Use of Corning Gorilla Glass is interesting, and something I have been expecting to see in watches for a while now. Gorilla Glass is widely used for the screens of mobile phones, and it is in fact produced in the USA. I am not sure if there are sapphire crystal producers in the US that Niall would have been able to work with. Gorilla Glass is similar to mineral crystal and compared to normal glass is much harder and very shatter resistant. Many phone users might say otherwise, but the Gorilla Glass on their devices is usually quite thin. Niall correctly claims that, technically speaking, Gorilla Glass is less prone to shattering that sapphire crystal, but that shouldn’t be misinterpreted to suggest that it is more scratch resistant – which it is not. In fact, technology lovers have long since been waiting (and wanting) for Apple to replace its Gorilla Glass iPhone screens with synthetic sapphire crystal.

Even if most of the Niall One watch is produced in America that is impressive. The “Shinola-effect” as mentioned earlier refers to the highly-backed US brand in Detroit that built a watch (as well as for other goods) manufacture location in a depressed region and trained locals how to assemble Swiss Ronda quartz movements. Shinola was all about US assembly and not necessarily about US production, and brands like Niall are trying to take the marketing appeal behind the US-made story to the next level. Of course there are likely to devils in the details when it comes to where all the parts are from, but at the end of the day the consumer should really be focused on wanting the best possible watch for the most competitive price no matter where the parts were produced.

For a range of reasons (including the availability of Google Fiber), Kansas City is a bit of a hot spot for young companies. Niall claims that its watches are assembled and go through final testing right there in Missouri. That is probably the first time in a long time that mechanical watches were put together in the state. While the designs of Niall One watches are a bit regurgitated, the overall presentation and concept is nice – and they are clearly less expensive than Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches. Niall certainly won’t be the first brand to have been “inspired” by Audemars Piguet.

My concern is that Niall will have issues with their pricing. Like I said above, I don’t doubt that getting the company started and the first watches made was extremely expensive for Niall. It is a fact that nothing in the watch industry is cheap. However, given the features in their watches and the movements, there is a lot out there available for considerably less money when simply considering what comparable timepieces cost. Many of those competitive watches are produced by larger companies who have been around longer, but many consumers are mainly motivated by what they are getting for their money, and less about the stories they are supporting. The Niall One watches range in price from $3,750 – $3,950 depending on the version. niallluxury.com