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