Heading in the right direction

 

Smiling faces, excitement of starting a new job, happiness overflowing - yet make no mistake: some of the people you see today, at the beginning of 2023 will not be with us next January. This is just how it is: there is no such a thing as a 'job for life'. People come and go, business moves on. Who knows - as highly unlikely as it may be, it could be me that won't make it to the next company photo.  One thing I have learned from the past five years is that I am no longer interested in taking up apprentices. That heart-warming idea of  putting hours of my precious time training a young, enthusiastic kid, the goal of 'passing on knowledge' to the next generation, is now well done and dusted.  I have neither time nor patience to explain why arriving on time is important, why having a mobile phone on the bench is forbidden, that hard work will pay off, and that being a part of a successful team is priceless. In a world full of opportunities and excitement coming from social media, in a world where traditional values are ridiculed, in a world where Government makes 'stay at home' orders and pay kids not to work, training apprentices simply makes no sense. I have no regrets. My apprentices were showered with kindness, overseas training trips, access to cutting edge machinery and tools, while literally being worshipped by you - watch collectors and our supporters. Not to mention the obvious: they were paid to learn, not paid to work. Our new team consists of young individuals who have been with us for a number of years and have demonstrated commitment to us and to horology, as well as professionals with years of experience in the industry. They are not my family nor my pets. They are hard working professionals paid well above the industry standard. Paid to work. And they are all replaceable. Free to go at any time to join a company which will offer more, or better. I hope they'll all stay, but if they chose to go, then there would be no hard feelings and definitely no tears. Most importantly, I got my time back. Working with professionals means less responsibility on my shoulders, better customer service, more time to focus on business, and ultimately, more time to enjoy life.

IT'S HERE!

 

Surely you remember the Straight-Line Guilloche machine fundraiser from late last year. Yes, thanks to your generous donations we have managed to keep the Guilloche machine in Australia. The machine has finally arrived to our factory from Adelaide in a massive crate, well protected and undamaged in transport. We are ready for the next step: cleaning, assembling, and fine-tuning. The excitement doesn't stop there. I have personally appointed a guardian who will supervise the project on your behalf. His name is Matt Howe, a subscriber to this mailing list. Why Matt? Because he is physically located around the corner from our Brookvale factory and he is also the nicest guy ever. I am convinced that Matt will protect your interests diligently. His duty is to report to you once a year that the machine is insured and in good working order. Stay tuned for more.

Making a mark

 

"Nick and Josh you are both truly the finest ambassadors for not only proudly Australian made product but also the finest craftsmanship. Well done." - Glenn Rundell, Master Chairmaker, Victoria.   As much as I would like to claim all the credit for myself, the Mark II has been a team effort. To complete a project of this importance, in any year, would be worth highlighting. To complete it in a year where we've still struggled with COVID for the best part of it, is little miracle worth celebrating. This year, we lost three staff members. We counted on them. Yet the Mark II has been completed, on time, as promised. As you followed our progress, you would have realised that the Mark II is not just a slightly better version of our Mark I; it is a watch that challenged us to do our absolute best. To learn. To perfect. To be humble. To invest more. And above all, to work long hours.  For most of the year, Josh started his work day well before 6 am, and stayed machining well past midnight. I would go to bed, wake up in the middle of the night, tune in to the security camera, only to find him still working.

We are not smarter than our fellow watchmakers; we just work much harder. And we are proud of it. Our time is yet to come. We have reached this point thanks to your support. But we will get where we want to be, supported or not. Because watchmaking is a life quest and, as we say, you don't pick watchmaking; watchmaking picks you.  Ironically, our biggest challenge this year was finding enough time to allocate to the Mark II project. Ultra-precision machining is still not something Australia is known for. And yet, there are a number of industries that require our services: medical, aerospace, optical, quantum computing. These are our customers who, this year, expected a great deal of our machining hours for their projects.  With each of these customers, we migrated from the prototype stage (making one offs) to the production stage (making multiple parts and assemblies). And please, be assured, these customers are under significant pressure to deliver their final products successfully, and on time. That pressure has also fallen on us.  Should you invest in the Mark II? Not if you think there is a better Australian-made watch out there. Or a more perfect watch by a small, independent watchmaking team, who actually make components in their own workshop. And definitely not if you believe that you can get better customer service elsewhere.  Our watch is intended for those who appreciate what we can offer, a this point in time, in a country so far away to be of any horological importance at all. The Mark II is a watch that will make you proud to be an Australian. What price tag can you put on that privilege? We are here to serve you.