Hands On With The Not-Yet Released Wind Vintage X True North Dreamsicle Watch That The Pope Owns

There are plenty of ways to launch a new watch, but having one presented to the Pope before it even goes on sale is certainly among the more unusual. Earlier this month, vintage watch expert and Wind Vintage founder Eric Wind traveled to Vatican City, where he had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV. During the visit, Wind presented the Pope with one of his newest watches: the Wind Vintage x True North Watch Company Vintage Rally Timer IV “Dreamsicle.”

Wind sent me photographs of the encounter, including images of his group with the Pope, and the story has already been making the rounds on social media.

 

When Wind offered to send me a watch, I jumped at it. The colors are so me — from pastel orange/coral to light blue, green, yetllow. So, yes, I went hands-on with the same model of watch that Pope Leo XIV now owns. And while that certainly makes for a good story, the watch itself is what keeps getting the attention. People actually stopped me to ask what watch was on my wrist.

The Dreamsicle is the fourth collaboration between Wind Vintage and True North Watch Company and, as its name suggests, color is very much the point. The dial is a soft, pale orange surrounded by an unexpected combination of pastel tones that gives the vintage-inspired chronograph an entirely different personality.

The name and palette are personal to Wind. The pale orange reflects his own longtime fondness for the color, while the pastel palette was inspired by his daughters’ love of pastel colors. The result could easily have gone too sweet or too playful. Instead, it works.

In fact, the colors were what struck me most when I wore the watch. They aren’t bold, bright or in-your-face, but they are absolutely alluring. There is something almost soothing about the combination, and yet it is colorful enough to be noticed. The fact that people asked what I was wearing is  a good indication that a watch has presence beyond its specifications.

The 37mm stainless steel case also makes it easy to wear, and the size feels particularly appropriate for its vintage rally-timer inspiration. It measures 13.8mm thick, with a domed sapphire-coated mineral crystal and sapphire-coated bezel. Water resistance is 50 meters.

The stainless steel bracelet is nicely done and gives the watch a little more substance on the wrist. Personally, I found myself wondering what the Dreamsicle would look like on a strap, although that might push it a little too far toward casual. As it is, the bracelet provides a nice counterpoint to the playful dial and keeps the watch from feeling gimmicky.

Inside is the Seiko Instruments VK63 Mechaquartz movement, a hybrid caliber that uses quartz technology for the watch’s primary timekeeping functions and a mechanical module to operate the chronograph.

For Wind, this isn’t his first excursion into accessible, vintage-inspired collaborations. Earlier this year, I wrote about his collaboration with Seiko on the Rally Diver, another project that drew on his deep affection for vintage watches while approaching them with a decidedly contemporary eye.

The Dreamsicle is another great example of Wind’s vision for watches that draw on the past without taking themselves too seriously.  It is limited to 1,986 pieces — a nod to Wind’s 1986 birth year and his 40th birthday this year — and even the special-edition box gets orange printing. It is priced at $490 and officially goes on sale October 2 at 1 p.m. ET, with orders limited to one watch per transaction.

There’s also a charitable component to the project. Wind and his wife, Christine, are donating a significant portion of their commission from the collaboration to youth ministry work in Palm Beach County. Musician and Grammy Award winner Billy Strings, a friend of Wind’s, is also part of the campaign and can be seen wearing the Dreamsicle.

But  the story of the Dreamsicle making  its way to Vatican City is a great add-on discussion. Wind personally presented the watch to Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City for his birthday, and for Wind, the Pope’s reaction was perhaps the ultimate response to a watch designed simply to bring a little color and fun to the wrist.

“The fact this watch brought a smile to the Pope’s face was all the validation I could ever hope for when designing the watch,” says Wind.