Vertex: Parachute

British watchmaker Vertex evokes the story of its legendary Caliber 59 military issue watch to promote the limited edition M100, in a new campaign created by Grey London - the brand’s first advertising in 50 years. Established in 1917, Vertex was one of the so-called ‘Dirty Dozen’ – 12 companies that built and supplied watches to the specifications of the UK Ministry of Defence. Its Caliber 59 was officially issued to British special units during the Second World War. Though Vertex ceased production in 1972, it was re-launched by Don Cochrane, great grandson of the company’s original founder, with the launch of the new M100 - a tribute to the Calibre 59 – earlier this year. As with Vertex advertising of the 1950’s, Grey’s campaign leverages the brand’s credentials as a watch supplier to the British military. A series of posters and print ads running in premium and specialist magazines draw heavily on the M100’s design aesthetic and the brand’s history. Deconstructed images of both watches spliced together dramatise how faithful the M100 is to the Caliber 59. Incorporated into the creative work are design details such as the watches’ distinctive broad arrow symbol, seconds indices and distinctive double red spots.