Hands-on with the Boldr Venture Worn & Wound LE

The Boldr Venture has proven to be a versatile platform for the brand. What started with a simple 3- hander has evolved into multiple configurations and iterations including chronographs. The latest entry to the Venture catalogue is a limited edition collaboration between Boldr and Worn and Wound. The latter is no stranger to brand collaborations, and they’ve become adept at crafting colorways and one-off watch designs that resonate with the watch community. I was able to get hands-on with the Boldr Venture Worn and & Wound LE. Let’s take a closer look.

On the Wrist

The Venture’s case is compact but stout. Only 38mm wide with a 42mm lug-to-lug (with hooded lugs), the Venture is a small watch. However, it commands some wrist presence with a height of 12mm. This height is bumped up a little because of the included NATO strap. I reviewed a standard-edition Venture late last year (review here) and the case has not been changed for the limited edition.

Because the Venture is cased in titanium and comes on a nylon strap, the watch is extremely light. It weighs almost nothing and any heft the watch has most likely comes from the Seiko NH35 movement beating away inside. That isn’t to say the watch feels cheap or insubstantial on the wrist. If you do feel the watch is too light, Boldr now offers a bracelet for the Venture which would fit this model.

A Limited Edition Dial

Each collaboration Worn & Wound has done usually carries a rustic theme with a light touch. This makes perfect sense if you look at the themes of their photos on the site. Worn & Wound likes tool watches that can be used for their intended purpose. This theme has been carried over to the Venture LE.

An asphalt gray dial with taxi yellow (a nice link to New York where Worn & Wound is headquartered) accents decorate the Venture LE. The color scheme looks great with the rugged looks of the Venture and maintains great legibility. Color is placed in all the right places and each element pops out in its own way.

The Worn & Wound LE is the first 3-hand Venture model to include a date. I’m not a huge fan of 4:30 date windows, but the Venture LE’s is executed well. The rounded border and taxi yellow text on the color-matched date wheel help it blend in. It doesn’t jump out at you, but it doesn’t disappear either.

My favorite part of the dial is the 60, 15, 30, 45 numerals on the dial. It’s a nice take on a minute-track dial and when combined with the crosshair in the center of the dial, gives the Venture some pilot watch vibes. It’s a well-thought-out way to integrate one style of watch into another.

Final Thoughts

If you want to know more about the Venture and how it wears, I recommend checking out my review of the standard edition 3-hand model. The Worn & Wound LE will wear the same and aside from the dial layout, the watches are the same.

Worn & Wound’s LE is my favorite iteration of the Venture platform. They did a great job of working in their design language into the rugged aesthetic the Venture already provides. Worn & Wound’s collaborations have been getting more complex and involve much more than a simple dial color change. I’m excited to see what they cook up next.

Check out more Boldr reviews at The Watch Clicker

More on the Boldr Venture LE here