We check in with Kirsty Whyte and Paul Tanner who launched Freedom to Exist after seeing a void in the watch market.

London-based product designers Kirsty Whyte and Paul Tanner designed their first timepiece after Kirsty couldn’t find a watch small enough for her delicate wrists ? or at least one that wasn’t covered in branding or diamontes. They had spotted a gap in the market: between fashion-driven overtly feminine watches and masculine, hyper-connected digital watches, there was space for something classic, understated and quiet ? and Freedom to Exist was born. ‘We wanted a little space away from the overwhelming noise of branding and technology,’ says Kirsty. ‘We believe freedom is the freedom to choose, to fall in love, to wear what you want, how you want to. It is the Freedom To Exist.’
The first Freedom to Exist watch was the 30 Edition, named after its 30mm case ? the watch Kirsty was looking for but couldn’t find. ‘While we were on the hunt for a watch for me, we were in Liberty and overheard a lady with the same issue, so we were confident there was an audience out there,’ says Kirsty. They were right and the timepiece was an immediate hit, in no small amount due to the thought that went into every detail. ‘There are so many elements that we’ve carefully designed and specified, we sometimes drive our manufacturers a little crazy!’ These carefully thought-through elements include the...