Building MEIGS: The Watch I've Been Quietly Working On, and the Chicago Airport Behind the Name
Titanium grade case. Carbon fiber dial. Sapphire crystal. Mechanical movement.
I have been working quietly on something that represents more than just a new watch. It is the foundation of where SQND CITY is going. Today I am pulling back the curtain on MEIGS, our flagship pilot watch line currently in development.
Why Pilot Watches
Every brand has a starting point, and for me, pilot watches made sense on every level. The design language is clean and purposeful. The legibility demands are high, which pushes every detail to earn its place on the dial. Pilot watches carry a sense of history and function that resonates with what SQND CITY is about, building things that mean something.
I originally considered starting with a diver or a compressor style watch, and those are still on the table down the road. But here is the honest reason I landed on pilots first. My son is not a watch enthusiast the way I am. He is constantly moving, running from class to class, after school activities, always somewhere. He does not want to think about his watch. He just wants to glance at his wrist, know what time it is, and wear something that looks sharp doing it. He leans toward mechaquartz and digital quartz for exactly that reason, nothing to set every other morning, just reliable and clean. When I watched him gravitate toward field and pilot watches over divers, that told me something. Enthusiasts will appreciate any well made watch. But the everyday crowd, people like my son, connect with pilots differently. That is the crowd I wanted to reach first, and build from there.
Why MEIGS
MEIGS is named after Meigs Field, the small lakefront airport that sat on Northerly Island in Chicago from 1948 until its controversial closure in 2003. It was a single-runway airport right in the middle of the city, used mostly by private and commuter aircraft, and it had a character that was hard to find anywhere else. Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered it demolished overnight without warning, sending bulldozers in at 1 a.m. to destroy the runway before anyone could stop it. The airport was gone before sunrise. For a lot of people in Chicago, that night represented something being taken that could never be replaced. I thought that story deserved to live on somewhere. MEIGS carries that name.
The 40mm Flagship: Code Name Nighthawk
The first watch coming out of the MEIGS line is the one I have been quietly building toward. Internally I have been calling it the Nighthawk, a code name that honestly still feels right, but the official name is still pending trademark clearance. It starts with a 40mm titanium grade case, keeping the watch light on the wrist without sacrificing presence. The dial is 34mm, made from carbon fiber, matte black in daylight, with that deep, organic texture that only real carbon fiber can deliver. But when the lights go out, this watch comes alive. The entire dial is loaded with high grade C3 lume, and I mean the kind that actually performs. Hands, indices, all of it.
That glow is exactly how it looks in hand, tested.
The crystal is sapphire, and the movement is mechanical with the specific caliber still being evaluated for the best fit and reliability. I am currently testing the case and movement in hand, working through dial printing, hand manufacturing, engraving, and all the details that take a build from prototype to production. The Nighthawk is the flagship, the higher tier piece in the MEIGS lineup, and it is being built to that standard.
The Full MEIGS Line
The 40mm is the centerpiece, but the MEIGS line is being built with three tiers in mind, covering pilot, casual, sport, and dress-sport wear in a range that can move easily from the wrist to wherever the day takes you.
The 39mm variant sits in the middle of the lineup. It carries more of an everyday feel, runs a mechaquartz movement, features a sapphire crystal, and will have a black steel case. It is designed for anyone but targeted toward men. More approachable in price than the flagship, but still built with real quality.
The 36mm rounds out the line and is where I am putting strong focus on unisex appeal. It will also run a mechaquartz, and will likely be titanium cased as well, with two to three color variants planned. It is the most accessible tier of the three, priced accordingly, and designed so that anyone can wear it comfortably. Movement decisions on the 39mm and 36mm are still being finalized, and it is possible one of them ends up mechanical rather than mechaquartz. I want to get that right before committing.
It is also worth noting that there is a chance one of the smaller variants could move ahead in the release timeline, though the flagship 40mm remains the main focus.
What Comes Next
My current target is a Q2 to Q4 2027 release window for the 40mm. The roadmap from here runs through finalizing the case, dial, and movement, then moving into manufacturing unique hands, dial printing, engraving, mass production, custom bands, packaging, and everything else that turns a vision into something you can actually hold. I am also planning to release other models along the way to keep momentum going while MEIGS is being finished.
We are just getting started. Follow along here and on Instagram for updates as we get closer.
Comments