Monday, February 25, 2019

The first and only watch manufactured in Australia


No time for fake modesty:  facts only. We are proud and we are celebrating.

No matter whether you are a supporter, believer, dreamer or just a casual onlooker: NH1 is the watch which will be forever remembered as the first Australian wristwatch containing Australian manufactured watch movement components. Dare I say: this is the watch that will be one day highly sought after, a watch which will attract a premium; a timepiece of investment quality to be remembered and talked about in years to come.

Yes, there will be other watchmakers trying to make their mark, and no doubt, one day we won't call ourselves 'the only' .  But NH1 will always remain 'El Primero'.

The assembly is going slower than originally anticipated but hand finishing, jewelling, adjustment and casing cannot be rushed. Here, in our city workshop, Andrew is my right hand; without his help it would take even longer to complete this first batch. Josh is still machining the last few components so he spends his days in Brookvale, working on his own.  Young Michael (I call him Bob) is irreplaceable when it comes to screw polishing: it takes 10 minutes to polish just one screw to mirror finish - and he often spends 6 hours a day just doing that.

The completed watches are tuned with a great deal of pride. We try to squeeze out every second out of that watch heart, and we are extremely proud of the timekeeping abilities of NH1. The full credit for that goes to precision milling as well as work-holding tools - designed and manufactured in our own workshop.

Here is just one detail worth mentioning: the electricity bill to run the Kern mill alone is over $2,000 per month! The beast sucks 60 Amps per phase and, once turned on, it runs for days - machining parts or not. The warm up period is 4 hours before any watch component can be machined to the accuracy required. The air compressor and two cooling units generate so much heat that most of the machining is done from sunset to sunrise.

I have no doubt that NH1 will be judged on watch forums and Facebook groups by its external appearance, the dial style or case size. But such 'reviews' will miss the point completely.  Manufactured in Australia has really very little to do with appearance: the real substance and value is in what has gone on behind the scenes. And this is why NH1 will always remain a watch for a sophisticated, true watch enthusiast.

As I type this, 18 out of 25 watches have been reserved and paid for in full. Two pieces will remain in our own collection and 5 watches are still available for sale: numbers 16, 17, 19, 23 and 24.
The price is $6,000 plus GST.  Delivery time:  4 weeks.

Case signed: Ti Hxx/25, titanium, 45mm
Movement: NH1, manual wind.
Strap : bespoke kangaroo
Dial signed: Manufactured in Australia as a reference to the number of internal watch components designed and manufactured in our Sydney workshop.

Inquiries to nick@clockmaker.com.au

                         

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