Some sort of balancing corrective to the short-sightedness is needed-now!

His name was Companion of Hours, or Iry-Hor. He was one of the earliest rulers of Egypt. Not the first ruler - before him, Scorpion I and Bull ruled the Nile delta. But thanks to the remnants of a clay vessel placed in his tomb 5200 years ago, Iry-Hor is the earliest living historical person known by name, with material evidence of his existence. The oldest wooden statue known as the Shigir Idol is twice as old as the oldest pyramid. Dating to 9,000 BC - and possibly much older- this is the oldest known sculptural project in the world. Again, not only or the first - it was one of many similar wooden object form Early Mesolithic Urals. But Shigir survived for over 11,000 years by pure luck.  It was made from larch, which is naturally phytoncidic, then preserved in a bog that had an acidic, anaerobic environment, which kills micro-organisms. Making seems to be much easier than outlasting. For humans, achieving immortality seems almost impossible. We try, we strive, we fail. And then again, mostly by chance, incidentally, the remnants and relicts from the past resurface, only to frustrate us with how little we know about who we truly are.  Will good intentions, detailed planning and (un)limited resources be enough to preserve us in millennia or beyond, only time will tell. But if anything has a chance, then it would be long-term thinking itself, as a foundation, that would set us on track. This week our small team of makers, immersed in a topic well beyond our grasp: The Long Now. https://longnow.org/

James G The most pressing problems we face as a species such as climate change, epidemics, and wars are of a complexity that are enormously difficult for us to conceive of solutions for. Mitigating these existential risks requires huge amounts of intellectual and physical resources, scientific analysis, creativity, innovation, coordination of billions of people, and a multi generational commitment. As humans, we do not have the best track record for managing these types of challenges. Despite humanities enormous technological achievements, we still possess brains that have evolved primarily to grapple with the life needs and struggles of a hunter gatherer in the African savannah. While these brains may have served us well in the past, the scale of the challenges of the contemporary era demand a different approach. The Long Now Foundation is an initiative that is attempting to address these limitations by promoting long term thinking and responsibility. For example their 10000 Year Clock project is an incredible monument born of utopian thinking along the lines of Etienne Louis Boullee's Cenotaph for Isaac Newton. It also brings to mind the long term nuclear waste warning messages discussed in "Into Eternity", the 2010 documentary film. Monuments like this are a powerful tool for transmitting ideas and messages across deep time and forming collective memory. You could spend countless hours browsing their collection of essays, videos, lectures, and podcasts that deal with a diverse array of fascinating topics that lie at the intersection of philosophy, art, science, architecture, engineering, anthropology, history, and sociology. I am proud to work for an organisation that is a member of the foundation and is linked to the pursuit of its goals of thinking, understanding, and acting responsibly.

Josh The Long now project is something that has piqued my interest for a little while now. Ever since the Ted talk about the Long now clock came to YouTube I've be intrigued with the the extended thinking of the future- Is it possible to extend our existence beyond our lifetime if we think hard enough? The seriousness of the project is appealing, it has a certain weight that helps it transcend the short term. But one part of the "Long now" project that is super intriguing to me, outside of the clock project, is the "long bets" spinoff. Long Bets is a place where people can make long term predictions in a "gentleman's bet" fashion. The idea is simple- you stake some money at 50/50 odds, against a prediction. There are a few rules, which are outlined clearly on the site- the bet has to be relevant, the minimum term is 2 years, there is no maximum term, you have to use your real name- and all won money goes to charity. you can have a look at all the rules and caveats on their site. "Matilda will still be married to her cousin, Shane in 2032." .... is not a bet. "The share price of RMD on the ASX will be above 100 dollars by 30.08.2024" ... is an example of a long bet. A very interesting aspect is that all the bets are public. Scrolling through the site and looking at all the things that people are betting on shows what people are thinking about! some bets have even been won and lost- indicated by a blue "WIN" symbol. Some notable bets-  Joe Keane in 2008 bet-  "Large Hadron Collider will destroy Earth." His stake was 1000 dollars and the period was 10 years. He was countered by Nick Damiano, who as we all can figure- won. Christoph M Stahl bet, in 2008 that by 2018 the Euro wouldn't be the legal currency in France Italy and Germany! And some longer bets- - By 2030, commercial passengers will routinely fly in pilotless planes (bet in 2002) - At least one human alive in the year 2000 will still be alive in 2150. (bet in 2002) - By 2060 the total population of humans on earth will be less than it is today. (bet in 2017). And my favourite- "Over a ten-year period commencing on January 1, 2008, and ending on December 31, 2017, the S&P 500 will outperform a portfolio of funds of hedge funds, when performance is measured on a basis net of fees, costs and expenses." (10 years, 2008-2017) The content isn't that interesting to me, as much as the people behind the bet. Warren Buffet Vs. Protege Partners LLC. The total amount of the bet? $2,222,278 USD. If anything, Longbets is a mild amusement, but thinking a bit deeper reveals the fragility of all these predictions. All it takes is one bat to transfer it's cold, for all of our bets to fall apart.

Andrew The Long Now is an organisation which strives to inspire long-term thinking in an attempt to improve the quality of our human existence. Its’ centrepiece, a mechanical clock with a 10,000 year power reserve. They’re gonna want to put an onion crown on that one. We were all tasked with giving our opinions on this organisation. Without knowing what anyone else would write about, I tried to come up with an original viewpoint. Whilst even the entire weekend was not enough time to delve properly into every sub group of the Long Now (which I highly recommend you do), it was enough time to absorb the bulk of it, and come to this conclusion. For comparison, some of the oldest institutions known to human history: Education: The oldest existing educational institutions on earth include the King’s School, Canterbury, England, founded in 597, the University of Karueein, founded in 859 in Fez, Morocco, as well as the University of Bologna in Italy, founded in 1088. There are many others that would still be here if not for civil unrest, religious war, and systematic genocide. Business: The oldest operating business on earth was Kongo Gumi in Japan, founded in 578. It was a construction company that specializes in shrines and temples until it was bought out in 2006 after suffering financially. Certainly, many other long running businesses have ceased operation for the same reasons as above. Finance: Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the oldest surviving bank in the world, founded in 1472. Sveriges Riksbank is the central bank of Sweden and the world’s oldest central bank, founded in 1668. Religion: Judaism is the world's oldest known monotheistic religion, dating back approximately 4,000 years. Hinduism is said to be even older, and there are several religious idols and depictions that have been discovered and dated to before even that (the Dreamtime and Aboriginal Australians – approximately 75,000 years). Horology - the literal study and measure of the passage of time: The Antikythera mechanism has been dated (if it is even human) to sometime around 200-100BC. As it stands, it is the oldest mechanically complex horological device, until around the 1300s when the Verge escapement was invented by…someone. It makes me laugh that out of all histories, horological history is so often completely incomplete, or absolutely contested with flimsy thereabout dates. The Horological Society of New York is the oldest still running society, founded in 1866. All this to say: we (humans) like to think that we are very forward thinking. And we are; actually, out of every animal, we are the best by a country mile. But we still aren’t very good. Thinking 75 years ahead from now, based on a 75,000-year timeline starting with early Aboriginal Australians, is like thinking 86 seconds ahead in a 24-hour period. And we certainly don’t even do that. In fact, I would be very surprised if most countries had a forward planning average longer than whatever their standard government/parliament term is. So, every time you drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (in traffic or not), be thankful it was made wide enough to incorporate seven vehicle lanes, a 24-hour bus lane, two train lines, a footpath, and a cycleway, in the 1920s! Oh, the foresight! (Hands up if you remember the M4 having two lanes). But not only that, we for the most part struggle at making things last. Depending on which historian you talk to, there have been over 70 distinct ‘civilisations’ (ancient Rome, Carthage, South Americas, Babylon, etc.) Their average length? Take a guess. The worst part is, most of the time, these civilisations are not destroyed by natural events, but by mismanagement and war. Not to mention the fact that if any relic is moderately valuable there are always attempts to steal or destroy. The Great Pyramids of Giza were once covered in stark white polished limestone. What a sight that would have been if you didn’t have your eyes toasted from the reflection. The average lifespan is about 349.2 years with a median of 330. Of course, many lasted much longer than that, say a couple thousand years for the biggest and best. Clearly, you can see the cynic, realist(?), and pessimist, creep to the surface as I type this. 10,000 years is a bloody long time. With a current global average life expectancy of 70 years, that’s about 143 lifetimes. For both the organisation to last and the clock to chime. Please, don’t get me wrong, I am behind this idea 100%. As well as the clock, some sub-organisations include The Rosetta Stone and PanLex, who are documenting, translating, and recording all languages in human history that are currently known. How much more might we know about ourselves if we could only decipher the scribbles of old? There are also lectures not only on the importance of forward thinking but how to do it better than we have been, and trying to learn from past human failure and success. So many reasons to be a part of it. Come on, a 10,000-year clock that produces a unique chime every day! That’s the coolest thing ever! Watchmaking is all about embedding yourself as a humble character in the passage of time by maintaining its measuring devices, and ensuring that they live longer than yourself. This is that and then some. But a small part of me struggles not to think that the project is doomed to fail, because humans are too. The smallest example of our impending doom in relation to forward thinking that comes to mind; me wanting to be a part of this organisation and finding out how much it costs to contribute and become a member, only to weigh the cost of membership against private health insurance, with consideration that the average home deposit for pretty much every suburb in Sydney has had a rise in cost of between $40,000 and $120,000…over the last year. More than most yearly salaries. A bigger example: We just can’t stop throwing rubbish into the ocean. Of course, I could just better manage my finances and squeeze the membership in, or protest at Town Hall in the time slot after the ‘Free Julian Assange’ people, but that would be putting brand new rims on a car with no engine. This might be an exaggeration but it holds true for so many things. The Long Now won’t pay my mortgage or fill my belly. (Please read in David Attenborough voice) For humans to start putting the effort in for each other, en masse, generations into the future, our world must be in a place of absolute peace, prosperity, and progression. Anything less, and the human will default to its primal, knee jerk reaction of self-preservation (End David A.). Seems pretty pointless winding a clock to last thousands of years when our current legacy as viewed from ultra-advanced aliens is – Earth, group of animals who fail to correctly harness natural resources due to greed, fail to care and feed each other due to greed, and fail to preserve the only home they have due to mindless wastefulness, and greed. I promise this article is mostly a jokingly bleak, light-hearted criticism. It is just the immediate negative reaction I have to most things. I know the purpose of the Long Now is to start the chatter and inspire people which is very noble, and I’m sure it is already succeeding with 11561 members since 01996. If that clock is finished in my lifetime, I will climb that mountain to hear its chime and give it a wind. Of that you can be certain. And you should too. It is being designed in such a way that it can be modified and updated as time and technology rolls on. Made from materials that are of no value (you’d be lucky to get $1.50 per kilo for stainless and would have to get it out of an actual mountain first, but then again, all of that stark white limestone is still gone). Of course, there are instructions in easy-to-understand pictorials on maintenance and usage, so that in the unlikely event of a virus wiping us all out, whoever finds the clock will be able to continue the ticking. But due to the length of time it is expected to run, it will be mostly a manual wind clock. I give it 4000 years…give or take 349.2.

Michael When I first heard about the Long Now project at work it came across as just a bunch of super rich people flexing their wallets by building an overpriced elaborate clock to show off, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think the Long Now project is the perfect response to mainstream modern nihilism that has become far too prevalent and is the first step towards a brighter, more thought out future.  Currently we are in a very interesting state as humans where we are rejecting the past, eroding culture and consuming meaningless content like never before. It seems that as we have fallen deeper into the grips of technology and consuming, in the effort to become more connected, we have traded true human connection both with each other, and ourselves. We have gotten so caught up in ourselves and the here and now, that our future has become a murky topic where we love to point fingers, but no one is responsible. That’s where the Long Now project comes in. Started out of necessity, the Long Now project aims to encourage ‘long term thinking’ - to put the next 10,000 years into perspective and work towards preserving what we have, and improving on what we can. While the clock is an incredible feat of engineering, its true purpose is to start the conversation around, and cement the idea of a 10,000 year future.  I think the idea of Long Now is incredibly unique because it is attempting to create a culture around being thoughtful about what our future will look like; it’s not your typical foundation. But by far my favourite aspect about the project is how they’re utilising technology to preserve culture and information, such as with their iconic ‘Rosetta disk’ - a microscopically etched disk capable of fitting 13,000 pages of information at 400 microns a page. The issue of culture dying out is not a topic that is brought up often, but it is one of extreme importance. With so much new information and content being uploaded and streamed everyday, if we are not careful, the important stuff could become buried and erased forever. Luckily the Long Now project is working towards a ‘10,000 year Library’ which would help to catalog and store all of the important stuff. Incredible. I believe the Long Now project is the perfect first step we need to make for the future, and it really grounds the idea that we will be around for much much longer. For anyone who is thinking about getting involved, I’d say do it. The future generations will thank you, and it’s a perfect legacy to leave behind to further our species.

Gemma  The Long Now was established 1996 as a way to raise awareness about the acceleration of technology, the short-horizon perspective of market-driven economics, the next-election perspective of democracies, and the distractions of personal multi-tasking. All are on the increase. The concept behind this idea is extremely relatable in today’s world and when thinking about Covid 19. We cannot be short sighted and need to encourage everyone in taking long-term responsibility for Australia to open back up to the rest of the world. This concept is extremely meaningful to me as I am Scottish and have been unable to travel home in nearly four years.  This is a huge chunk of my life and a long time. And who does not want to go on holiday?

James N  If the lockdown in Sydney has given me one thing it is time to think. Only now that I’m beginning to write this short essay, I’ve realised that so much of what I’ve been thinking of, and Mr Hacko’s interest in both the “Yes Chef” mentality and The Long Now Foundation, are more intertwined than I first realised. It’s quite simple if not a little depressing: the future and where my place in it is. From everything I’ve experienced since January, I’ve come to understand that everything in watchmaking takes time - pun intended. The 10-year commitment of apprenticeships confirm that and so does the time and effort that has been put into Brookvale’s watchmaking projects. Furthermore, The Long Now Foundation holds this concept of time central to its mission. But what I have also been reminded of this lockdown, is that it’s so easy to become complacent. While it may seem like it will have little impact on a long term goal, in reality, complacency is the real enemy of long term commitments. Thinking small and individualistically is another disease that slowly but surely chips away at the substance of this long journey of watchmaking and learning. A quick look at its website shows that The Long Now Foundation’s key focus is to establish a long-term initiative and thinking that contradicts the world’s increasingly worrying mindsets of sacrificing quality for quantity. Mr Hacko’s interest and membership in this type of organisation is no coincidence. I don’t think what is being done here in Sydney can be done without the acknowledgement of the necessity of long-term planning - not even massive investments can magically make everything work itself out. Despite this end goal being well known, the lockdown has brought forth more complacency than I’d like to admit. Nothing can remedy being in the city and at the workbench but more can be done at home. This essay is only a small puzzle piece in the wider scheme of mitigating the impacts of this lockdown not only on my learning but also on the long-term goal. The other unfortunate and lurking side effect of being stuck at home and physically disconnected from Sydney Watches is simply forgetting about the unit. Staying inside with only my thoughts has promoted this individualistic thinking that can be detrimental to the importance of working as a collective.  Finally, the meeting point of the “Yes Chef” philosophy, that of The Long Now Foundation, and watchmaking: perhaps it is a combination of slowing down to speed up and being both in the movement and future. What I mean is that working efficiently with what needs to be done, whether it is an essay or a repair but acknowledging the future and consciously not getting lost in the moment. My mind could just be playing tricks on me as the lockdown eats away at my last brain cells and these ideas could fundamentally oppose each other but Yes Chef and The Long Now Foundation have both contributed to building and broadening my perspective. As my watchmaking journey continues, let time be the judge of it- pun intended.

Can a business incentivise employees to get vaccinated?

An uncomfortable question to ask. The proverbial can of worms has been opened, and the lid was thrown over the fence. In short, there is no definite answer to this complex issue.  Over 40 subscribers made their case, many going into detail. It would be unfair and unprofessional to quote, or even worse, to paraphrase or digest experts’ comments; this is not a job for a watchmaker. However, it is obvious that there are three major approaches that businesses are using to ‘handle’ the issue. Before we go there, let's point out the obvious: if as a business owner you intend to act in any way, seek professional advice or at least, do your own research. Don't rush into it, or blindly copy someone's solution because copy and paste may not work. Such an approach can actually cause more harm than good. 1. "Brute force" Make the vaccination and testing compulsory to all employees. Those who refuse to get vaccinated are required to provide negative test results every 3 days. Businesses which have implemented brute force techniques are reporting amazingly high vaccination rates. Also, they are confident that the Government is "silently behind them". Beware: while the Government may be sympathetic to businesses taking matters into their own hands, only a handful of industries have an official blessing. What works for health workers may not necessarily work for watchmakers or machinists.  Quite frankly, I was shocked at Alan Joyce's comment that any staff that refused the covid vaccination as part of the Qantas ‘no jab, no job’ policy will have decided that "aviation is not the area for them". Can you seriously say that to a pilot with 30 years’ experience? I certainly cannot and will not corner my highly trained employees who are vital and irreplaceable. 2. "Softly and gently" There are many cases where throwing a few dollars on a problem could do wonders, but any solution that can be bought with money alone is a cheap solution. Unfortunately, monetary incentive is problematic in a number of ways: it opens a business to discrimination. If an employee has a genuine reason not to be vaccinated, then he could feel discriminated against with the incentive policy. If he develops a health problem a day or five years later, then he could potentially sue the business for damages. A business cannot offer an incentive to employees yet to be vaccinated; the offer has to be retroactive and apply to those who are already vaccinated. Money exchanging hands is an accounting issue. A fellow subscriber, a barrister and an expert in employment matters offered his advice: "Nick, go for it, I see no legal issue here, and if you get sued, I'll defend you for free." He said that in all earnest, but what I heard is: "If the parachute fails to open, the funeral is on us". Softly and gently may work for employees, but it is costly and unnecessary to the business.  3. “Sit tight and watch”  Put emotions aside - the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In the kind of pandemic we are in now, doing absolutely nothing is an option as good as any. Until we get better understanding of what is really going on, the severity of crisis and health implications, rattling and fiddling with employment arrangements could be counterproductive. At the end of the day, our goal should be to survive, regroup and move on. While it is difficult to estimate what percentage of businesses will opt for "sit and wait", right now the idea of treading cautiously does make a lot of sense. At the end of the day, neither brute force nor coercion will make business relationships stronger. Empathy and cooperation will. Judging by your replies and suggestions, one thing is clear: the vast majority of us here are normal people. Passionate, and perhaps, confused, but well intended. And the good news is that no matter what, common sense will prevail, and most of us will survive this madness. I am happy to say that I got my second Pfizer at exactly 10:30 today. The whole process from arranging the vaccination to the vaccination itself was smooth, and professionally conducted by health workers. I have no reason to doubt medical science nor to question the Government’s intentions. I am taking a calculated risk and I am perfectly happy with my choice. And equally, I respect your choice too.

For further reading: https://coronavirus.fairwork.gov.au/coronavirus-and-australian-workplace-laws/covid-19-vaccinations-and-the-workplace

Last night I had a nightmare

 

- one of those intense, detailed, action packed nightmares that felt more real than reality itself. Yes, in full colour. Hundreds of faces, thousands of people attending some kind of Government sponsored air show event. Bobby and Andrew tried to drag me on stage where Buzz Aldrin was signing Moon memorabilia, but I was busy trying to find the owner of a wallet loaded with cash (red Swiss francs notes)! The dilemma was tearing me apart: should I look for the owner, or instead, hand the wallet to someone at the 'lost and found’ desk?  Like a fish out of water, I was grasping for a solution for a problem imposed on me with no will of my own. As time went by, the crowd was thinning. Eventually, I stood there by myself, in the middle of a field, holding onto someone's property, feeling an enormous burden of responsibility.   I hear you. There could be only one explanation for such substantially altered state of sub-consciousness: an overdose on a psychedelic called Gladys.   But I wasn't on Gladys. The serotine kick was a result of a two and a half hour late night interview with Roman the Podcaster and Alex the Regulator from the Fifth Wrist (https://fifthwrist.com/our-team/) collective. ... to be continued...

Back to 1984!

For a keen student of horology, there is no better 'time travel machine'  than watch catalogues which provide accurate snapshots of the ever revolving door of watch fashion. Today we are traveling back to 1984. What was in - and what was out? Contrary to one would expect - out of hundreds of watches on offer, Seiko had only two divers watches: Gold Tuna PYF018 in Titanium and PYF028 in steel. Both were powered by a high precision quartz mechanism calibre 7549.  Clearly, in 1984 divers and sports models were a hard sell for Seiko. What sold like hot chips were digital ‘combo’ watches. Both volumes list page after page of duo timers offering stop watch, alarm and count down time functions in sleek, slim line cases. One could have had five or six of them for a price of a Golden Tuna! Lady’s fashion: even more slim liners, both on leather strap or matching bracelet. And millions of pendant watches in all shapes and forms.

Gong through the 1984 catalogue one would quickly conclude that we were definitely less concerned about time and timekeeping and more abut form, design and fashion. Demand for ‘fine art of mechanical watchmaking’ was simply not there any more; neither in Switzerland and especially not so in Japan. It would take another two decades for major manufacturers to ‘rediscover’ their roots, and this is why we considered the 80s and 90s as lost decades of horology.  Yet there was one humble timepiece which remained as relevant as ever: Seiko railway pocket watch. The pocket watch which has seen and marked the technological milestones of timekeeping, yet remained practically unchanged for almost 100 years. In 1984 RW was fitted with the same robust quartz calibre movement as the Golden Tuna (cal 7550). And here is my prediction so mark my words - one day, sooner or later, Seiko railway pocket watches will be fitted with Astron GPS solar movements! Can’t wait for it!

Naomi Uemura

Naomi Uemura was a Japanese adventurer who was known particularly for his solo exploits. For example, he was the first man to reach the North Pole solo, the first man to raft the Amazon solo, and the first man to climb Denali solo. He disappeared a day after his 43rd birthday while attempting to climb Denali in the winter. Uemura dreamed of soloing across Antarctica and climbing that continent's highest peak, Vinson Massif. In preparation, in 1976 he did a solo sled-dog run from Greenland to Alaska, in two stages and 363 days. He set a record for the long-distance record for a dog-sled journey at 12,000 kilometres. In August 1970, Uemura climbed Denali peak, Alaska, becoming the first person to reach the top alone. He did this quickly and with a light pack (8 days up, versus an average of 14 days or so; 55-pound (25 kg) pack, versus an average probably twice that). August is after the end of the normal climbing season. While the weather he faced was not terrible, the mountain was almost empty with only four other people on it. Though many people have climbed Denali alone since Uemura, most do it in the middle of the climbing season. Denali winter ascent Uemura then prepared to climb Denali again solo in winter; however, for people unfamiliar with Alaskan climbing, the difficulty of a winter ascent can often be misjudged. Nobody had successfully climbed any large Alaskan peak in winter until 1967 when Gregg Blomberg organized an expedition that got to the top of Denali (Blomberg himself did not summit). This team lost one member and nearly lost the remaining members in a storm on the way down. Team member Art Davidson's book, Minus 148, recounts the events of the climb and was named after the storm that jeopardized the team. There is a high degree of danger with glacier travel, and even short treks across the ice are considered hazardous. For example, glaciers are often broken with cracks, called crevasses, that are often covered with snow and not visible. Due to these occurrences as well as other underlying factors, an ascent is both very difficult and very dangerous to attempt without a team. Uemura had developed a "self-rescue" device which consisted of bamboo poles tied over his shoulders. The poles would span any crevasse into which he fell and allow him to pull himself out. He planned a very light run, with only a 18 kg pack plus sled. He kept his gear light by planning to sleep in snow caves and therefore freeing himself from needing to carry a tent. He also skimped on fuel and planned to eat cold food. He began his climb in early February 1984 and reached the summit on February 12. Sometime later, climbers would find the Japanese flag that he left at the summit. Disappearance On February 13, 1984, one day after his 43rd birthday, Uemura spoke by radio with Japanese photographers who were flying over Denali, saying that he had made the top and descended back to 5,500 m. He planned to reach the base camp in another two days but never made it. There appeared to be high winds near the top, and the temperature was around −50 °F (−46 °C). Planes flew over the mountain but did not see him that day. He was spotted around 5,100 m the next day (presumably on the ridge just above the headwall). However, complications with the weather made further searching difficult. It was likely that Uemura was running out of fuel at this point, but because of his reputation, nobody wanted to send a rescue party for fear it would offend him. Doug Geeting, one of the bush pilots who had been "Uemura spotting" over the previous week, said, "If it were anybody else, we'd have somebody [a rescuer] on the mountain already". On February 20, the weather had cleared, and Uemura was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of his earlier camp at 5,100 m and no evidence that caches left by other climbers nearby had been disturbed. Two experienced climbers were dropped at 4,300 m to begin a search. Though another storm came in, they stayed on the mountain until February 26, finding a cave in which Uemura had stayed at 4,300 m on the way up, but no sign of Uemura himself. A diary found in the cave revealed that Uemura had left gear there to lighten his load on the summit push. He had also left his self-rescue poles back at 2,900 m, knowing he was past the worst crevasse fields. Most people figured he had fallen on his descent of the headwall and been hurt, died, and was buried by snow. Another theory is that he could have made it to 4,300 m (which is the base of the headwall) and then fallen into one of the many crevasses there and perished. The diary found in the cave has been published in Japanese and English. It describes the conditions that Uemura suffered—the crevasse falls, -40° weather, frozen meat, and inadequate shelter. The diary entries showed him to be in good spirits and documented the songs he sang to stay focused on his task. The last entry read, "I wish I could sleep in a warm sleeping bag. No matter what happens I am going to climb McKinley." Legacy Uemura is remembered not only as a gifted climber and a driven adventurer but also as a gentle, self-effacing man who cared about others. In the words of Jonathan Waterman, "[Just as remarkable] as his solo achievements were his sincere modesty and unassuming nature. Another part of his greatness lay in his deep interest in everyone he met." Uemura gave frequent public lectures and wrote about his travels. His adventure books for children were popular in Japan. And his watch of choice? A Seiko. Ref. 6105, in fact. Uemura wore the 6105 on a 12,500km solo dog sled run from Greenland to Alaska in 1976, and collectors have speculated that he wore the watch on a '78 North Pole expedition. In Uemura's honour, Seiko have now created two Uemura watches: limited edition blue dial SLA049J , and a non-limited version of the watch with a textured grey dial and black bezel, SLA051J. Both feature the 8L35 movement which comes out of Seiko's Shizukuishi Watch Studio in Northern Japan. Additionally, the case on these watches features Seiko's "super-hard" coating. Think of them as 'top of the range' Seiko Divers. Captain Willard or Naomi Uemura? We should stop calling the 6105 releases Captain Willard. In a way, it is disrespectful. Captain Willard is merely a fictional character in an iconic film, Naomi Uemura was a real-life 20th-century explorer whose accomplishments are nothing short of incredible. As I type this, I have two black SLA051J on my desk. I will be keeping one for myself. The second watch is ready to go to a new home. To an owner who will appreciate this masterpiece for what it really is. To an enthusiastic owner who will keep the story of a legend explorer alive.  SLA051J comes with the boutique price of $4,595. Your price – today only – is $3,888. This is a ‘subscriber’s only’ price and as said, valid if the watch is paid in full, today. However, before you click away, please do me a favour. Check out the story about Uemura's 'other' watch from a brand which became famous by giving away watches: https://www.seikology.net/blog/seiko-vs-rolex-duel-at-the-north-pole Oh, the irony... Naomi Uemura story and photo: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Uemura

Seiko of the day: 62MAS re-issue CHOCOLATE

In 1965 Seiko introduced the 62MAS: the original professional divers watch. The nickname "62MAS" comes from the first two digits of the reference number - 62 - and MAS from "auto[MA]tic [S]elfdater," or what we would call today 'an automatic movement with date'. Over the years, 62MAS has been recreated a number of times. The latest incarnation released in 2021 is the Seiko SPB239J.  Surely, you can find dozens of reviews of this watch online, but none of them are written by watch dealers or watchmakers. For a simple reason: dealers are simply too busy focusing on Rolex's and Patek's while watchmakers hardly speak of anything watch related at all. Yet right now, this chocolate beauty is probably the most important watch on the Australian market, equally attractive to collectors who 'have them all' as well as novice enthusiasts, looking for a first decent watch.   Let me share my thoughts. 1. This is a really well made watch. Or, as I would like to call it, a 'mature, well defined' timepiece. It simply speaks quality. Dial, hands, sapphire crystal and chocolate bezel - all perfectly integrated and colour coordinated - down to the NATO strap. As someone who handles watches in the $5,000- $10,000 price range daily, I can honestly testify that the quality of this Seiko does not come short of any divers watches priced significantly more. 2. This is a fully waterproof professional divers watch, not a toy. Exactly what you would expect from a Japanese made high precision instrument. When you hold it in your hand, you can feel why Seiko is so proud of their achievement.  3. It is a versatile piece. Meaning: you can dress it up or down; re-fit it on a rubber, silicone or leather strap - and the watch would effortlessly 'follow' your personal style. Straight case lugs would accept almost any 20mm leather strap, and drilled holes would allow for effortless quick change. You simply don't get this with many other 'professional' watches. 4. Today, I have tested three SPB239J for timekeeping, beat error and amplitude. All three watches performed much better than promised by Seiko's publicly advertised rates. And what is even more exciting: all three could be adjusted for even better performance, close to Swiss COSC certificate. Yes, the 6R35 mechanism is Toyota of horology, but this mechanism is easy to service and easy to repair by almost any semi-decent watchmaker, anywhere in the world, today, and in 20 years from now. SPB239J is a watch not just worth buying; it is a watch worth keeping and repairing.  5. The price is right: listed at $1,895 it is not a bargain, yet this is more than a FAIR PRICE for a very decent watch.  Why you should buy one today? Two reasons: the time to give Seiko a chance is now. Countless watch collectors around the world have already recognized the obvious: in 2021 Seiko is entering the under $2K market segment intentionally vacated by Swiss brands. The second reason is for piece of mind: if you buy SPB239J from me, I will make sure that your watch is fully functional in years to come. You support me, I will support you by investing in spare parts, and will continue to employ and train young Australian watchmakers. Swiss said no and slammed the door in my face; Seiko said yes, and opened the door wide. Welcome in.

NH3: A major step towards true independence

What is NH3? A quick overview: a few years ago, our journey started with our 'rebelde' project—the creation of a small Australian watch brand. The second phase of this project was a desire to design and make watch components in Australia, which culminated with NH1—the first watch ever "Manufactured in Australia". This was then followed by our NH2—an exotic Timascus watch mechanism. While the NH3 follows the same blueprint, it contains even more components manufactured 'in house', including a newly-developed guilloche titanium dial and titanium hands. As such, it is a major step in our journey. What else is new? A new dial and hands are the most obvious feature of the NH3. In addition, it contains numerous components developed and machined in our workshop, especially those in the winding system. All these components required us developing and manufacturing fixtures, jigs and holding tools in-house, as well as unique processes like gear hobbing and gold plating, to name just a few. What makes the NH3 so special? Titanium guilloche as well as internal timascus parts are not just a first in Australia, but at this point in time, to our knowledge, no other watchmaker—small or large—offers such a special 'threat' to watch collectors and enthusiasts. It is also the culmination of years of research and development, or as we like to say: this is our best, most independent watch to date. Taking orders now As of August 1, 2021, we will have our first, fully working NH3 watch. We are very close to finalising our design, and mainplates and bridges are already in production. The first watches from the batch of 25 are expected to be ready for delivery in three months, with the final pieces reaching their new owners by Christmas. Our price: $A7900 including GST. To secure your watch, a 50 per cent deposit is required upfront, with balance payable before delivery. Securing your serial number If you wish to secure a particular serial number, full payment is required upfront. Numbers 02/25 to 25/25 are available on a 'first in, best dressed' basis. Technical details The NH3 features a brass gold-plated movement, manual winding, and a Timascus crown wheel 'hat'. Hand-polished screws and components are featured in the winding section. It also boasts a guilloche titanium dial and titanium hands, titanium case with see-through case back, and sapphire crystal. Case size: 45mm. The watch comes with black and brown croco calf leather straps. Water resistant to 10bar.  Power reserve 36 hours. Customization and personalization  While creating a custom guilloche pattern and hands style is a possibility, our goal is to offer the NH3 at a very attractive price. However, should you wish to have a custom guilloche dial, custom hands or hands/indices in a colour other than blue, we are happy to discuss your individual requirements. If you prefer to have the mechanism finished with rhodium rather than gold, the additional rhodium plating process would cost A$500 per watch.  Please keep in mind that custom watches will require full payment upfront and will be subject to additional manufacturing and assembly time. Ready to order? The best way to place your order is via email: nick@clockmaker.com.au Placing your order sooner rather than later is appreciated. Our watchmaking machining capabilities are shared with other contract manufacturing projects. For that reason, even under 'normal' conditions, machine time allocation has to be planned at least two months in advance. As always, we appreciate your support for 'Manufactured in Australia'. Thank you for your patronage.

Seiko of the day: GUCCIMAZE

 

Yuta Kawaguchi Born 1989 in Kanagawa, Japan. Graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University. After working for a design agency, he began working independently in 2018. Based in Tokyo, he creates work for Japan and abroad, collaborating with numerous artists and brands. He has become known for his unique graphic style-three-dimensional typographic forms that convey a sense of tangible sharpness, set in vivid, venomous colour schemes. As a graphic designer, he has also created brand logos, editorial designs and websites. His principal works include providing graphics for Fetty Wap and Post Malone, creating album jacket for US rapper Nicki Minaj, and creating the album title logo for Flying Lotus. He has also served as a judge for Red Bull's #RedBullCanArt competition and collaborated with global companies, including event visuals for Budweiser and promotional visuals for Adidas. Regardless of the medium, he creates works that involve the cultural scene of music and fashion. Guccimaze Seiko 5 is a limited and numbered edition of only 1500 watches worldwide. We only received one, so this is your chance to snatch it. Would I wear it? Hell no - this is a watch for a young, trendy and cool kid. A designer or an artist. Perhaps a skater, or graffiti vandal. The kind of watch that would cheer up a tragic clown. Or just a perfect watch for a tragic watch collector.  Model reference: SRPG65K Case size: 42.5mm