MK2

 

A week or so ago, we released the first photo of the Nicholas Hacko MK2. You could call it a 'soft release'; no fanfares, no marketing fluff. A number of subscribers and NH faithfuls responded with their congratulations, and some eagerly have placed their orders without even asking for the price. Humbling indeed. Others asked: why do you talk about Seiko and Swiss brands all the time, yet rarely about your own watches? Why don't we get more frequent updates? One enthusiastic customer even requested 'daily production news' from the workshop. The answer is simple: I find it very difficult to "spruik" our own watch. Firstly, our time is yet to come. Secondly, we live in times when branding is far more important than the substance behind it- the product itself. If I can speak honestly, we would prefer to be discovered rather than to be force fed down to watch enthusiasts. Haute horology - especially one practiced by a small independent watchmaker, (in Australia nonetheless!) - is not mainstream. It is a tiny segment of the market so mass marketing would make very little sense.  Yet I do agree that more effort should be put into explaining the intricacies of the design and manufacturing process, if for no other reason then to help us all appreciate the effort that goes into the actual making of a watch - regardless of brand! Back to the MK2. Today, we are starting a short four part pictorial series with the intention to share with you a step-by-step process of how we manufacture our dials and hands, as well as some intricacies of guilloché process.

Prologue Contrary to the opinion held by many: there is no such thing as a ‘watchmaking machine’; a piece of machinery which inputs raw material, and outputs a watch. A watch mechanism is a complex sum of parts where each component is designed, manufactured and finished to perfection. Even the most basic watch contains 100 or more parts. Actually, there is not even a machine which makes one single component ready to be directly installed into a mechanism. Each component undertakes a series of operations on multiple machines, and passes through various stages of post machining and finishing. Turning, hardening, polishing and blueing even a single screw takes time, complex machinery and very specific knowledge. In saying that, the dial and hands are the most demanding and most exquisite parts of a watch were the watchmaker is pushing himself to perfection, which is rarely attainable. Sum of components Watch dials and hands are often referred to as a ‘set’ containing not just the base dial and hands but numerals, batons, name plates, dial feet and fasteners as well as any other components. The MK2 dial set is entirely made from grade 5 Titanium, meaning every component in the set is made from Titanium. Grade 5 Titanium is used prolifically in the most advanced engineering applications, everything from bone implants and screws, to the blades of a jet engine, to Formula 1 piston rods! Starting with a sketch The design process starts with a notebook and pen. It could take weeks – or months- to refine an original concept or idea. Every component in the set is expected to work in visual harmony with the other components, like a finely tuned orchestra. Artistic skills are essential, and dial design is really a job for a professional designer. We are not professional dial designers, but our advantage lies in the fact that we are fully aware of a simple fact that not all designs can be translated into a reality. A designer without tangible manufacturing knowledge is a dreamer, and CNC operator without watchmaking expertise is just a machinist. Design is hard!

CAD design In the next phase, hand drawn sketches are translated into computer-aided-design (CAD) software and given three dimensionality- we start calling the sketches and individual components "solids". Interestingly, our CAD software is the same one used by Patek Philippe. (We invested in this particular software after watching Patek's YouTube videos!) The digital model now undergoes countless iterations. At this point, we are able to get some idea of how the dial and hands will look like in real life. All the mechanical and physical parameters are defined: height, thickness, clearances, tolerances, angles and radii. Often changing one parameter causes a chain reaction of revisions. This is the time where creative input from all the team members is welcome and all options are considered. Heated discussions are unavoidable, and a part of the process. The design phase could take weeks, in fact, the MK2 dial took many months to refine. Over 20 iterations!

CAM - Computer Aided Manufacturing Once the dial set design is locked in, the next step is to transfer the files into CAM software. This piece of software creates another set of files which are the actual 'tool paths'.  Simply, it is the CAM software that tells our machines how to make a part. This phase is purely engineering and programming.

We tell a machine which tool to use, and also we tell the tool what to do, where to travel, how to remove material, at what speed. The blue lines below show the path of just one tool.

Multiple tools doing a variety of operations are required to manufacture each and every component, so you can imagine the complexity of the CAM tool path file...A single base dial contains requiring 13 different tools with 29 different operations would have over 800,000 lines of code. While our CNC machine is physically a huge piece of equipment, the actual cutting tools are tiny. A wrong 'move' - a mistake in a tool path - would immediately result in a broken tool, broken part or even serious damage to the machine itself. CAM programming keeps engineers awake all night long. With machine programming there is zero room for mistakes.  To put a things in perspective: a single tool costs anywhere form $30 to $300 and one tool can only be used to make a dozen or so parts. For titanium which is difficult to machine: multiply the tooling cost by a factor of 2.

Here above is a 0.2mm drill that is used to drill holes in the base dial. Those holes accept individual hour markers and batons.

Once the CAM files are completed, they are transferred into our milling machine - a state of art Kern 5 axis mill.  But we are still some way away from making an actual part! (to be continued)

The proper way

 

Horology is the study of mechanical watches. And today, you will learn how to answer the most important horological question: what makes a watch horologically important in a traditional, true-watchmaking sense?  When you figure this out, you will be able to 'judge' every mechanical watch the same way a traditional master watchmaker like Breguet would. You would simply see the watch through Breguet's eyes. The concept is simple, yet fascinating: the more complex the watch is, the more valuable it should be. A 'time only' watch is the starting point. A watch with a calendar is more complex, therefore more valuable. If a watch can measure lapsed time (like a stop watch) then such a timepiece is even more valuable. The more 'complications', the better. Each additional feature requires more complex engineering, more parts working together and a reduction in size. An automatic stop watch displaying day, date and month, as well as a 24 hour format is a very complex piece of machinery. Indeed, the most famous watchmakers of all time like Louis Breguet or Alfred Lange, have spent their entire lives squeezing more parts into a ever smaller cases. For them, complexity was the most important matter. Here is a practical example:

Can you tell which one of the two watches is more horologically important? Which one would Breguet buy? In a true horological sense, watchmaking is not about branding, colour scheme, size or even water resistance. Unfortunately, rightly or wrongly, our perception of what should be valued is a result of relentless marketing by megabrands, shaped by online influencers.  As of this moment - and forever on- when handed a watch, the first thing you should do is assess the watch for what it does. Ignore everything else.  Triple calendar chronograph. Moon phase chronograph. Dual time alarm. Or, just a humble 'time only' piece. Because this is what it is.  Only after that, you can move forward: to assess the quality of workmanship and design. Then, the maker and brand name. Always in that order.

We are here to serve you

 

With a number of new subscribers recently joining this mailing list, it is time for a friendly reminder of what we stand for and how we are set up to serve you. 1. No cash We have been a cashless business for more than two years. Direct bank deposit is our main form of payment, and when mutually beneficial, we accept credit cards. Equally, if you have a watch to sell, you will be paid into your bank account. Strictly no cash. 2. No discount The price advertised is the best price. Please don't ask for a discount: we offer premium quality watches which are all priced correctly: to sell. 3. No one is exempt from paying GST Asking to have GST circumvented, removed or avoided would result in an IMMEDIATE REQUEST TO LEAVE THE PREMISES. While many other watch dealers are more than happy to deal in cash to avoid goods and services tax, our policy is clear: no one is exempt from paying tax so don't even joke about it. 4. Your time is precious. So is ours We are not a classic retail shop and we are not set up for browsing. We don't keep any stock on the premises- our business is strictly 'by appointment only'. Time is extremely precious so please limit your visit to 15 minutes or less. Here is an important statistical detail: in our experience of face to face dealing, 90% of watches are sold in less than 3 minutes. 5. First in, best dressed Premium quality stock is hard to find and easy to sell. We are seeing an unprecedented demand for fine watches so almost every watch on offer attracts multiple buyers. First in, best dressed is a fair policy giving everyone an equal chance to snatch a deal. For that reason, we cannot hold watches, or accept partial payment or holding deposit. The buying process is simple: once the payment terms are understood and accepted, and we shake hands over the phone or via email, an invoice will be issued. Once you pay the full amount, the watch is yours. Obviously, failing to pay the invoice within the agreed time means that we will offer the watch to the next buyer.  We are here to serve you.

Big issue

 

The prototype of the yet-to-be-released Mark 2 was assembled last night, and I took it home to show it to Tanya. The second person to see it was Eddie. This morning, on the way to work we literally bumped into each other- and I couldn't resist to share my excitement. "Big Issue!" - he said. "Real watchmaker? I do know a guy who is a REAL watchmaker: that dude from Anthrax! What's his name...?" "Dan Spitz" "Yes, Dan Spitz. Do you know him?" "Of course I do - actually, there is an hour long video of Dan and I talking about watchmaking!". Eddie was completely blown away that we, two people standing on George street in Sydney have a common friend, Dan Spitz, a watchmaker from California. "That is one fricken small world. What do you want me to say to your subscribers?" "Nothing really, A photo of you holding my watch should say it all". "So true, we are the legends". You gotta love Sydney.

Nicholas Hacko Mark 2 features Titanium guilloche 'Curl Curl' waves dial, crafted from a single piece of titanium, as well as titanium hands and hour markers. Manufactured in Australia.

The Circle of Time

Alice: “How long is forever?” White Rabbit: “Sometimes, just one second.” Here is the strange thing: we have no option but to think of time as both linear and circular. Linear, meaning days, months, and years could be presented with an arrow which travels in one direction. And indeed, this is how we perceive our own travel through time, from birth to death, always in one direction, unsymmetrically and irreversibly. Yet if we remove ourselves from the picture, days, months, and years marked by the rotation of planets are just simple circular events. With the sun rising from the east, and setting in the west; with the moon phase cycle never changing, and seasons coming and reappearing in ever circular motion. Symmetrical and reversible - because a change of rotation would make no difference to time whatsoever. Subconsciously, we feel both comfortable and uncomfortable with the duality of those two concepts. What makes things even more complicated: we are constantly confused with the rate of passage of time itself. Time flies when we are excited, and drags forever when we are bored. This is why we wear watches - so we can all, together, as the human race, march along. Without watches, we would all be trapped in the world of Alice in wonderland. I am not sure about you, but I find comfort in thinking of time as a circle. The rotation of a seconds hand is calming, the minute hand matters, but the hour hand doesn't really matter that much - it is always somewhere on the dial, near the same place it was yesterday, same as it will be tomorrow. Above all, I find watches with the circular calendar hand extremely pleasing because once you hit a certain age, you start measuring time in months. "Next month is her birthday" or "next month I'll be travelling on a holiday”. Because that 'next month' is just one rotation of a calendar hand away, with a glance, I can easily tell how far I am to that point in time, which really matters. The great watches keep seconds. The best watches keep months. Seiko SSA449J 'the circular calendar' with power reserve: the time is what you make of it. NOTE: this is a latest release of Japanese made Presage, just released. Price: $995. Newsletter subscribers price TODAY ONLY $895 including free delivery. We have only 2 watches in stock. The 'Daytona' colour scheme will impress you. Model reference: SSA447J Boutique price: $995 Your price: $895

Guilty as charged

When yesterday I offered an apology letter to a potentially unhappy Samurai Night Vision customer, I didn't know that I would be writing an "I am sorry" note in less than 24 hours. And not to just any customer, but to a barrister who specialises in contracts, restitution, and misleading conduct. Ouch. Luckily, the watch in question was not a Seiko. It was a trustworthy and robust Omega Moon watch, which was delivered to the customer-the barrister-with an issue. As annoying as it is, the watch had to be shipped back. While there was not the slightest doubt that I would be able to diagnose the problem and rectify it promptly, such "incidents" are annoying and can potentially spoil the enjoyment of a newly acquired watch.  The watch arrived this morning and it was the first job on my to-do list.  It literally took two seconds to spot the issue: a freely floating screw! A mere minute later, the screw was back, securely tightened. The Moon watch was ticking again, showing a perfect line on the timegrapher, needing no further adjustment. (Yes, I checked all the other screws, which were also fine). Things happen. At the end of the day, a watch is merely a complex sum of finely tuned mechanical components. For unexplainable reasons, even the tightest screw can unscrew; even the best watchmaker can make a mistake, and sometimes, the stars align in such a way that the time itself gets confused. Randomness, uncertainty, and disorder are mighty forces no one can overcome. Time favours entropy. The good news is that events like this are very rare. Out of hundreds of watches sold, only one or two have been returned to the workbench, under guarantee. Ironically, the return rate of brand-new watches is slightly higher than that of second-hand models. When the watch grows out of its "infancy stage", and once the teething problems are ironed out, most watches behave in an orderly and predictable way.  You see, writing an apology letter is easy:  "Dear Sir, I've made a mistake, I am sorry, I've fixed it."

Why doesn't consignment work?

 

We need to talk about a serious matter today. It's called business. If you allow a couple of minutes to familiarise yourself with the core principles, you will have a better understanding of the matter; consequently, you will benefit from the insider knowledge I am happy to share. 1. There are three parties involved in the business of second hand watch dealings. The seller, dealer, and the buyer. 2. A single, one-off transaction could be structured in such a way that it is beneficial to any party. However, multiple transactions with multiple parties can only take place if every party gets what they want, repeatedly. 3. Second hand dealing is a complex process. 4. Expectations and requirements: Seller They are a smart and mature seller who understands two key issues: the security of the transaction and the value of time. A smart seller is not going to waste their precious time dealing with time wasters, nor are they willing to risk their life inviting strangers into their home. Disposing of a large collection of any kind is a serious challenge.  5. Expectations and requirements: Buyer A sophisticated buyer has multiple requirements, coupled with very high expectations. The top priority is price. The price has to be right. The right price is hard to define, but 20-30% below retail for near mint stock is 'about right'. Overall condition of the watch, security of transaction, guarantee on performance, insured delivery and post sale servicing and maintenance are some of the other crucially important requirements. Meeting and exceeding those expectations is essential for repeat business.  6. Dealer's role: The dealer's role is to generate profit, grow the business, and keep both seller and buyer happy.  Selling is easy. Finding desirable stock at the right price is extremely difficult. Dealers are not gamblers, they are risk averse. They are not watch collectors either, they buy with the brain, not the heart. A dealer's greatest asset is their reputation. 7. What is a consignment? Consignments are deals where the seller sells the watch through a dealer. The consignor (watch owner) maintains the rights to the watch until the watch is sold. The selling price is set by the owner, while the risk of transaction is on the dealer. After the sale, the dealer is paid a fixed amount by the owner. While in theory, a consignment sale may look mutually beneficial, in reality, such a form of selling only benefits one party. Since the watch owner is not in a hurry to dispose of the watch, and retains full control of the sale, the asking price is almost always set too high. Practically, the dealer has no say nor authority to lower the price; so the watch remains unsold for a long period of time. On the other hand, the dealer bears all the responsibility and liability for the watch, including the post sale guarantee. The watch is eventually sold to a buyer who is a novice watch enthusiast, who sooner or later finds that they have been ripped off, paying above market price. Such a buyer would never return, and this is why accepting watches on consignment is cancer to the watch dealer.  A dealer who accepts goods on consignment will sooner or later run out of stock and customers.  Dealers who publicly seek goods on consignment either don't care about their reputation or haven't sufficient funds to run a successful business. Entrusting your watch to a dealer could be very risky as well: dealers do go out of business, companies change ownership, and deals where one party has full control over the other are recipes disaster.  In conclusion:  If you are thinking of disposing of your watch collection: find a reputable dealer who is capable of meeting your expectations. Meaning: money in your account, to the last cent, straight away.  As a buyer: the best place to buy a new watch is the brand's watch boutique. The second best place is from a reputable second hand dealer. Everything else is a casino.  No matter what you do, stay away from consignment stock. It's a cancer that will slowly destroy your appreciation for horology and ruin your enjoyment of fine watches - for ever.

AMW 2022

by Josh

NH Micro - our workshop's contract manufacturing arm - had one of the biggest weeks it's ever had. Nearly 2 years ago we decided that we would take NH Micro to the next level by expanding our client base - going to Australia's largest manufacturing expo as an exhibitor was the crown jewel of that plan! >From June 7-10, the NH Micro team set up shop at the ICC in Sydney's Darling Harbour. Our ambition was that just showing up and participating was already a success, and that it didn't matter if our booth wasn't perfect. We were simply happy to be the worst team in the best league.  The plan was straight forward: to talk to potential and existing clients, as well as to show case our capabilities with sample parts that we had on display. We had parts from the medical, space, optics/photonics, scientific instrumentation/research, and semiconductor sectors. Coming from a watchmaking background, our unique selling point was expertise in making all the difficult components that no one else wanted to make. Our mantra was, "small, complex and tightly toleranced". With quite tempered and reserved hopes, we began the first day of the fair. Tuesday morning; our relaxed and content attitude did not prepare us for the sheer volume of interest our little 9sqm booth was generating. From Tuesday until the end of the fair on Friday evening, the three of us - Andrew, James and myself, talked non stop to seemingly endless masses of engineers, designers, machinists, inventors and proud NH owners! A common theme started to come together; lead times are long, quality is low, and everything is getting more expensive. Finding suppliers and partners that can execute tasks on time and on budget is the Paul Newman Daytona of the manufacturing world. We barely had a moment to walk through the fair ourselves, but upon a quick stroll some things became obvious. For a manufacturing fair, there was very little manufacturing being exhibited. In fact of all the exhibitors, NH Micro was the only booth that represented a micro-machining capability, and one of only THREE manufacturing companies. The other two companies, Marsh Alliance, and Ronson gears, specialise in spring manufacturing and gear manufacturing respectively. The rest of the fair was a combination of conventional machinery resellers, cutting tool manufacturers and a lot of 3D printer distributors. After a few laps, it became pretty clear- we weren't the worst team in the best league, we were the only team in a nearly non existent league!

For our little, growing company this fair represented a huge milestone. It was our first public outing, and for it to have been so successful (over 200 contacts!) was an extreme confidence boost. The sobering reality of manufacturing in Australia never seems to dissipate, but for us, the show pointed towards a hopeful, exciting future.