He was asked the following question, "What makes a watch collectible to you?"
If it is regularly worn and appreciated by the collector. A timepiece that doesn't get wrist time is not worth collecting, as other people cannot appreciate and see it and as it won't fulfill the actual purpose of why it was created: to tell the time!
Not enough importance can be placed on the fact, watches are tools and made for the purpose of tracking the time of the day and making this information readily available at a glance.
It's with this rationale in which our watches are designed and created. Solid quality watches at a fair price. This simple mantra crosses my mind with each design because of how important it is that our watches grace wrists than to merrily sit idle in the box, roll or wherever a benched timepiece may rest.
It's this wrist time that creates the connections and defines the meaning of a particular watch to you. The adventures we go on, experiences endured and conversations we have. A good watch preserves these memories and makes it meaningful... and worth collecting.
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Today its not uncommon for American brands to manufacture cases and dials. Hands as well but to a lesser extent. Machining is an expensive proposition, large investments are typically necessary.
The good folks at Fine Timepiece Solutions are starting off on a smaller scale, which is not small by any means, just not yet a full-blown manufacturer...yet
Accessible to brands right now are a full array of quartz movements, assembled in-house by their well-trained team using technology from massive Indian watch brand Titan and local manufacturers equipped to make components to piece by piece bring the movement to be American made.
Ambitious, noble and exciting times lay ahead out in the desert. We'll write more in the near future as our relationship unfolds and a more defined path is set.
February 8th in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Joined by the Mayor of Fountain Hills, two-time #1 bestselling author David Meltzer, technology partners, local dignitaries and a core group of American based watch brands, Fine Timepiece Solutions formally launched the rebirth of American watchmaking.
After more than three years of planning and over a year of conceptualization and construction, Fine Timepiece Solutions (FTS) formally launched the commercial watch manufacturing and supply business to bring American watchmaking back to life.
Under the technical direction of CMW21 accredited master watchmaker Manuel Yazijian, FTS technicians and watchmakers are handcrafting a catalog of 16 Ameriquartz watch movement calibers built to the most stringent standards in a state of the art facility. FTS builds, regulates, and tests Ameriquartz movements as well as produces and tests complete watches for client brands.
This first step in re-establishing an American source for critical components, as well as domestic assembly, will help the growing corps of American based watch brands realize their creations right here in the USA.
After a year of watching the “Pontiff” Archie Luxury, or Paul Pluta, I let my curiosity get the best of me and floated the fella $50 whooperunees to get his thoughts on our new Model C Field Explorer, American Field Watch.
Why? Quite frankly, just for the hell of it, but not strictly for the entertainment value. He is a valuable resource on Rolex and knows his luxury watches, can’t deny that. It's this laser focus on the upper end of our hobby that piqued my interest.
So why in the world would our affordable Model C be a good fit for him? It’s not! However, it’s this perspective which helps us as a brand better understand how folks who do not spend time in our space see our watches. An area in which feedback is light, and despite our watches adorning the wrists of collectors from all walks of life, not many, if any, I would say are as outspoken as the gurus, guru.
Couldn’t I have just asked his opinion? Sure, for $20 he would have sent me an email. But where is the fun in that?
We take our design, business, and our watch owners seriously. Having some fun is necessary, and that’s what this little exercise was all about. Giving a fella with a penchant for strong language, flare and a high level of energy a chance to share his thoughts on our beloved Model C.
Our watch is not in his wheelhouse, an evening with Thai hookers and a cheeseburger may better suit him than our watches, and that’s all good. His thoughts were fair and reasonable, plus a few of his random quotes he's built a Channel around.
I’m glad he took the time to share his thoughts, it was enjoyable and now we’ll move on our merry way to design, develop, and share what we do best with folks more aligned to what we do and how we roll.
Our venture into paid reviews has come to a close, thanks for the words, Paul.
Oh, almost forgot, here’s the video below...
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They use blockchain to solve some persistent problems in the horology space, and I decided that I wanted to come on board with them.
By ‘come on board with them,’ I mean commit to selling my watches on their online
marketplace when they go live in early 2019. I’ll join a lot of other quality microbrands
(SOMA is hoping to feature ‘the world’s largest collection of watch brands’) that the company is getting commitments from.
So, what’s so special about SOMA? Well, they’re doing a few interesting things. The first one doesn’t necessarily rely on blockchain; it could have been done already, with pre-existing technology, and should have been done already. Strangely, SOMA seems to be the first to have thought of it. I’m talking about combining social media visual and interactive elements with the basics of e-commerce.
Think about it: we watch lovers are compelled to show off our timepieces online. We do it on
Instagram, mostly, but also on other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and
Pinterest. We can ‘like’ and comment on one another’s sweet watch pics, reshare, etc.
SOMA allows you to do all that. You have a newsfeed, you can follow one another, and interact in all the tried-and-true social media ways. But you’re doing so on a marketplace—the e-commerce aspect isn’t tacked on as an afterthought but is fundamental to the structure of the platform.
When ‘liking’ a watch—and now, this is where blockchain adds some extra functionality—you can just as easily view its history, buy it on the spot, or resell it for a commission.
The blockchain is what allows you to view an item’s history, enabling you to know that the item is genuine, and—if you’re buying it secondhand—to know who’s owned it before you and for how long.
What is blockchain, you ask? Without going into too much depth (and here’s a cool Reuters explanation if you want to go deeper), it’s pretty much just a ledger or database that can hold transactions and information.
Ledgers have been around for ages, but blockchain adds some a very special characteristic: a blockchain ledger is immutable, meaning that when you’re viewing a record, you know for certain when that record was created and that you’re viewing it in its original state. Nobody has tampered with it.
See, regular databases have a database administrator, who could go in and edit. You have no way of knowing if entries are original or were ‘updated’ yesterday. In other words, to trust an entry, you’d be trusting the person or organization responsible for managing the records. And what have we learned about trusting our data to corporations?
There’s been a lot of incidents in the news. With blockchain, to trust an entry, you’re trusting the underlying technology, rather than a person or organization. How can you trust the technology? Well, nobody has ever found a way to hack in and alter information.
In fact, experts all agree that doing so would be so unimaginably difficult that it’s as close to impossible as one could hope for. And if someone couldn’t accomplish such an alteration for a prize worth billions—as they could harvest for successfully altering Bitcoin transactions, for example—they’re probably not going to do it for a watch.
All of this means that SOMA can allow sellers to prove to buyers that a watch is the real deal.
See, counterfeit watches are a huge problem, but they don’t have to be anymore.
The final SOMA feature I’ll mention is that of reselling. Blockchain-based ‘smart contracts’ allow for easy and automatic compensation for resellers’ commissions. A seller can choose to enable the reselling function and select the commission they’re willing to pay. Other SOMA participants can then opt to promote the item, feature it on their profile—or even feature it outside of SOMA on other social media platforms, websites, or blogs! If a sale occurs from the reseller’s efforts, the smart contract handles the payment distribution all around. This is a feature we’ll definitely be looking at as it rolls out.
The world’s not standing still, and neither is the tech we use. SOMA has impressive goals, and I hope to see them achieve them. If they do succeed, they’ll be part of a new wave of disruption.
Even though watches is my area of expertise, I am always glad to be at the vanguard of these disruptions. Here’s to SOMA’s successful launch, and I hope to see them achieve their goal of becoming the top horological meeting place for transactions and interactions!
]]>The book's contents contain a collection of wonderful short stories from popular folks in the watch community, race car driving, music, business, etc. who as the book states, believe watches have a deeper meaning beyond just telling time.
In addition, there are some truly lovely shots of archived, historical watches from Omega, Cartier, Zenith, and more. Beautiful references which no longer see the light of day because they are stored behind lock and key for safekeeping.
A favorite story of mine is from Nas, one the first rap artists whose CDs I bought as a kid. In case you're curious, Craig Mack and OutKast were the first cassettes.
Nas references his Rose Gold Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712 (I think), which by the way is awesome, and tells of his rationale for acquiring it within the book. You'll have to read the book to find out.
Part of why his story is my favorite is the last paragraph, it reads...
They say time is an illusion, but even so, you need it. A good watch represents someone who;s punctual, responsible, who has a lot on his plate. Someone who knows how to manage his time and takes life seriously, because life doesn't wait for anybody. Before you know it, your're running out of time.
Transformers were life in the mid-1980s, never had every character but enough to live in a small part of that world for much of my waking hours. Between that and the weekend cartoons, a young boy had all he needed to fuel an imagination.
It was Summer I recall and the days were long. Street lights popped on long after we were supposed to be home. Our town had a single large clock on the end of the green pier located in the center of town. As it turned out, not even that could help me return to the stable.
Knowing their audience, my parents gifted to me probably the coolest watch a kid could desire at the time. A gold 1984, Takara Decepticon jet plane with dual-action release system capable of transforming between watch, Transformer, and jet.
An incredible little time telling, action figure sitting in wait right on the wrist. Even if it was a Decepticon.
I will say it did help get me home on time, just more often than before ;)
From this point on wearing a watch was normal for me, felt "naked" in a sense leaving home without one. Not just any watch would do though, they always had to be something, for lack of a better word, different or let's say special. Something relatively unique, this desire for the unusual came forth in the first watch I designed, The Model A.
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According to Hodinkee...These needed to be accurate, reliable and durable, which in watchmaking terms meant they had to be regulated to chronometer standards, and also be waterproof and shockproof.
The watches also had to have a black dial, Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous hour markers, a railroad minute track, a shatterproof crystal, and a stainless-steel case. Powering them would be 15-jewel movements, measuring between 11.75 and 13 lignes.
The original British MoD requirements acted as a set of guidelines rather than a traditional rule book. Our goal with the Model C was to recreate the classic military watch, a timepiece you may expect to find employed on a battlefield or training camp in an era when analog ruled.
Yet remain modern in nature, 35-38mm case replaced by 40mm, Sapphire over Perspex crystal all the while maintaining strong lume, high water resistance, power reserve, and accuracy.
The end outcome, a design suitable for daily wear, legibility, abuse and above all else a bit of adventure ;)
Case width: 40.50mm
Case thickness: 10.40mm
Lug to lug: 48.50mm
Water resistance: 200M / 20ATM
Crystal: Sapphire, 2.40mm with anti-reflective coating on the inside
Movement: Swiss Technology Production Automatic, STP 1-11 with center seconds, hacking, and a convenient 44-hour power reserve - No date window will be offered
Case: 316L stainless steel, signed hexagonal crown with embossed "S". Finishes offered are brushed/polished, media blasted and vintage. Lug width is 20.00mm but accommodates 22.00mm straps nicely.
Dial: Lightly granulated, black or German blue with applied 3-tier SEALS logo in a brushed finish. Markers and chapter ring (5-minute marks) employ Swiss Super-Luminova.
Strap: Handmade with Italian leather and heavy Chinois Au Fils thread. Each strap will be made in either Spain, Italy, Singapore or USA. Bespoke designed buckle in brushed or blasted finishes.
Delivered contents include:
We were hesitant to begin a design study on a dive watch for several reasons, the main point primarily due to a crowded marketplace. You can find quality dive watches for as low as $200 and some stunning pieces between $675 to $1200. Not just a few but MANY. Do they all tick each box of yours, or mine, not necessarily but the options still exist.
Why leap into that arena when we have our Model C underway, a killer reimagining of vintage military timepieces of old. Not to mention our Model A being cleverly evolved to the Model B complete with Chronometer regulation, exhibition back, modified rotor and a uniquely designed dial and handset.
What I'm getting at here is there is much crackin' in the lab right now.
Once again, why make a dive watch? Because there is a void in the marketplace! Wait, what? "I thought it was crowded you said?" True, but there is plenty of room for creating a classic.
Something not commonly developed that stands apart from the river of homages and Submariner-esque pieces readily available.
I love a challenge and this my friend is a challenge. Where to begin? The case of course, it's in our DNA, the one area we can truly break away from the pack and not be limited by common microbrand constraints. The things that are important to us in terms of making a case are style, comfort, wearability and overall fit within the entire design.
Keeping with the initial theme of brevity here we go.
1. The bezel is robust, toothy and by that I mean it's notches are strong and visible. Expect exceptional legibility on the surface, quality finishing as we're known for and one in a deep blue and brushed steel.
Yes, there should be more points, but let's stop here for one read as the complete prototypes will be completed soon and there will be much more to discuss at that point.
Hope you enjoy what you've seen so far, we're truly excited about our initial dive watch offering and think you will be too.
]]>What was for me however was value, already put enough in to purchasing the vehicle the last thing I wanted to do was drop another dime on something that wouldn't improve performance or help save money overtime. Over the coming couple years I replaced the entire intake system, exhaust, acquired better tires and other random odds and ends.
What I'm getting at here is this, I'm not going to invest in or ask you to pay for something that I feel is a waste or useless. Many experienced this in our first collection, The Model A, when we delivered each and every watch in a leather or microfiber travel roll. Made the centers hollow and tossed an extra strap and handbook inside.
Minimal waste, added value...
In all seriousness, these are prototypes of single watch pouches that we have produced specifically for delivering our upcoming Model C Field Watch and "Dark Seal" dive watch.
Once again, we are going to opt out of packaging our watches in a standard box, makes for a splendid presentation and safe delivery but they have a tendency to stockpile in the corner of a closet.
So I'm going to do you and the misses a solid, let's skip the big box and give you a functional, secure pouch to receive future timepieces from us in.
Oh, good question, each pouch will be made of soft, supple Italian leather, trusted Fils Au Chinois lined thread, a nice suede lining and brass pin. This is all, simple, right?
Precise measurements will be shared as we get closer to production, if you are familiar with the Hodinkee leather watch pouch, it's about the same size.
That's a wrap, until next time
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First and foremost, raising two young daughters and kicking ass at my day job. Yes, have one of those still, my girls need toys and daddy's gotta eat.
Four major projects are what we've been up to. Four...bad...ass...projects! The Model B, The Model C, The Dark Seal (Dive watch) and something special. The latter will be a lot of fun but let's stay focused shall we.
Simply put, a beautiful evolution of our Model A with several key upgrades and refinements. Most notably, a new Swiss movement, the Swiss Technology Production (STP) 3-13, reduced bezel height, modified crown guards, all-new crown, and lastly an exhibition case back to display the eye-catching, self-winding, beating Swiss heart.
Our Model B is the ideal Sports slash Dress watch available today. Despite rapid innovations in technology, business and transportation our daily lives are more chaotic than ever. Versatility is a critical trait necessary for success today, tomorrow and beyond.
We have designed a man's watch for the adventure that we endure each day, from dawn to dusk.
Designing a timepiece is by no means a simple task. Even those whom produce spot on homages must face manufacturing woes and fulfillment complexities, same as the next brand.
One must be excited about this journey to succeed...The Model C is a watch I waited three years to design and create.
Immediately following the completion of our Model A I didn't think about design for a week or two. Mentally was totally spent. Then I grabbed some art depicting the piece without integrated lugs, a series of images with more standard lug sets.
First thing I noticed were no wire lugs, why in the hell did I not make these, is what I thought. SHIT! We'll no going back now, and thankfully I stayed the course but I knew what needed to be done.
As I referenced earlier my second and last kid was born in 2016, that year was hers and most everything else took a back seat. Fewer late nights, not true, even more but less focused on designing, instead more on being the dad two lovely little girls needed.
All the same, I pinched every attainable second to develop one bad ass field watch.
Prototypes will be complete late September 2017
We did not just stop at two new collections in 2017, with the amount of time between producing components, quality checking, revising design and producing those new components there was opportunity to follow through on another concept that has been kicked around over the past year.
Creating a 3rd new collection was a difficult decision, especially since the preceding two are in the prototyping phase and have taken longer than originally anticipated. None the less, there is no real reason to hold back, not this particular design, not a chance.
Our "Dark Seal" dive watch despite being just a case for the time being will have the following specifications:
This collection will contain 3 major references, similar case, different bezel inserts and colorways. With upgraded movement and exhibition case back as an option.
Yeah, not cool, I know but this last one there is not much to say about. Can assure you this, there will be much to discuss and clamor about, only not at this moment.
Why may you ask? Because on this project, we've teamed up with another to bring you an awesome example of what happens when you delve far out of your comfort zone. To make something that could never happen without that push.
#GreenGoldandtheUnexpected