Professional Loupes in Stock

*** Good news! Professional watchmaker's LOUPES for just $29 each!

 Sorry for the selfie - but I didn't want you to miss this important announcement.

A loupe is a small magnifying glass used by jewellers and watchmakers. Finally the first delivery of the famous ASCO professional watchmakers loupes has arrived.

ASCO is a Swiss tool supplier and tool maker established in 1833 and a synonym for quality yet very affordable loupes. As a third generation watchmaker I have been using my ASCO loupe for years- there are  3 of them on my bench at any given time: one for general work, one for close inspection, while the third loupe used exclusively for dials and hand assembly.

My intention is simple: to stock ASCO loupes and offer them to hobbyists, professionals, watch enthusiasts and watch collectors. Next time you visit our workshop, ask me to show you full range of seven ASCO loupes so you can select one which fits you the best.Price:  only $29 per loupe
which is a few dollars less than buying one from any other online watch tools stockist. Not to mention convenience of immediate pickup.

What a heck - I'll even teach you how to wear one while you here!

It goes without saying that a quality Swiss made loupe will last you for ever. A loupe is fantastic present for a fellow watch enthusiast or a partner, a priceless gift which will be greatly appreciated. A true eye-opener allowing you to appreciate the finest detail of your watch dial, hands, crystal and watch mechanism. A perfect, simple, handy inspection instrument.

If you are unable to select and collect your loupe in person, then I suggest to order size "3" or "3 and a half" which is always a safe choice. If you place an order for 3 loupes or more, I will throw in FREE DELIVERY Australia wide.

TIP: Loupe "1" has the highest magnification, "4" the lowest.

Watchmakers wear only 1 loupe at time, I wore two - just for fun.  

***How To Place Your Order:

To put it simply, in any way you wish. 

1. Go to our online shop http://shop.clockmaker.com.au/
2. Create your account
3. Select the items you wish to order
4. Add them to your cart
5. Add a bracelet or two to your order! (see accessories section)
6. Checkout

You will receive your order details as well as our bank account details in your email.  Once the payment has been made we will ship the loupes to you.

If you would like to pay by credit card still follow all the steps 1-5 and then call to place your order over the phone or provide us with your credit card details via email.

If you would like to pay in store come see us Monday to Friday between the hours of 11am-4.30pm.  However, to avoid disappointment it is recommended that you follow steps 1-6 so that we can track your order and ensure that we have the stock available.

Please be patient with us while we process orders and work through any glitches along the way :).                         

The flying samurai

Not long after the first batch of manual wind rebelde with Swiss movements was assembled, I started toying with the idea of designing a 40mm stainless steel chronograph.  Nothing fancy.  The only requirement was that it would retail for between $2,000 and $2,500.

The obvious choice was a Valjoux 7750 movement, but at about that time Seiko released a new NE88 column wheel chronograph which simply kicked 7750’s bum.  I quickly placed an order for 100 movements but, by the time they arrived, I was already heavily involved in the design of rebelde Titanium, and for the past three years the Japanese Seiko movements were sitting in a safe deposit box.

Of course, our religion is Swiss.  And not just ours; the power of Swiss advertising, the lure of swissness and the arrogance of “no stock for you” makes us wanting that swissness even more.  In other words, we are not victims, we are active participants, and happy cult members.

Last week “with nothing better to do” – encouraged by apprentices’ curiosity – the batch of dormant NE88s was once again the topic of conversation. 
“What are we going to do with them? And when?”
“Probably nothing”, was my reply.  "If anything, ever, we will do a chronograph which will be a tribute to Japanese horology, yet in the style of 1960’s Swiss chronographs".

To my surprise, Michael took this passing comment seriously enough to start preparing some sketches.

So here it is, my subscribers, The Flying Samurai.           

          

Are we going to make one?  Of course not.  A batch of 100 watches is simply not economically viable, and with so many projects already competing with one another for our time, the Flying Samurai is grounded. Unless…

Mark 1 - Taking Orders Now

*** Mark 1: Taking Orders Now!

After almost 2 years in development, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Not quite yet there, but not too far either.

Yes, I am now ready to take your order - so feel free to put your name down.

Before we go any further: a brief introduction to the project:

MK1 is a 40mm case steel watch on a leather strap. The mechanism is Swiss-made automatic with a central sweep hand and date function. The watch is fully water resistant to 10atm.

The mechanism is a high grade, high accuracy chronometer specs movement with signed, custom made rotor with Geneva stripes.  It is as good as any high grade Swiss movement commonly found in IWC Mark 16/17/18. Accurate, reliable and - most importantly - repairable.

The case is 3 finish 316L steel with transparent screw lock case back and screw lock crown in the style of 1950- 60's wristwatches, but more robust and with a modern twist. Case lugs spacing is 19mm, which is a hallmark of our original, in-house design.

The dial and hands colour scheme closely follows our traditional 'rebelde style': black matte background, cream luminous markers and hands, with a hint of red. Those of you who are following us may remember that we invited suggestions for the dial design. Over 30 proposals were submitted - and we selected two winning designs.  However, due to a number of reasons both proposals proved too much of a challenge for two dial makers. My resources and patience was stretched so thin that after 6 months of pain and stress the decision was made to go back to a simple but proven design. This is in no way to show any disrespect to any of you who kindly tried to help - rather a practical cut which helped get the project back on track.

Leather Strap Choice

We are working on a selection of leather straps (Italian leather, American horween leather, as well as locally made kangaroo and crocodile straps).  There will be no shortage of a suitable strap for Mark1.

Timeline: all components except the dial and hands are now in stock. The delivery of dials is expected in April, allowing me to commence assembly.  Assuming no major hiccups, the first MK1 should be ready for delivery on June 1.

Fine tuning: sapphire crystal! I am not a big fan of anti-reflective coating. AR is a two-edged sword: while it does reduce reflection on the dial surfaces, it introduces a bluish tint. Also, when applied externally, it is relatively easy to scratch. IWC, Omega, Breitling as well as all other high grade watchmakers face the same challenges and no-one has come up with a perfect solution. Right now, I am talking to an AR coating specialist capable of coating crystals 'from underneath '.  Again, this could turn out to be a very minor improvement to minor glaring but any improvement would be beneficial.  The good news is that a new crystal installation should not slow down the overall assembly.

Finally, a clarification:

Mark 1 is not an Australian MADE watch project which is a different chapter altogether. But like with all other rebelde watches, MK1 components are manufactured overseas, as per our design. We deal with 11 part manufacturers who make components from our own design drawings, and MK1 will be completely assembled in our Castlereagh St workshop. Accordingly, the dial is proudly signed "Assembled in Australia" .

The case back is also signed "67 Castlereagh St" - a proud statement of the place your watch was born and took its first breath.  Again, each MK1 will be completely assembled by myself, leaving only minor tasks to assistants (strap and buckle installation, water resistance testing, timekeeping checking, packaging, etc).

First production run: 199 pieces, W1-W200.

Price $2,800

To place your order simply email nick@clockmaker.com.au

To avoid any unnecessary pressure: no deposit is required - a simple email is sufficient to secure your place in line. Once your watch is assembled you will be invoiced for the full amount.  During the following weeks after assembly, the watch will undergo final timekeeping checks and adjustments and then it will be ready for shipping.

Current rebelde owners will have the chance to pick their serial numbers, whenever possible.

The order of delivery: first orders first.

Of course, you are welcome to visit us and try one of two MK1s which are fully assembled and functional.  Please call for an appointment on (02) 9232-0500 to order or view your Nicholas Hacko Mark1 watch.

Need a watchmaker's loupe?  Visit our online shop: - http://shop.clockmaker.com.au/

Zuffenhaussen, pretzels and ordnung

Five hundred years ago Gutenberg started the printing revolution. What a ride that was! If there is one single reason why humans evolved from the dark ages to an era of enlightenment, science and discoveries, then it has to be due to the printed word. But printing is changing - literally as I type this! Nowadays our thoughts translated into words are printed in electronic format in a fast, cheap, powerful way. And when was the last time you've sat next to someone on the bus reading a REAL paper book?

And then yesterday, totally unexpected, the postman delivered a mighty big box from the land of Gutenberg, containing over 4000 pages of the latest PH Horn toolmaker catalogue! I cannot even imagine the number of engineers, graphic designers and specialists who worked on this epic project. Tens of thousands of tools for almost any machining application, drawings, tips - all there ready to be explored, bought and used to machine some super cool watch components. 

The cost of the catalogue? Free, of course. Boy, do I miss Zuffenhaussen, pretzels and ordnung.

The sharp cutter

A few months ago we received a very warm email from a long standing customer of ours - Rob, a rebelde owner.  At the time of writing he was visiting his ailing mother in the UK. She spent a number of days attempting to gift him her life savings of approximately $1,000 and finally - after much resistance - Rob bowed to her wishes and accepted her kind gift.

In his own words he wrote, "I don't want to spend this money on 'nothing' but I want something for the rest of my life to remember her.  Therefore I thought of the Rebelde 50".  Rob kindly requested to have his mother's birthday engraved on the back of the watch movement.  

To say that we were overcome after reading Rob's email is an understatement.  It was a huge compliment to us that someone could think of us so highly.  There was really no greater honour.  The problem was that we were not set up for engraving.  So we took the watch to the best hand engraver in Sydney who was reluctant to even answer the door to Karin and merely said to read the sign, he was not taking any new orders until 2019.  Then Karin did some more walking around town and found the second best hand engraver in Sydney who point blank said he wouldn’t touch it because of the delicacy of the components.

We then tried to solve the problem in a more elegant way by offering engraving on the outside of the case, which would be much easier to do, but Rob politely declined the offer.  We then realised we actually had no choice but to do it ourselves. 

Clearly the first step would be to disassemble the watch.  The second step would be to make the special jig (part holder) so that the bridge could be placed into the Kern milling machine.  The third step was to find the location on the bridge where engraving would be clearly visible, yet fit into the existing pattern.  We decided that the engraving will follow the contours of the centre wheel. The fourth step was to write a CAM program which will turn a 5-axis milling machine into an engraving machine.  The next step was to program the machine to actually do the cutting and do the necessary calibration in relation to the height of the tool and the depth of engraving. 

It was clear that there was no room for mistake, nor was there a second chance.  The rebelde 50 bridge was manufactured in Switzerland and finished as per our specification, plus rose gold plated.  This was a one-off order and ruining a bridge would mean the replacement of an entire mechanism.

Josh and I spent a few evenings just contemplating the challenge.  More than once I suggested that we should really pull out and refund the purchase rather than make the mistake of ruining a perfect mechanism.  To his credit, Josh said, “I’m going to do it”, and he did…all by himself…including the final step of reassembling the watch movement.

 

***The sharp cutter

A few months ago we received a very warm email from a long standing customer of ours - Rob, a rebelde owner.  At the time of writing he was visiting his ailing mother in the UK. She spent a number of days attempting to gift him her life savings of approximately $1,000 and finally - after much resistance - Rob bowed to her wishes and accepted her kind gift.

In his own words he wrote, "I don't want to spend this money on 'nothing' but I want something for the rest of my life to remember her.  Therefore I thought of the Rebelde 50".  Rob kindly requested to have his mother's birthday engraved on the back of the watch movement.  

To say that we were overcome after reading Rob's email is an understatement.  It was a huge compliment to us that someone could think of us so highly.  There was really no greater honour.  The problem was that we were not set up for engraving.  So we took the watch to the best hand engraver in Sydney who was reluctant to even answer the door to Karin and merely said to read the sign, he was not taking any new orders until 2019.  Then Karin did some more walking around town and found the second best hand engraver in Sydney who point blank said he wouldn’t touch it because of the delicacy of the components.

We then tried to solve the problem in a more elegant way by offering engraving on the outside of the case, which would be much easier to do, but Rob politely declined the offer.  We then realised we actually had no choice but to do it ourselves. 

Clearly the first step would be to disassemble the watch.  The second step would be to make the special jig (part holder) so that the bridge could be placed into the Kern milling machine.  The third step was to find the location on the bridge where engraving would be clearly visible, yet fit into the existing pattern.  We decided that the engraving will follow the contours of the centre wheel. The fourth step was to write a CAM program which will turn a 5-axis milling machine into an engraving machine.  The next step was to program the machine to actually do the cutting and do the necessary calibration in relation to the height of the tool and the depth of engraving. 

It was clear that there was no room for mistake, nor was there a second chance.  The rebelde 50 bridge was manufactured in Switzerland and finished as per our specification, plus rose gold plated.  This was a one-off order and ruining a bridge would mean the replacement of an entire mechanism.

Josh and I spent a few evenings just contemplating the challenge.  More than once I suggested that we should really pull out and refund the purchase rather than make the mistake of ruining a perfect mechanism.  To his credit, Josh said, “I’m going to do it”, and he did…all by himself…including the final step of reassembling the watch movement.

So why am I bragging about this? 

Two reasons.  First: if you are loyal to us, we will remain loyal to you.

Second: this is a message to Swiss brands with service centres in Australia. I know for a fact that almost all of you read this newsletter.  I also know that you continue to ridicule Australian independent watchmakers, telling customers that it is in their interest to avoid us because only you can provide adequate service. You arrogantly continue to perpetuate this lie, knowing so well that the reason we cannot repair your brand watch is not lack of skills but your ban on supply of watch parts. You are taking advantage of our Government’s disinterest in forcing you to respect the Australian consumer rights law. But customers are not dumb. They know what you stand for and what we stand for. A few years ago you won a battle but the war hasn't even started. I promise a bloodbath - we are training a new generation of young Australian watchmakers who will kick your bottom so hard that you will never dare to badmouth us again.

Empty words? Well, here is one more example of where we are heading.

The young man in the photo is Josh Shapiro, an independent watchmaker from California. He hand makes his own watches using 19th century machines. His speciality is engine turned dial engraving – or as commonly known – guilloche.

A couple of weeks ago, Josh from California contacted Josh in Sydney with a rather strange request.  Shapiro follows our Instagram account and saw what our workshop is capable of. He wanted a tool made for his 100 year old Swiss guilloche machine. He explained the purpose of the part – to provide drawings - and he stated that he is a bit desperate because no-one else in the US could help him.

Our Josh programmed the part on our EDM machine, hardened the steel in our own oven, quenched it, machined the part and had it shipped the next morning.  Unfortunately, I cannot show you that Australian made part – it is a trade secret – but here is the feedback:

“Josh the tool is amazing. It solved the problem I have had for the last 5 years. Image machining with a dull cutter that doesn’t get worse or better, and you learn to make extremely good cuts but it’s a lot of work and takes a lot more time. Then one day someone hands you a sharp cutter.... That’s what this was.” 

Watchmaker Shapiro is now ordering 3 more parts from us, even more complex,  and he says that ‘want us to remain his best kept secret’. 

Yes, our time is yet to come - but the goal is set firmly: we are simply going to be known as ‘one sharp cutter’.

Cool kids

Imagine you were the only kid in the entire suburb with a PlayStation! There would be no quiet moment, no shortage of friends - and every day would be just pure fun.

The word about our machining capabilities is spreading fast and our watchmaking workshop in Brookvale is attracting all sorts of cool kids who want to play with our toys.  Here is just one of a few of the most recent cases: 

Andrew: "A car builder knocked on our door with an aluminium part that he had sub-contracted out to a machine shop all the way down in Campbelltown. An issue occurred during the manufacturing process rendering the part an oversized paperweight. Either the mechanic in question could drive down to Campbelltown and have the machine shop fix the error, then drive back the next day to pick it up, or dip his toe in the waters and ask us if we could help. Sure enough, after a rapid design brief and outline, we set to work designing and programming the solution whilst not changing the structural integrity or important features of the aluminium strut. We asked him "When do you need this done by?" "Yesterday" he replied. "Best I can do is tomorrow" we said. He was ok with that as it did not involve him participating in northern, central, western, and southern Sydney traffic.

The component was promptly modified and finished in the Makino EDM wire cutting machine within three hours. Under promise and over deliver, I always say. The coolest part about the whole experience is knowing that we contributed to their project. A 1960's matte black Mustang body with an Australian made v12 engine squeezed in. An interesting fact, the cast for the engine block is 3D printed, and then the actual cast is made for the molten metal to be poured into. That is cutting edge technology in the performance automotive industry. This car, once finished, will truly be a testament to Australian craftsmanship. Come to think of it, we should have used a 0.1 engraving tool in the Kern to write sneakily beneath the part: Andrew n Josh was 'ere. An opportunity missed but definitely noted for next time."

The second 'can we play with you guys' request came from a silicon extruder with a challenging part geometry. The part is 12mm thick steel disc requiring a perfect slot just 0.75 mm wide, 80m long. The slot is so thin that it would barely accept a paper business card. Yet, the inside walls of the slot would have to be perfectly finished to almost mirror finish. This is a serious challenge and a big ask - drilling the starter 0.5mm x 12mm hole was a nightmare. Again, Makino wire cutter did the rest of the job perfectly, and the part was completed same day. I am not using the term 'perfect' lightly - think of this 'fit' as what you would expect to see on a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso case.  

Clearly, there are many engineering businesses out there who are more than happy to pay handsomely for machining services and machining capabilities provided by a watchmaker. Indeed, one of our challenges in the months to come will be to ignore 'easy money' doing third party services and remain firmly focused on our watch manufacturing project. As we say, you cannot run before you learn how to walk. 

Up, adjust, down

If you're a new subscriber then you will soon learn we are passionate about one thing: Made in Australia. Both our own Aussie made story, and that of other Aussie pioneers.  

One such unsung story is that of a stubborn Queenslander named Llew Ashdown. With a leather goods machine maintenance background, he found himself disillusioned by leather presses on the market.  So he went straight to the drawing board.  He had one goal in mind: to not only build his own press but to make it world class.

After plenty of experimenting and hard work, exactly 25 years ago he boldly stepped on a plane and took his Aussie press straight to Geneva.  Llew exhibited at a Trade Fair with just one product - his Aussie made hand press. The press was simple, yet it provided an elegant solution.  The press won the Fair prize, and interested distributors, from the US and Europe were lining up to sign him up as supplier.  But Llew had only one condition: no consignment.  If you want to do business with Llew you have to come up with the cash. Distributors walked away, wishing him good luck.  All except one; a Canadian who placed an order for 12 presses and happily paid up front.  

In 25 years Llew's business has grown in sales and volume, but quite remarkably the business still employs just one person - its only employee is Llew himself; a man who is stubbornly doing it 'his own way'.  Today, this one man leather press shop is exporting Aussie-made presses to Canada, USA, UK, Germany, France, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand. The Queensland clickers sell exceptionally well in Japan for one reason: they do the job better.

My Lucris press arrived last week.  I'm yet to cut my first piece of leather with it but I'm already impressed.  I spoke with Llew, thanked him for being in business for so many decades and congratulated him on his stubbornness.

Designed, assembled and manufactured in Australia?  Yes, of course.

The "hair" milling tool

This one is for fellow machinists and engineers: a newly arrived Dixi 0.1mm end mill. The cutting blade is 100 x 100 microns or as thick as human hair.

To put it in perspective, I took a photo of it next to the finest Japanese 0.25mm pen tip, with regular ballpoint pen above them.

But this is not the scary bit: due to its size, our endmill will have to spin at 50,000 RPM at the bottom of a 700 kg spindle column travelling at the speed of 1G with sub-micron positional accuracy and to start, stop and reverse instantaneously.  That spindle movement action draws 60 Amp of peak current per phase. 

The equivalent of your car going from 0 to 100kms in 2.47 seconds.

A simple message

Once again - this December-  we are going out in public ready to spread the 'good news': a full page advert in Company Director followed by Qantas in-flight Magazine in January.

A print ad is a major project for any small business: we've spent 2 months in preparation, stretching our resources to the limit. Today, the ad is ready for print and we can finally relax. Our message is simple: we design and assemble watches in Sydney; out of 649 sold, every single watch is fully functional; and, for the first time in the history of our country,  complex watch parts are manufactured in Australia. Investing in a NH watch is an investment in the future of a small independent Aussie watchmaker.

While the advert features our flagship model 'the fifty', it will be for watch enthusiasts to discover the story about this piece by themselves. Sophisticated readers will love it - it is a simple yet powerful story about ordinary people trying hard. 

To all of our supporters: thank you. We wish you a happy 5th rebellious anniversary. 

This could be you

A. Borriero, 24

Joined us on January 3 as a watchmaker apprentice and machinist. In less than a year he has become:

- proficient in CAM and CAD software
- trained to independently operate EDM at micron level
- undergoing training on Kern CNC Pyramid Nano world class 5 axis mill
- capable of assembling/disassembling mechanical manual wind watch movement, including jewelling
- proficient in hand finishing/perlage
- directly involved in manufacturing of the first Australian watch
- will this month attend JIMTOF Tokyo machining fair, and tour the Makino factory, Japan
- wears a rebelde watch
- will receive a pay rise of $13,000 as of January next year

This could have been you. This still could be you if you have Andrew's determination and attention to detail.

We are interested in smart, hard-working, loyal and driven people to join our small team. We will train you and we will reward your efforts.

Email nick@clockmaker.com.au today to get ready for a new start in 2019.

Nick

Put your sunscreen on Australia

As Master George Daniels famously said, watchmaking is all about finishes. Even in his case, this statement is more a cry of desperation than proclamation of victory. Attractive and artistic metal finishes are simply hard to master, which is why you will never see a Rolex with a transparent case back, and why you should respect every bit of a new Omega movement.

Last night we dipped our toes into the murky waters of engraving. We began by creating sunburst patterns, and some well-hidden text on the reverse side of the main plate, underneath the watch dial. We are even contemplating signing our watch in a hidden location where only fellow watchmakers can find it. It's probably a catastrophic marketing move, but it's also a clever way of saying 'we don't care'.  The sunburst is here to stay, and maybe the stars of Southern Cross. Only time will tell.

So far, consider this another small victory for the smallest watch brand in the world.

Machined in Australia

Watch main plates, bridges and balance cocks slowly coming out of 'production line' with first movements being completely assembled and adjusted. The plan is to assemble 20 prototype-batch mechanisms, test them for a few months, then pull them apart, decorate, engrave and gold plate.

Nick

Like no other

First things first: the (still unnamed) Australian made watch survived its first week . Very pleased to report that its daily error is less than 3 seconds per day. As you would imagine, I am wearing it myself with a great sense of achievement and pride. It’s a conversational piece to say the least.  Encouraged by prototype production, we are cautiously steaming ahead. One more set of plates was machined, jewelled and assembled over the weekend and today I am assembling the first numbered mechanism.

The plan is simple: to machine and assemble 20 mechanisms by Christmas, have them running, test them, and learn as much as possible about the repeatability of the manufacturing process.  This process cannot be rushed. There are countless unknowns yet to be figured out. For example: how many parts can we machine with one cutting tool? To answer that question you need to know acceptable part tolerances.  Which in itself is a critical piece of information no-one can tell you. There is no such a thing as a book titled "How To Make A Watch?" You can spend your entire life working for Rolex or Patek and you would be good in making one component while being practically clueless about the big picture. And, quite frankly, no-one in Switzerland will want to share their best guarded secrets with you.

That means we have to rely on ourselves. It also means taking countless measurements, gathering data, comparing and analysing. For example, my rule is to reject any parts coming from Brookvale which are not accompanied with a drawing and critical measurements.  Here is just one example of the escapement section of the main plate. The first column is design values, the second the actual machining result. The difference is 1 to 4 microns. The distance between the centre wheel and pallets bridge pin is 11535 microns and we are just 3 microns off.  You don't have to be an engineer to appreciate this level of precision.

So one day, the NH watch will not only come with the marking on the dial “Machined in Australia" but you, the owner and guardian, will have a technical drawing and measurements of its heart. Each component we make in our workshop will be individually numbered and signed, hand finished and fine-tuned. Your watch will be truly unique, with a story you will be proud to share. A story like no other.

Possible?  Sure it is - I am wearing such a watch right now.

Australian made watch project update

A major milestone. Happy to report that the first Australian-made CNC watch mechanism has been mounted into a case and, as of today, we have a fully working prototype.

So what is the big deal? Three points: 

- We have understood and mapped the 'watch genome'. We know what makes the watch tick from both a physical, functional and engineering point. 

- We are capable of manipulating and cloning the 'watch DNA'. Not just replicating the existing design but designing and manufacturing original components.

- First in Australia: milestone achieved by kids who are born in Australia, working in Brookvale, using materials sourced in Brookvale. 

If you wonder what percentage of the mechanism was manufactured in-house: the main plate, top bridge, balance cock, winding stem and screws. The main plate and bridges are core 'unifying' components which combine and house all other parts. Assigning a single percentage number would be impossible, but if we are to try: we reached 80% of the overall design and well over 50% of machining operations with 95% of integration, accuracy and performance. 

At this stage we made no effort to 'beautify' the mechanism so the main plates are straight out of the mill. No plating, hardening or engraving of any kind. 

What's next? More testing, refining, more machining. Our next milestone is to produce a batch of 20 movements and have them up and running, hopefully by Christmas.

A big 'congrats and thank you' goes to Josh and Andrew who spent the past 6 months making tooling, fixtures, learning how to operate machinery and making individual watch components. Without them we wouldn't be where we are now. Long hours and hard work are paying off and, quite frankly, this is a major achievement by two young kids who jumped into the project with no previous experience in CNC machining. Two of them are still on a $35,000 annual salary - but will be from now known as the first true Australian watchmakers. 

Right now, we have no name for this prototype movement but we believe that it deserves an indigenous name. Happy to take suggestions. The movement is cased in a Titanium 45mm case - a leftover of Ti A production batch, marked Ti M 1/1.

Some of you may ask - would it be possible to have an Australian-made watch case? The answer is simple: yes. The case itself is far less demanding than the mechanism. It can be produced on a single CNC mill/lathe machine. Taking into account already gained know-how, it would take 12 months of prototyping. The Swiss machine itself cost $800,000. Unfortunately, the case making is not going to be our priority until the new workshop is built in 2020. In one word: possible, will happen, but not just now. 

To all existing rebelde owners: this is a day you should be proud of yourselves too - without your trust and investment in our project, we wouldn't make it. Thank you.

Nick Hacko (Watchmaker - finally!)

Follow us on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nicholashackowatch/

The cutting edge of manufacturing

Today was an incredibly exciting day. 

Earlier this year I went to the Louis Belet factory in Switzerland. At the risk of succumbing to cliches, I would like to say that it was life altering. 

The organisation of the factory, the workplace culture, the care and commitment for on-time delivery, the massive investment into RnD, the pursuit for perfection in every day tasks and the seeming laser focus of every single machine operator, sales manager, design team member etc. Etc. It blew me away. If you ever have the opportunity to tour, please - do it.

On my tour I asked about something that I had seen at a trade fair the previous year, solid ceramic cutting tools. The response I got was interesting, a mixture of technical explanation and sales pitch, but surprisingly, very very little sales pitch. 

There was almost hesitation in Arnaud's voice when talking about these tools (Arnaud - the 3rd generation CEO of the family owned company) 

These tools were the venture into uncharted territory in this field. Ceramic tools have been made before, usually in the form of turning inserts for hard metals, but this was different. This was micro tooling specifically for high efficiency cutting in brass. Almost exclusively used in the watchmaking industry. The problem being that watch manufacturers usually aren't too willing to buy into new forms of tooling, and, therefore, very few people are willing to test these tools. We were.

The benefits? Almost no wear. The claim is that these tools last orders of magnitude longer than brass. Further, the surface finish should not degrade as quickly. 

This is due to the almost magical edge retention of the cutting surfaces.

The drawbacks? You need an extremely rigid and dynamic machine to use these tools. They don't withstand vibrations or shocks - think of how brittle your fine China dining set is. Yep. That's what we are cutting with. (Thank you Kern Pyramid Nano for the ability to use these tools!) I ordered these tools on Monday afternoon, they travelled around the world and arrived in Brookvale, in Sydney's northern beaches, on Friday morning. Amazing! 

The white is ceramic, grey- carbide.

Josh

From the workshop

We didn't make a single watch part in the entire month of August. Instead, the focus was on tool making and a work piece holding solution. Precisely: the main plate holder 2.0.

Happy to report that the new tool has been designed, coded and manufactured in our own workshop using our own machinery, without any external help or support. The tolerances are as per expectations, precision has been improved, the tool is lighter without sacrificing rigidity, and there is a substantial saving in raw material used in watch main plate production. I can't wait to see the new parts coming out this week. 

Time invested in this project: over 120 hours. 

Another important detail: we are able to do the CNC equipment maintenance ourselves! Thanks to video support from Germany, and local support from Japanese makers, the down time is minimal. This was something that was worrying me from day one, and knowing that we can do almost all maintenance ourselves is certainly making the project less stressful and more enjoyable.

So do you still do repairs?

The short answer is - yes - and no. There are a number of watches and brands we wouldn't even touch: all Rolex watches manufactured after 2010; all  modern IWC, JLC, Cartier, Panerai- the Richemont Group brands. Why? Because they refuse to supply parts so we are not interested in those watches - even when a repair is possible or an easy job to do.  We also stay away from Breitling for the same reason. 

However, we love jobs rejected by Rolex. If they reject your watch, or quote a ridiculous amount, or bundle one repair with another - trying to upsell - then you should contact us and we will be happy to see what can be done. Especially so with any vintage sports models. 

We also do plenty repairs of vintage Omega watches - because we can still source parts for older models. Again, in most cases, the cutoff year is 2010. 

The third group of repairs are lesser-known vintage pieces and pocket watches. The success rate is 80% or better. In general, our customers are serious collectors or watch owners who have their reasons why they would prefer to deal with independent watchmakers rather than Swiss brand services. Our charges are reasonable, but for those whose main concern is price, we suggest they take their business to our competitors. 

Recent repairs:

A gold water damaged 18k Rolex rejected by Rolex due to custom diamond bezel. The restoration included movement, case and bezel restoration. Similar project on a 1980s Cartier, also rejected by Cartier. A water damaged Speedmaster. A number of vintage GMT Masters and Submariners from 1960-1980. A vintage Stowa and Cyma.  And a Nomos with a winding issue which we managed to repair for just $150. 

All repair quotes are free of charge. 

For watch repairs in Sydney email nick@clockmaker.com.au if you have any questions, call (02) 9232-0500, or visit our workshop in the Sydney CBD:

Nicholas Hacko Fine Watches:  Suite 403, Level 4, 67 Castlereagh Street Sydney Monday to Thursday 11am-5pm, Friday 10am to 4pm.