"A Gladstone Bag Containing a Jemmy"

The adventure of Australian retailed pocket watches continues with another Swiss-made pocket watch from the early 1900s. Again, the white porcelain dial came with a label to guide me in the right direction. This unique timepiece reads: W. H. Pritchard, The Bridge Jeweller, Newtown. After doing some digging, it turns out that this pocket watch is one we're glad to have stumbled upon, so here's what I have so far: Newtown was established in 1812, and proclaimed a Municipality in 1862. It is a suburb of Sydney's inner west, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The central hub of Newtown is King Street, which happens to be where W. H. Pritchard’s jewellery shop was located. According to the Newton Project, “One of the smallest shops in Newtown at 318 1/2 King St. belonged to W. H. Pritchard, watchmaker and jeweller, who was Mayor in 1922. He was the ‘Jeweller with a reputation for Honest Values.’ His Carnival price in 1922 for a solid 9 ct. gold expanding watch wristlet was £4.” As it turns out, Mr Pritchard was the Mayor during the Diamond Jubilee of Newtown. He was also a member of the Nationalists party and was “recommended for endorsement as the National candidate at the Federal elections.” The West Australian, Saturday 4th November 1922.

Pritchard’s Jeweller’s was broken into on 3rd May 1913, and thieves stole goods to the value of £89 7s 3d, including 23 gold rings, a pair of cuff-links, four watches, and 11 bangles. “Three men were yesterday charged before the Newtown Police Court with breaking and entering the premises of Mr. W. H. Pritchard, jeweller, King-street, Newtown, between May 3 and 4, and stealing goods valued at £89 7s 3d. The men were George Dickson, alias M'llwain, 19; Arthur Kirby, alias James, 19; and Percy James, 23." "Senior Sergeant O’Dea stated that in company with Sergeant Allen and Constable M’Knight, he arrested Dickson on Cleveland Street, and on searching him officers found 21 gold rings, a pair of sleeve-links, a lady's watch, and three bangles. When charged, accused said he picked the jewellery up in a lane off Cleveland Street. Kirby and James were arrested later. When the house In Cleveland Street In which Dickson and Kirby resided was searched the police found a Gladstone bag containing a jemmy. On searching James's room eight gold bangles, three watches, and two rings were found. Kirby told the police that his brother knew nothing about the robbery. The police said the jemmy found fitted the marks on the door of Pritchard's shop. The three accused reserved their defence, and were committed for trial." Tuesday 27th May 1913, The Sydney Morning Herald

We are on a quest to find even more watch stories that begin with a porcelain dial. Although engraving metal would probably outlast anything, porcelain labels are another permanent way of preserving information. This porcelain dial has been washed and cleaned, and I could see that the name would not be washed away. Porcelain is a medium to achieve immortality in this case. And here we find ourselves again, discovering the life of a man by his heirlooms left behind. Watches are rarely about the brand name, they are all about the story behind them.

The King of Narrabri

This pocket watch which landed on my desk yesterday morning. The pocket watch dates from around 1930s and has white porcelain dial with the label: “Commander” H.G. King Narrabri. Of course, it is a Swiss-made watch, but back in 1930s, the Swiss were more than happy to make custom porcelain dials with retailers' labels. Naturally, I thought this would be a good place to start. Here’s what I’ve go so far: Narrabri is a town in New South Wales, located on the Namoi River over 500km northwest of Sydney. Its proclamation as a town in 1860 led to the development of several buildings, such as the District Hospital which opened in 1864. As it turns out, H.G King was one of Narrabri’s most prominent public figures. Born in 1888, he lived through two wars reaching the end of his life in 1950, aged 62. Throughout his life, King was closely associated with the District Hospital, acting as chairman of the board for a number of years. He was president of the Narrabri Rotary Club, a qualified optician, but even more relevant, a jeweller and watchmaker by trade. King’s Jewellery store in Narrabri carried “a great variety of exclusive articles most suitable for presents for all occasions” according to The North Western Courier, April 1939. They said of King: “One has only to look through the stock to learn that great care and discrimination have been given to its selection and to realise that the proprietor takes a great pride in giving clients quality and value for money. Mr. King has become famous throughout Narrabri and district for his large assortment of jewellery and watches of various designs.”

In 1926, King joined the Narrabri War Memorial Committee to establish a monument in memory of soldiers killed in the Great War. His clock design tender for the Memorial was accepted in 1930 and unveiled later that year. The plaque which currently exists on the memorial says “HG King of Narrabri supplied this electrically operated clock which was at that time a new technology” - it still stands today. But back to the pocket watch. The remaining question is why “Commander”? Was H. G. King referring to himself? Was he a commander in the Great War? Or was he referring to the watch? Was Commander the name of the watch and if so, how many were sold? The most likely answer is that "Commander" refers to his rank as a soldier, but these are questions I feel I can’t answer without your help. As for the watch, it is undergoing restoration as we speak. I’ll keep you informed of the outcome. I love preserving watch dials with watchmakers' names on them, for two reasons. Firstly, its so bloody cool! Secondly, I think of myself as an amateur historian, and maybe a slightly delusional one at that. What fascinates me is that someone's entire life can be found on a watch dial. Would we have ever known about the life of H. G. King if we didn't happen to find his watch? In a world of billions of people, its unlikely that all of us will be remembered. But perhaps if we leave something behind, the chances are in our favour.

TGR

The most exciting part of research is when the “third sample” is discovered. At that point in time, we are starting to get a glimpse of the bigger picture. Clearly, with the more samples we find, we are inching closer to completing the entire puzzle. However, researching objects while trying to create the bigger picture of an event that happened 100 years ago is always an adventure. Especially so in the case of Tasmanian Railway Pocket Watches where our focus is on timepieces issued in small quantities over unknown periods of time. The total number of TGR issued watches is unknown. My guess is that a rather small railway network like Tasmanian probably issued less than a few hundred. The other unknown is: How many of them survived to this day? Probably only a handful. As government property, railway timepieces were issued to locomotive drivers, guards and station masters. And as such, they were expensive high precision instruments that the government meticulously maintained and serviced while in use over the decades. TGR pocket watches were not given to employees upon their retirement – or at the retirement life of the watch. However, during the 1970s and 80s, when the mechanical watches slowly become obsolete and battery-operated watches proved themselves as cheaper yet more accurate, some of the government issued pocket watches were sold at auction. Again, we can only speculate at how many pieces end up in private collections. The tragedy of the second phase of the watches’ lives is that firstly they were all dispersed. And secondly, most of them were worn until they broke, then discarded in a drawer and forgotten about. And this is where we are now – at the point where we have hardly any data and the railway watch story is almost completely forgotten. When the third TGR (Tasmanian Government Rail) Omega arrived earlier this week, I was very excited. With three points of interpolation, we are finally heading in the right direction. This is what we know so far: All three watches have the same case back number – 1149 – which is clearly the model reference number. This is quite unusual because other Omega pocket watches from the 1940s only have a serial number on the case back, not a model reference number. The model reference number is followed by a single digit number which is most likely the actual production batch. All three watches are fitted with the movement calibre 38.5L.T1 15 jewel none inca block. TGR 576 serial number 11805116. TGR 705 serial number 11805062. TGR 804 serial number 12213595. And this is why I’m excited! As more watches are discovered and catalogued, we are getting closer to the point where we will be able to tell if a particular watch is really a government issued piece or a watch cleverly put together to deceive. Of course, our horological railway research covers all Australian states and territories. If you have a government rail issued watch of any type or brand, please let us know so we can include it in our database. If you do come across a watch which is for sale, please do let us know as well.

Another Legendary Dial

And here is another little gem. While working on 1994 Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11, I’ve noticed that the Omega dial is signed in a not before seen manner. SINGER + SINGER + SINGER. Of course, J. Singer is one of the most famous dial makers who made dials for Rolex, Omega, Breitling and many other Swiss brands, but the way this dial is signed is particularly unique.

If you have a couple of minutes to spare, here is my blog entry from 2017 about how I almost met the legend: http://nickhacko.blogspot.com/2017/08/so-what-is-your-dream.html

Let's call it a draw

*** Let's call it a draw

The Planet Ocean met its fate in a rather bizarre set of circumstances. It came off the owner’s hand during a motorcycle accident, flew dozens of metres, landed on the asphalt and was then ran over by countless number of speeding vehicles. “I would like to have it restored” said the owner. But the stubborn Planet Ocean refused to cooperate. The case back thread was so heavily deformed that an attempt to unscrew it resulted in two broken tools. Sometimes, you just have to cut your losses and move on. The only remaining mystery: Why would you wear a diver’s watch on a motorbike?

The Master of Windsor

Windsor chair maker: Glen Rundell "I make no tables, no bookshelves, no toys, sideboards, cabinets or other furniture - just chairs." Yes, Glen only makes chairs. And not just any chair, his speciality is the Windsor. But chair making alone has earned him the reputation as one of Australia's most loved chair makers. His chairs, settees, stools and beautifully crafted rocking chairs are sought after by private collectors and discerning buyers both in Australia and overseas. His clients understand that these chairs are an investment that will out-live them, an heirloom piece that will be passed down through generations to come. When you step into Glen's workshop there is a sense of tradition, authenticity and the feeling that here is a place where you will find craftsmanship in a real true sense. The Windsor chair is a traditional Welsh country style chair and a design that goes back to 1600s. It is a chair built with a solid wooden seat into which the chair-back and legs are round-tenoned, or pushed into drilled holes. Traditionally, there were three types of craftsmen involved in the construction of a Windsor chair. Firstly, there was the Chair Bodger, an itinerant craftsman who worked in the woods and made just the legs and stretchers, on a pole lathe. Then there was the Benchman who worked in a small town or village workshop and would produce the seats, back splats and other sawn parts. The final craftsman involved was the Framer. The Framer would take the components produced by the Bodger and the Benchman and would assemble and finish the chair. Glen, however, does it all by himself. When Glen decided to learn chair making, he struggled to find a master in Australia. So, he sold his motorbike, bought a ticket to America and learnt the trade under the wing of Curtis Buchanan, a veteran craftsman who has been teaching for more than 30 years. Yesterday, my Rundell Perch arrived to our workshop - not as a replacement to a trusted watchmaker's chair - I simply bought it because I have always wanted one. What is so special about the three legged perch? 1. First leg is the workmanship. Made by Glen, the man of passion and vision, with his own hands, to his own standard of brilliance. 2. The second leg is the wood. The America Walnut is premium American timber which lends itself beautifully to cutting, turning and polishing. Out of all natural materials, wood is the most noble one. 3, The third leg is ergonomics. The original Perch stool was made by Glen's Master, Windsor chair maker Curtis Buchanan based on parameters provided by Dr. Galen Cranz. Cranz is a Professor of Architecture at the College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley. She studies the social and cultural bases of architectural and urban design. Cranz is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, a kinaesthetic educational system, who founded the new field "Body Conscious Design." The idea behind the stools design is that knees are situated lower than pelvis which requires muscle 'to work and support' the body. Consequently, the spine is straight. Glen says: "Your best sitting position is the next one" meaning a good chair is one which will make you stand up, walk, stretch your legs - and then welcome you again. Sophistication comes in many shapes and forms. https://www.rundellandrundell.com.au/

The Lost Trades

"It is transparently clear that what is rapidly slipping through our fingers is a generation of trade skills and knowledge" - says Lisa Rundell.  "Knowledge and skills which, right now, can still be rescued and passed on to future generations. We may not be able to say this in another decade. I think people are finally realising what we have to lose".

But Lisa and Glen Rundell are not sitting idle. Six years ago Glen (a bespoke Chair Maker himself)  started what is now known as 'The Lost Trades' project- an Australian Fair that showcases the incredible talent, spirit and authenticity behind the makers working in traditional trades. Amazingly, the project goes beyond the skills or even the pieces made by the artisans - to a very personal point allowing us to discover who the craftsmen of the lost trades really are.  An intimate look into the workshops and lives of the Australian artisans, from bronze bell, barrel, rocking horse and chair makers, to blacksmiths, finest decorative artists, bicycle and puppet makers to leather-smiths and bespoke tailors.

Max Tucker is 17 years young and he is a blacksmith. He got fascinated with the trade at the age of 10 when he visited Glen and Lisa's first Lost Trades Fair. When they arrived home, his dad made him a forge - and Max hasn't stopped hammering iron since.

It was a real privilege to watch him working. He made for us a traditional English fire poker with ram head: a piece which showcases the artistry, attention to detail and magic of a blacksmiths one-off-the kind.















Australia has a strong trade history, a great influx of skilled labour came to Australia during the gold rush. Many of our most beautiful architectural landmarks were built during this time: public buildings, churches, town halls, court buildings, and homesteads. Stonemasons, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, lead-lighters, decorative hard plasterers, sign-writers and painters worked together to create iconic structures that remain timeless and, even today, hold a beauty that can not be easily replicated.

Thanks to Lisa and Glen, the future of lost trades may be found and alive again...

Timascus NH2 Flyer

This is way overdue and please don't consider it as the final verdict - a downloadable Timascus NH2 flyer which sums up the importance of the project and ultimately the reason why NH2 is our priority. Download at: www.nicholashacko.com.au/files/NH2Flyer.pdf

The Joke Is On Us

Last night, I went to see Joker along with 400 people, a large majority being under the age of 30. Standing in line while queuing for popcorn, you could feel the anticipation for the film in the air. Overhearing the comments of nerds, I knew that pre-enthusiasm was strong. Gotham, Jack Nicholson, Taxi Driver, De Niro: 90s kids trying to explain to each other the premise of 70s movies. The light barely dimmed when a long-legged grunk behind me started hitting my seat. A firm "No" took care of that. The opening scene was cringeworthy but without any doubt, the best scene of the night. From then, it was all downhill. A portrait of nihilism, a story of nothing. Unfunny, shallow, violent in the wrong way, unpolarising. Rich people are bad, poor people are bad. Joker is the kind of movie that turns normal people depressed, the depressed aggressive, and encourages the sadistic sociopaths to buy a gun. While a good movie allows a viewer to escape reality, a bad movie makes you eager to escape back to everyday life. Joker did the latter, and failed in every aspect imaginable. But the most annoying failure was the attempt to portray normal, everyday people like us, as a bunch of frickin' clowns who worship a psychopath (the scene where an angry mob of clowns hail the Joker). We know that a gun and a desire to kill will never turn a life of misery into a life of a comedy, and I have no doubts that Joker will be appreciated by internet trolls who are yet to discover their sadistic inner self. Luckily, judging by the number of viewers who clapped at the end of the film, they will always remain a minority. To call it Hollywood trash would be too kind. Joker is scraping the bottom of what the rest of the sophisticated world simply call American trash and is, with no doubt, the worst movie I have ever watched. It's not too late to cancel your booking. Life is too precious to be wasted in such a self-derogatory way. Instead, tonight, immerse yourself in a classical novel on your favourite sofa with a cup of silky smooth coffee. And if you really want to go crazy, a box of chocolates!

Ladies Italian Ferrovie dello Stato Railway Watch

It's been ages since we talked about railway watches and I can't think of a better excuse to do so today than by mentioning the new arrival: an Italian Ferrovie dello Stato 1970's timepiece. What makes this beauty special, is that it's a ladies watch. To my knowledge, Perseo (Cortebert) was the only watch brand who officially made ladies watches for that purpose. When I shared this news with a couple of watch enthusiasts, they simply replied: Why? But I have no doubt that at least some of you share my enthusiasm. And while we are on the topic, have you ever met a female locomotive train driver?

Good News

It has been 6 months since we delivered the first Mark 1 NH wristwatch and during this, time we have assembled and delivered just over 100 watches. Mark 1 is a 40mm automatic watch designed and assembled in our workshop and powered up by a Swiss made mechanism. Here is the good news: In the past 6 months, we've only had one case where the watch has been returned to our workshop. It needed a minor adjustment of a single component in the Swiss mechanism, taking only a few minutes to rectify. Super easy! So far the 'under guarantee' return rate is under 1%, way below the industry standard and clearly, we are proud of it. Based on the above, we are now happy to offer 10 years guarantee on Mark 1 watches which also includes the watches sold so far. There is only one condition: You need to reply to this offer simply by saying "Yes, I'll take it"  with your Mark 1 serial number. The 10 years guarantee will include all the parts and labour as well as the first complete overhaul, which will be due in 5 years time. Not a cent to spend! Thanks to your unreserved support we will continue to push the horological boundaries and strive to offer post sale service like no other watch brand.

Mark 1 $2,800. In stock and ready for immediate delivery.

The Pilgrimage

As the Chinese say: The best time to plant an apple tree is 10 years ago. The best time to start planning your European holiday is today. Of course the European horological pilgrimage could take months, but even if you only have a couple of days to spare, there are 3 landmarks that should be on top of your list! 1. The Prague Horologe The Astronomical Clock of Prague is a clock like no other. The restoration work has just been completed so be prepared to be amazed. Thanks to David S we have received a lovely set of photos taken this week, provided here for your enjoyment. The food and accommodation in Prague is more affordable than in any other Western European capital cities and May/June or September are the most pleasant months to visit.

2. The Ankeruhr of Vienna The Ankeruhr of Vienna is more than just a tourist attraction. Unlike Prague’s, the Ankeruhr is a modern clock. Designed and built in 1911, this artistic masterpiece has a story to tell. Vienna is less than a 4 hour drive from Prague and my personal recommendation is to stay at the Josefshof Hotel which is located in a quiet alley of the Old Town and walking distance to the Museum Quarters. At $300 Aussie for a double room per night, breakfast included, Josefshof's imperial garden breakfast is itself worth the stay. With this being said, beware of the buffet breakfast menu that includes chocolate cake, apple and poppy seed strudel and of course Mozartkugels.

3. The Salisbury Cathedral Clock Known as the world’s oldest working clock, Salisbury Cathedral Clock was built in 1386. It has run for over 500 years and until was discarded to make room for a new tower clock. However, in 1928 the clock was rediscovered by T.R. Robinson - A horological enthusiast who went up to the clock tower to see the “new clock” installed in 1884. Of course the presence of the old clock was known to many but nobody attributed much importance to it. It was only Robinson who realised its historical value, believing that this was indeed the original clock from 1386. It took another 50 years for the clock restoration to be completed. It is estimated that so far the Salisbury clock has ticked a total of 4.4 billion times.