From a Youtube Video to a Collection Worth to Read
I first saw Trafford in one of Teddy Baldassarre’s videos, alongside Kevin O’Leary, about two years ago. O’Leary is the Shark Tank investor turned watch enthusiast, known online as “Mr. Wonderful.” What caught my attention in that video, and I have to agree with Kevin here even if it sounds strange, was the dial. It spoke for itself. The collection shown in that video was the Crossroads Season 2. Before going further, it’s worth a quick look at how this collection evolved and the progress the brand has made since.
Crossroads Season 2 from Teddy’s video
The Crossroads started with Season 1, built on a square case, “I’m biased here, I love watches with that shape.” It launched with a Japanese Miyota 9039 movement inside, alongside a range of dial colors and straps. From there, Trafford followed with three more releases: Crossroads Season 2, Crossroads Season 3, and most recently, Crossroads S. From Season 1 to Season 3, the DNA stayed consistent. Cases finished cleanly between brushed and polished surfaces, and every dial carried that same vintage feel, just done in a fun, modern way.
Stories First, Watches Second
Trafford Watch Co. is the work of Nathan Trafford, a British-born designer based in Austin, Texas, who started the brand in 2020 by turning his graphic design instincts toward watch cases instead of layouts. The brand blends the geometric elegance of British design with the bold, independent spirit of modern Americana. It’s best known for the Crossroads, with its signature horizon line case, and the Touring GMT. Every release starts with a story before it becomes a watch. Small runs, a founder who still answers his own emails, and a “Take Your Time” philosophy that shows up in how slowly and deliberately the brand moves
The Evolution of the Crossroads
The Crossroads has always focused on the dial, case finishing and they do this perfectly. Season Two brought new colorways, Season Three pushed texture into the dial surface itself, mimicking the radiating petals of Texas wildflowers. The case stayed the same. The movement stayed the same. The Crossroads S breaks that.
Crossroad Season 2 picture from Trafford
And now we saw a huge evolution the first Trafford watch to carry a Swiss Made movement, powered by a hand-wound Sellita SW-210, a real departure from the Miyota 9039 automatic that’s run every Crossroads since 2022. That swap does more than change a spec sheet line. The Sellita’s compact build is what lets the case drop to just 9mm thick, down from 11mm on the original. We’re talking about an 18 percent reduction, and it shows on the wrist: the horizon line that’s defined this collection from day one now sits noticeably closer to the skin. For a collection built on three seasons of color alone, this is the first time the engine itself has changed.
The Crossroads S
The Crossroads S is where two years of deliberate work finally meet the wrist. Six variations across three pairs: Fern and Flora, Surf and Seafoam, Vine and Vellum.
Crossroad S pictures from Trafford
Each comes on a leather strap matched to the dial, but you can and you should add the H-link bracelet at checkout. It takes the watch from a weekend piece to something you reach for on a Tuesday morning in a blazer. By the time most collectors found out, it was already gone. The May 18th release sold out across all six variations with no restock announced.
We reached out to Trafford directly. On the two sizes, they were clear: “We don’t think about the two sizes as his/hers. We are simply trying to make the joy of Crossroads more accessible to different wrist sizes.” No marketing spin. Just a brand that knows what it’s building and who it’s building for.
On the wrist, the details add up fast. Both sizes run a double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating inside, and the case itself is 316L stainless steel with a hardening coating for everyday durability. The dial sits raised at the center and slopes toward the edges, with a sunburst finish that catches light across that elevation change, and applied numerals filled with lume sitting right into the slope. Inside, it’s the hand-wound Sellita SW-210, regulated to plus or minus 5 seconds a day, with a 42 hour power reserve.
Our Opinion
We have been watching Trafford closely for a while now, and the Crossroads S is the clearest sign yet that this brand is operating on a different level. The dial stops you every time. The depth, the colour, the way the strap ties the whole thing together: there is genuinely nothing else at this price that looks like this on the wrist. And speaking of price, $899 with a Swiss movement is as fair as it gets in this corner of the market. We will say it plainly: if you see one come back into stock, buy it. Don’t think about it. These sell out fast and the secondary market prices tell you everything you need to know about demand. Seeing how deliberately Trafford has moved from season to season, from dial experiments to a full mechanical rethink, only makes us more excited about what comes next.
The Specs
Case material: 316L stainless steel with hardening coating
Case sizes: Crossroads 40 (35×36mm) and Crossroads 36 (31×32mm)
Case thickness: 9mm
Crystal: Double-domed sapphire with interior anti-reflective coating
Movement: Sellita SW-210, hand-wound
Accuracy: ±5 seconds per day
Power reserve: 42 hours
Beat rate: 28,800 vph
Strap: Crazy Horse leather, color-matched to each pair (brown, tan, green, black, or burgundy), contrasting stitching, pin buckle, quick-release spring bars
Bracelet: New H-link with butterfly clasp and on-the-fly micro-adjust, quick-release end-links
Dial: Sunburst finish, raised center sloping to edges, applied numerals filled with lume
Price: $899 on strap ($249 more for bracelet)
Lug width: 18mm (Crossroads 36) / 20mm (Crossroads 40)
Lug-to-lug: 40mm (Crossroads 36) / 46mm (Crossroads 40)
