Monthly Archives: September 2015

Roger Smith Instagram videos

Roger Smith put these videos of one of his masterpieces on Instagram. I thought you might like to see them.

Roger Smith Video

Second Video

Four years in the designing and making…….. This watch is one of only four unique pieces that Roger has made over the past 15 years. Each piece features its own unique specification list. This watch contains a one minute tourbillon fitted with the Daniels co-axial escapement.

Chr. Ward C9 Moonphase reflections

The Worn & Wound website have recently published an article comparing the new C9 Moonphase to Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase. Here is a link to the full article .

For those of us less interested in the Frederique Constant watch her are however some interesting insights into the Christopher Ward offering.

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The C9 Moonphase is the latest in C. Ward’s flagship C9 series, and another in-house complication solution by horological wunderkind Johannes Jahnke, the movement designer behind such previous efforts as the C900 Worldtimer, the C9 Jumping Hour and the C9 5-Day Automatic.The C9 Moonphase, however, represents a significant step forward for C. Ward, with Jahnke’s moonphase module (on top of a ETA 2836-2 base instead of their bespoke SH21, in a surprising move that probably has to do with reducing cost and overall movement thickness) promising both smooth movement as opposed to the more usual daily jump in most moonphase complications, as well as an accuracy of within 1 day for every 128 years of running.

Supporting these bold claims is an even bolder design, one that is sure to be a major talking-point for the watch. Between the FC and the C. Ward, the C9 Moonphase is definitely the more daring in terms of style and in my opinion can be both a blessing and a curse. Instead of the more usual route Frederique Constant have taken with a small moonphase dial at 6, C. Ward have made a point of making the moon the centerpiece of the dial, and at more that half the area of the dial (22 millimeters wide!) it certainly is, shining brilliantly in nickel plate above a star-field of midnight blue and a guillochéd section meant to evoke the rolling tides of the lunar cycle.

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The handset is polished needles taken straight from the rest of the C9 line, and the indices are slim applied rectangles with applied Roman numerals at 12, 3, and 9. The date window sits below the level of the main dial at 6 o’clock, and is kept unobtrusive with a dial-color wheel. The overall effect here is multi-layered, with the moon, the guillotined “tide”, the main dial, and the date window all sitting at different levels. The case is a bit more traditional, with simple flat sides and gently tapered lugs although the pillbox crown is a bit larger than you might expect. There’s no doubt it’s a striking design, and in certain dial and strap combinations, especially the midnight blue-on-blue, I find it incredibly attractive. I can definitely see this one being a divisive piece, however. The C9 Moonphase also offers a 38 hour reserve and a tentative starting price of £1295, or just over $2k when it goes on preorder this November.

Inside Bremont’s Watchmaking Factory- Gear Patrol Photo Essay

After discovering from their latest brochure that Bremont have a manufacturing facility at Silverstone I came across this great article on the Gear Patrol website. After the pessimism of my previous posting this all looks very optimistic for the future of real manufacturing in the UK.

Gear Patrol article

Giles English turns the steel watch case over in his hands, a boyish excitement glinting in his eyes. Beside him, Bremont’s lead technician and their designer eye the sharp circle as it shines in the florescent lighting of the facility. The three men are huddled silently around a simple watch part made entirely in the UK, a feat indicative of the future of British watchmaking and their part in it.

Bremont is known for its Trip-Tick design, the trademark three-piece, hardened-steel case upon which every piece in the core collection is built, and its aviation underpinnings, a nod to the family’s legacy of flying. But what drives Bremont’s founders, brothers Nick and Giles English, is a deep desire to reclaim the lost tradition of British watchmaking.

That much was clear when we took a look inside Bremont’s facilities in the United Kingdom to observe their production process. We peered into their new state-of-the-art R&D space at Silverstone Race Track; we looked over the shoulders of Bremont watchmakers at their two-story headquarters location in Henley-on-Thames. We witnessed, for the first time, how the brand ticks.

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Once milled, the cases move into an automated finishing machine where technicians monitor the initial polishing process.

Case parts await the next phase in the process at Bremont’s Silverstone facility.

Once through the initial polishing phase, cases are carefully inspected. A technician checks every case part, finalizing the case finish by hand. Afterward, a computer-guided laser eye measures and records any variance and an ultra-sensitive nib rechecks every case.

CAPTION

Blank case backs are arranged for laser engraving.

The laser engraving process takes milliseconds and is done under the close supervision at the Silverstone facility.

Bremont is working to bring all aspects of their production to Britain. While it's a gradual process, they have made serious inroads at Silverstone. Here, a template base plate is inspected.

A fully assembled movement is scrutinized under a microscope.

A movement is deconstructed for review. While much of the movement is still of Swiss origin, Bremont is making strides to produce more parts in the UK.

At their Henley-on-Thames facility, watchmakers assemble watches, fitting cases from the various models with movements. Afterward, the watches are wound and tested for accuracy and amplitude.

New Hand Wound Chr. Ward

A post I realised I had not published. So this is slightly old news, over a month out of date but still worth mentioning given this great looking watch.

The C9 5 DAY SMALL-SECOND CHRONOMETER

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To release an important movement in British watchmaking – their first in-house Calibre, SH21 – was a satisfying feat in July 2014. One year on, they are beginning to capitalise on Johannes Jahnke’s innovative, Baukasten system design approach with the release of a hand-wound execution with a small-second hand display at 6 O’clock, housed in their classic C9 dress case.

Blued hands in elegant curved forms flatter the optic white dial and roman indexes, bringing refreshed elegance and refinement to the C9 Collection.

The robust nature of the Calibre SH21 movement provides a stable foundation to the reliability of the C9 Small-Second and with each movement given the accolade of chronometer status by the Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres (COSC), precision and accuracy is guaranteed.

Each watch is hand crafted by their Swiss watchmakers at our atelier in Biel giving the wearer, therefore, a direct connection to the mechanics of Swiss engineering, encompassed in a watch with a quintessentially English design ethos.

For more pictures and information follow the link  C5 Hand wound