walls are pieces of old Vespas, posters of classic cars, and artwork of De Rijke & Co. watches. The place is full of machines, workbenches, and prototypes. We started with a cappuccino from the espresso machine he renovated himself, and he showed us some prototypes of the Capri.To Laurens, it was clear that he wanted to make a rectangular watch, but he wasn t quite sure how yet, so he started designing and printing them on his 3D printer. At first, he ended up with a squarish case with a round dial. But as soon as he put the crystal on top, he wasn t so sure about it. Then came the idea of the curved sides and the integrated sapphire crystal. After a few more iterations, he got to the Capri we present to you today. The De Rijke & Co. CapriThe stainless steel case of the De Rijke & Co. Capri is 28.5mm wide, 38mm long, and only 6.5mm thick. In comparison, a large-sized Cartier Tank is 27.75mm wide and 38.1mm. In that sense, it s quite comparable; however, in person, it feels very different. The brushed case wraps around the 24mm-wide calfskin strap, so it appears to disappear beneath the dial. It s an intriguing case design, with almost no visible creases or screws. The screws are actually hidden behind the strap. A curved sapphire crystal covers the Capri s dial. You can choose between a black onyx stone, black aventurine glass, or a Capri Blue dial. My favorite is definitely the all-black onyx dial. On the Capri Blue dial, you also get a sub-seconds register, which isn t there on the other two versions. All three, however, have skeletonized hour and minute hands that are rounded to match the case. In terms of printing, the De Rijke & Co. logo sits below 12 o clock, and at 6 o clock is simple dutch crafted text.La Joux-Perret inside (for now)With the small crown at 3 o clock, you can operate the hand-wound La Joux-Perret D100 caliber inside. It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, has a 50-hour power reserve, and features 18 jewels. Although the D100 keeps the Capri nice and thin, Laurens said he s not quite satisfied with it since it s a round movement inside a rectangular case. He s currently working on a custom rectangular version of the classic Peseux 7001. That will probably still take a while, but at some point, you might be able to get the Capri with a matching rectangular movement instead of the current round one.Hands-on approachThat last example perfectly shows Laurens s hands-on approach. If he wants something, he simply starts making it himself. It might take him a little more time than others, but in the end, he gets it exactly as he wants it. He doesn t do everything completely by himself, though. In both the prototyping and production phases, he looks for suitable partners. Many of those are in Switzerland because of their watch-specific know-how. However, Laurens also said that Japan is very good at precision engineering.An original watch by an original guyIt was a pleasure to meet Laurens at the De Rijke & Co. Atelier. It smelled like a garage, and everything was there to serve a specific part of the prototyping and production processes. Laurens is involved in everything, from the initial designs to after-sales customer service. That authentic approach is evident in the Capri as well. Sure, a rectangular watch is nothing new, but the Capri certainly doesn t look like any other rectangular watch on the market.Because of the fairly wide 24mm strap, the Capri sits more confidently on your wrist than other smaller watches. Unfortunately, I didn t have the chance to try it on a different strap. However, I m sure a textile strap could also make the Capri feel much sportier than Laurens intended. I love the design s versatility, but it already looks great on the leather strap too. The original construction of the lugs also gives the watch a unique look on the wrist.The De Rijke & Co. Capri costs $2,195 excluding taxes. It s available for pre-order now and will ship sometime in April/May 2026.Watch specifications Brand De Rijke & Co. Model Capri Dial Black onyx stone, black aventurine stone, or Capri BlueCase Material Stainless steelCase Dimensions 28.5mm (width) 38mm (length) 6.5mm (thickness)Crystal Sapphire crystal with a transparent AR coating on both sidesCase Back Stainless steel Movement La Joux-Perret D100: manual winding, 28,800vph (4Hz) frequency, 50-hour power reserve, 18 jewelsWater Resistance 30 meters (3 atm)Strap Tapered black calf leather (24/18mm) with stainless steel pin buckleFunctions Time only (hours, minutes [all versions], small seconds [Capri Blue only])Price $2,195 (ex. taxes) Special Note(s) 50 pieces available per version, not numbered