Laurens de Rijke welcomed visitors to his atelier in Dordrecht, Netherlands, to showcase the newly introduced Capri watch from De Rijke & Co. The Capri marks the brand's first dress watch, featuring a rectangular design distinct from its Amalfi Series. De Rijke shared details on the watch's development and his hands-on approach to crafting it.
De Rijke & Co. gained recognition for its Amalfi Series, which includes watches with a driver's case that rotates 90 degrees for improved legibility while driving. Founder Laurens de Rijke, inspired by an old Vostok watch purchased during a trip across Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan on his 50-year-old Vespa, created the series to address the limitations he encountered.
At the end of last year, de Rijke introduced the Capri as the brand's inaugural dress watch, aiming for a rectangular form that contrasts with round designs. During a visit to his atelier in Dordrecht, de Rijke demonstrated prototypes and explained the design evolution. He began with 3D-printed models, initially producing a squarish case with a round dial, but refined it by adding curved sides and an integrated sapphire crystal after several iterations.
The Capri features a stainless steel case measuring 28.5mm wide, 38mm long, and 6.5mm thick, comparable in size to a large Cartier Tank but with a unique brushed finish that wraps around the 24mm-wide calfskin strap, concealing screws beneath it. Dial options include black onyx stone, black aventurine glass, or Capri Blue with a sub-seconds register. All variants have skeletonized, rounded hour and minute hands, with the De Rijke & Co. logo below 12 o'clock and 'dutch crafted' text at 6 o'clock.
Powered by the hand-wound La Joux-Perret D100 caliber, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour with a 50-hour power reserve and 18 jewels, the movement is round despite the rectangular case. De Rijke expressed dissatisfaction with this mismatch and is developing a custom rectangular version based on the Peseux 7001.
De Rijke's atelier, adorned with Vespa parts, classic car posters, and watch artwork, reflects his involved process from design to customer service, often partnering with Swiss and Japanese specialists for precision. The Capri, priced at €2,195 excluding taxes, is available for pre-order and set to ship in April or May 2026. Observers noted its versatile design, confident wrist presence due to the wide strap, and competitive pricing, drawing comparisons to established rectangular watches.