So, who buys your watch?

 

This week we ran out of blue Curl Curl dials. For the Mark II project, this is a bit uncomfortable to say the least. Like Corinthian running out of lamb. Like Cindy running out of red lipstick. Like Three Beans running out of coffee beans. Simply unthinkable. To the cynics: No, we have not run out of dial nameplates bearing my name. Plenty of those in stock, thanks for asking. Yet as trivial as it could be to the naked eye, it is a detail like the pocket in the dial where the name plate sits, that makes the Curl Curl dial challenging to make.

The cut-out is created with a tool that has a radius of just 0.15 millimetres. That is 150 microns. Keep in mind that we are milling hard medical grade titanium, not soft silver or brass. Perfection takes time. There are not many dial manufacturers who can do what we do here in Brookvale, not even in Switzerland. The Curl Curl dial is actually a three dimensional structure. Yes, the actual waves hitting the shore, are ‘guilloched’ in Titanium. Yet at the same time, they are so small, so fine, that they appear on the surface of the dial as nothing more than a fine line. And here is the nameplate siting in its pocket, under magnification.

For the past couple of weeks, I have had the privilege to talk to a number of watch enthusiasts who visited our office for one reason only: To see the Mark II in person. Whether the watch impressed them or not, is not for me to say, but those who actually make ‘things’ themselves, who use tools, who design and engineer, were simply blown away with our ability to shape metal, like it is butter. Those who care, understand. If we are to be put in a box of horology, it would be one labelled ‘very difficult to make’. And we are more than happy with that.

The actual tool is manufactured by a Japanese toolmaker specialist. And here is an interesting story: After we ordered a dozen or so of the tool, they sent us a polite email asking what product we actually make that requires one of the smallest tools in their entire range? Josh replied with a photo of the dial pocket. A few days later, Josh was invited by the Japanese to visit their factory. He was the first non-Japanese person to have a full factory tour, to see how the tools are actually made. Yes, they paid for return tickets for both Josh and his wife, as well as accommodation.