Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

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Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by nbg »

Warning: Look away now if you are only interested in steel diver or sports watches! :)

Yesterday evening I attended the Watchmakers Club event in London. The Club is a collective of independent brands, some of whom have production levels of only a few hundred watches per year, or less. The brands represented included a few British brands, as well as Swiss and others.

It’s fair to say that the watches covered a wide range of price points, from about £1k to stuff where it was evident it would be a rather pointless exercise even asking how much. However whilst unobtainable to me, it was interesting to be able to view some of the haute horlogerie pieces, just to be able to see the fantastic level of finishing on the movements and dials.

The lighting was rather poor, so unfortunately the pics are even worse than my usual average.

I was really impressed with Pinion and can see myself buying one at some stage next year. Their watches are of a tool watch style that I like, although none are available with bracelets.
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It was the first time that I had seen Dornbluth in the flesh. Very taken by the Q-2010.2 AUF & AB.
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Czapek was a brand that caught my eye. Handmade guilloche dial, with 7 day power reserve and a level of finishing generally seen at a much higher price point. Does make me wonder why anyone would pay the current grey market going rate for a mass produced ceramic bezel steel cased GMT sports watch, when they could buy something like this instead, for less.
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It seemed to me that most of the WIS attending stuck to the “independent brief”, as I didn’t see a Rolex, Tudor or Omega all evening.

Pic of the other stuff tried on, including one firmly in the unobtainium category, shown below.

Overall an enjoyable evening, with the free bar running out at about the time I left, which at least took the edge off the long journey home. :)

Neil
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by NotEnoughWrists »

The Czapek is much nicer in the blue than the other colours (unless thats down to your aforementioned camera skills?)
So many watches, yet still so little time!
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by nbg »

NotEnoughWrists wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:58 pm The Czapek is much nicer in the blue than the other colours (unless thats down to your aforementioned camera skills?)
The blue was my favourite, but I think they would all have looked better under natural daylight.

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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by H0rati0 »

Neil

really interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to share.

nik

ps I liked the red Czapek, so there.
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by NotEnoughWrists »

I do like the visual design of the Vertex- but at the same time, it looks like something that could be on Groupon or in Argos....the strange old world of watches eh?
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by Lavaine »

The Vertex is a nice modern take on the Dirty Dozen military watches. I think the bezel is a bit wide for the watch size, but overall I like it.
The Czapek is very nice, although the PR subdial confuses me. The right side of the dial is a basic 7 day PR scale, but what is the point of the days on the left side of the dial?
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Looks like a splendid event, Neil. I love that blue Lonville GMT! :cuinlove: Is that unobtanium?
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by nbg »

H0rati0 wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:28 amreally interesting stuff, thanks for taking the time to share.

nik

ps I liked the red Czapek, so there.
I am enough off piste liking a blue guilloche dial watch, with no lume, red would be a step too far for me! :lol:
NotEnoughWrists wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:55 amI do like the visual design of the Vertex- but at the same time, it looks like something that could be on Groupon or in Argos....the strange old world of watches eh?
They would be horrified to hear you think that, due to what I view as a rather limiting sales model! :) I was asked if I wanted to buy on the evening and said I had previously learnt my lesson about alcohol fuelled impulse purchases. I was given an envelope which apparently contains a code that I would need to be able to buy - as the watches are only available via a referral (or by owners of the original, or serving military).
Lavaine wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:33 amThe Vertex is a nice modern take on the Dirty Dozen military watches. I think the bezel is a bit wide for the watch size, but overall I like it.
The Czapek is very nice, although the PR subdial confuses me. The right side of the dial is a basic 7 day PR scale, but what is the point of the days on the left side of the dial?
The Vertex did look good. For me the bezel was fine for the 40mm dial. The lume day numerals were rather cool, as they were very deep. Price at about £2k though seemed a bit aggressive.

Ah the Czapek PR! Like many of the historic revived brands, they have tried to include include a nod to the past, so you need to wind it fully on a Sunday! In that way the dual hand will point to 7 and Sunday, then 6 and Saturday etc, as the power runs down. It is though possible to specify a different style power reserve.
Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:44 amLooks like a splendid event, Neil. I love that blue Lonville GMT! Is that unobtanium?
That one was CHF 19,900, excluding VAT. It turns out that although different in style, they use the same case maker as Moser do for some of their cases.

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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

nbg wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 9:15 am
Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:44 amLooks like a splendid event, Neil. I love that blue Lonville GMT! Is that unobtanium?
That one was CHF 19,900, excluding VAT. It turns out that although different in style, they use the same case maker as Moser do for some of their cases.

Neil
That’ll be a yes, then! :lol:

Thanks for the info Neil. I will just have to hope for a blue Trident Vintage GMT then. :D
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by downer »

Thanks for posting, Neil. Very interesting.

Sadly, I have realised that my taste in watches is very basic, and I'd probably choose the Pinion over any of the others - regardless of price. :D
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by nbg »

^^^^ Richard I think that we generally have similar taste in watches, certainly as far as those that we end up actually buying. Although I probably have a few more left field watch genes that draw me to some of the less basic stuff.

However finding something at an acceptable price point relative to what you get for the money is more difficult. If I ever do go for something more exotic I think it would be from a small independent, rather than one of the more known brands.

In the meantime, having had Piers email about the Atom 39, that he is releasing next year, something like that is likely to arrive in my watch box before anything more challenging. :)

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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by Lavaine »

nbg wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 9:15 am Ah the Czapek PR! Like many of the historic revived brands, they have tried to include include a nod to the past, so you need to wind it fully on a Sunday! In that way the dual hand will point to 7 and Sunday, then 6 and Saturday etc, as the power runs down. It is though possible to specify a different style power reserve.

Neil
Very interesting, and a unique nod to the past. Unless it was my daily wearer though, I couldn't get on with that, and would have to get a different style PR.
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Re: Watchmakers Club Event 7 November - Picture heavy

Post by TG3N »

A free bar & some stunning, lesser-seen watches - sounds right up my street.

The Dornbluth is lovely, and the more I read about the brand the keener I become.

I read about the Vertex upon its release some time ago, and the pretentious distribution strategy and price point completely at odds with the history/ethos of the watch don't make any more sense now to me than they did then.

Suchy & Sohne are new to me, but whilst they are no doubt very fine things in hand, their dial, case & hands design fall just on the 'bland' side of understated for me.

The Czapek in blue is just fantastic, despite (or maybe because of?) the unbalanced dial design.

Good pics, thanks for bringing them to us.
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