Have a Rolex to sell?

 

Watch dealing is a bit like politics. You make a promise two days before election day, then a month later, dementia kicks in. Which is kind of expected,  except that once dementia sets in, you probably shouldn't be making any more promises. Watch dealers change their minds twice a day. Some stock moves fast, while other pieces just sit there. Do you discount them? Or sit tight and wait for a sunny day? In our case, the question is: Do we buy more Omega and Cartier, or do we get rid of Rolex altogether? Strange, you may think. Why Rolex? The best-selling Swiss brand? The most desirable of them all? The truth is, I really don't mind Rolex. But I absolutely hate flippers. If you're new to all this second-hand mambo jumbo, flippers are strange characters who somehow manage to jump the queue and buy brand-new Rolex watches at retail price. Then, the very same day, they frantically call dealers, inviting them to bid on those unused, brand-new-looking watches. The expectation? A 30%, 50%, or even 100% profit, depending on the model. And for the past few months, the flippers have been working overtime. Not just persistent, but downright aggressive. The typical answer - "Sorry, I'm not a watch collector, just a dealer"  no longer cuts it. To them, anything short of "I'll take it" is simply an insult. It is getting hot. Uncomfortably hot. Sweaty hot. Ridiculously hot. Unsustainably hot. I'm out; at least until things return to normal. Until Rolex increases production. Until the shops are properly stocked. Until every Rolex customer can buy whatever they want, when they want it, with no delays and no waiting lists. Until customers are once again treated with the respect, care, and dignity they deserve. It is a promise. Will that day ever come? Only time itself will tell. Rather than writing a lengthy essay on the subject, the short video below provides eight reasons why the time has come for me to say: I'm done. I'm out. For your enjoyment: https://youtu.be/dU9n3NaNDJc?

Self-employment? Don't rush!

 

Yesterday, we talked about a very specific subject: why starting your own watchmaking business in 2026 may be a bad idea. But the reasons given by someone who has spent a lifetime self-employed go beyond horology. Out of seven, the one that will crush your hopes and investment harder than any other is dream misalignment. Your dream is to make, repair, create, and ultimately build a successful small business. To create a workshop environment to be proud of, to advance your skills - but above all, to provide a valuable service to customers. A noble dream, a life worth living. Unfortunately, the watch industry is fragmented and dominated by mega-brands. The dream of a mega-brand is vertical integration - complete in-house control and the elimination of competition - leading to just one outcome: maximum profit. Clearly, these are two different dreams. Two unresolvable propositions. A core misalignment. A misalignment that will have profound and limiting consequences on your ability to run a business - to the point where you will either struggle for decades, be forced to diversify, or quit altogether. The bottom line is this: before venturing into the unknown, make sure that dream alignment exists. Here is an example of perfect symbiosis: Kern makes some of the best, most accurate machines. We invest in them and learn how to produce the most precise components. On the other side of the globe, there is a high-tech customer desperate for those exact parts to be installed in their advanced instruments. A perfect alignment of dreams. An alignment where each party works together and advances together for mutual benefit. An environment which, like a powerful magnet, attracts smart, hardworking people with a desire to do better and go further. Now, as a watch enthusiast and owner, you may wonder: why does the watchmaking industry go against common sense and the basic principles of commerce and cooperation? To that, I have no answer. But if you are to start your own business, then the most important question on your mind should be: Who am I dreaming with?

Watch our latest video here: https://youtu.be/KR4rYSDVSLY?

Ripped apart

 

Have you ever heard of a terrier who gets up in the morning, makes a soy latte, and then complains to the missus: “Yesterday I chased too many cats and possums. They’re all getting faster while I’m getting older and overworked. It sucks to be a dog. Today I’m taking it easy.” Yesterday, literally minutes after we completed a review of Grand Seiko, a delivery arrived on the bench: a humble Seiko 5. And at that very moment I realised we had another little rat in the backyard to rip apart. Life is just amazingly good. Of course, you are not naïve. You know that all this surge of energy and enthusiasm has its purpose: to prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks. And have we learned a lot. That Seiko 5 required the same level of research as a Daytona, the same seriousness as a gold Moonwatch, and the same sense of fairness we apply to the grandest of all Seikos. The end result is a light-hearted video presentation that is also seriously fact-based, loaded with details that only decades behind the watchmaker’s bench can produce. To the lazy, bloated YouTube influencers-go chase your tails. This is how it’s done. Now press play and see what a humble Seiko 5 looks like when examined through a watchmaker’s loupe rather than a marketing brochure. 🔍⌚ Watch here: https://youtu.be/LskUYWMYih0

SEIKO 5 Sports Automatic 'Field Series' SSK059K 39.4mm case size. Stainless steel case and bracelet. White dial. Hardlex glass. GMT and date function. Automatic movement - calibre 4R35. Water resistance 100 metres. Boutique price: $675

The Flow

 

Every now and then, we ask for your opinion in the form of a survey. Yes, your views and opinions matter. But there are certain topics where a survey is not required. For example: what do you value more, and what is more important - the external appearance or the mechanism inside the watch? Hands down, the overwhelming majority would choose the look and feel. And that is how it should be. After all, the role of the mechanism is simply to make things happen - efficiently, reliably, and quietly. Yet there are certain horological gems where the opposite is quite true. Where the complexity and ingenuity of the mechanism outweigh, by far, every other reason for the watch’s horological importance. And that too is exciting and revolutionary, and worth celebrating. And then, only very rarely, we are faced with masterpieces where the maker miraculously achieves something seldom seen: a perfect balance. A watch with an exceptional mechanism, fitted with a dial and hands that simply take us to the next level. Grand Seiko Spring Drive is such a masterpiece.

While Grand Seiko Spring Drive has been around for 25 years, conceptually it is one of the least understood watches. To an ordinary watch enthusiast, how it works is still a bit of a mystery. And so it is for serious collectors, watchmakers themselves, and - surprisingly - even for those who make a living selling high-grade watches. There are a few reasons why. Firstly, detailed technical descriptions and data are not readily available to the general public. Until recently, Spring Drive was primarily a Japanese domestic watch for the Japanese domestic market, with only about 7% sold outside Japan. Most of what we know comes from translated documents, which are merely simplified sales diagrams. The second reason is this: Spring Drive is designed to be repaired and serviced by Japanese in-house watchmakers only. We have never seen a broken or non-functional example on our bench - ever. The third reason is denial. We - and that is literally every watch enthusiast out there - simply refuse to accept that the Japanese might do horology better than anyone else on the planet. We are unable, and perhaps unwilling, to accept Grand Seiko’s superiority. To accept that Japanese watchmakers have elegantly solved a 350-year-old problem. That their attention to detail and perfectionism exceeds anything produced in Switzerland. And that such a masterpiece can be had for less than a fairly average, mass-produced Swiss watch. Or to put it simply: when faced with facts, we still value luxury and branding more than horology. To liberate ourselves and drag us out of this denial, the starting point is to understand how Spring Drive works. The basic concept is flow. The flow of sand in an hourglass. The flow of a river turning a waterwheel. The uninterrupted passing of time. The one who controls the flow makes time. And this is precisely how Spring Drive works: it makes time by controlling the flow of energy. There are no ticks and tocks - just a mesmerizing, uninterrupted glide, regulated to absolute perfection, controlling mechanical, electrical, and magnetic forces. It took Grand Seiko almost 35 years of development to turn this idea into a working Spring Drive watch. When Spring Drive was first revealed to the world in Geneva in 1999, and again in 2000, Swiss watchmakers were not just puzzled - they were speechless. The video published on Friday explains, in simple terms, the concept of flow, how time is generated by its control, and which units are necessary to make the magic happen. It also talks about the nanoscopic amount of power generated - and required - to run the control system. We even take the liberty of suggesting how Grand Seiko might improve Spring Drive further. Just for fun. If you are patient and keen to learn, then this brief introduction to the inner workings of Spring Drive is an absolute must. Dare I say - the best explanation in plain English out there. For your enjoyment: https://youtu.be/q-tG0wPQtxQ?

145 years

 

Seiko is celebrating - and proudly so. With a touch of gold: discreet, yet unmistakable. This new GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph pays tribute to Astron’s enduring spirit of innovation. Symbolising success and prosperity, gold-coloured accents appear throughout the watch, from the dial and bracelet to the case itself. Looking for absolute precision in an analogue watch? Look no further than Astron. Tucked away in the press release was a little gem - worth far more than a list of technical specifications: “Looking forward, we promise that, as a company trusted by society, we will constantly pursue innovation, inspiring people everywhere, and creating a future full of smiles.” If there was ever a time for visionary thinking - for a promise that transcends turmoil and global disharmony - this is it. A promise of a future full of smiles is perhaps the warmest and most genuine wish one can offer to humanity. Seiko, we congratulate you. And for many decades to come, we celebrate with you. SSH186J is 44mm Titanium Astron, limited edition release of 1450 pieces, individually numbered. Designed, engineered, manufactured and proudly assembled, to perfection, in Japan. Boutique price: $5,200.

It’s Difficult

 

Let me be brutally honest: selling a $500 Seiko or a $50K Rolex is a piece of cake. Anyone can do it, and I’ve done it countless times. But selling my own watch is incredibly difficult - and I hate doing it. Here’s why. Selling is nothing more than telling the story of a watch and highlighting what’s in it for you. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it. But even the most reputable, accomplished, and acclaimed maker would struggle to sell his own watch. Makers are poor salesmen. On the other hand, finding someone to tell my own story is nearly impossible. And even if it weren’t, I am certainly not willing to pay someone to sell me. I would rather do a very poor job myself than pay an influencer, journalist, or blogger to do an even worse one. A poor original is still better than the best fake. This morning, we recorded a short video about “a watch manufactured in Australia.” It’s a 30-minute retrospective of a 10-year journey. Getting Josh to us was a real challenge, but he obliged. These days, the Brookvale workshop is a busy place, with two young engineers and four young machinists running high-precision manufacturing around the clock. Yes, we’ve come a long way. What’s in it for you? Perhaps just one thing: if a naïve but determined bunch can do it, then you have no excuse not to pursue your own dreams. I’ll stop short of calling this video inspirational, because that was never the intention. But the message is pointed: creative, determined, and motivated dreamers have no choice but to swim against the stream. The journey is painful, and there is no prize nor glory - but it’s worth every second.

Watch our latest video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFKADmxz5hI

Beware of fake watchmakers

 

The message is simple: reading a book on dentistry will not turn me into a dentist. Reading George Daniels’ epic Watchmaking will not turn a pimpled 17-year-old kid overnight into a master watchmaker capable of crafting a Breguet-grade watch. No matter how much money is poured into publicity, online presence, commissioned articles, likes, and followers in an attempt to create the personification of an “independent watchmaker” and a brand supposedly worth investing in, a knowledgeable and discerning collector won’t be fooled. The feeble attempt to blindly replicate a Daniels watch on a kitchen bench using crude tools will fool no one. To some, our video is somehow controversial. Others feel slightly uncomfortable with demasking and debunking. And some simply can’t handle the truth: we are still trapped in the woke movement of the COVID era. Telling someone that there is no shortcut to education, bench experience, and investment in high-grade precision machinery—which, combined with the hard labour of skilled craftsmen, produces a masterpiece of industrial quality—is somehow seen as offensive. Yet we, the watchmakers, have no choice. Our role is to educate, to unmask when necessary, to guide, and to protect our trade and our craft. And equally, to protect you—the watch enthusiasts—from shonks who claim to be us. We don’t want what’s yours, but we will guard what’s ours. Vigorously. Investing in an “independent watchmaker” could be your best decision ever—or your worst nightmare and a financial disappointment. This video is all you need to see to know the difference.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/uoCFOv3FZ4w