Really interesting report. Thanks Eddie.
I like some of the watches that Fricker has made for himself.
Hmmm... any word on the CAF... :roll: .....?
Sunnie
As some of you may have read, I visited the factory of Walter Fricker in Pforzheim last week. I arrived late on Wednesday evening and left very early on Friday morning in the middle of a snowstorm. All day Thursday was spent in a meeting with Roland Kemmner, the Chief Engineer, and for part of the time, Walter Fricker.
The meeting was to discuss the construction and technical details of 6 possible future projects and thrash out all the problems and queries in one go, rather than spend weeks doing this by e-mail, fax and phone. At the end of a very long day, 5 projects were put to bed and further information is required from me for the sixth. During a break from the meeting I had a short tour of the factory and here are a few photographs you may find interesting.
Firstly, I was struck by just how few people work here for the high volume of work they produce, probably not more than 10 people in production.
It all starts in the drawing office
and is this a Sinn EZM3?
Fricker produce all the blanks themselves from a variety of materials on CNC machines.
from where the raw watch cases go for hand finishing
After hand finishing, the cases go for the final finish, polish, beadblast or brushed (no pictures I'm afraid) and then for the final quality control checking. All QC is carried out by Fraulein Fricker, sister of Walter Fricker, and all I can say is she must have a very keen eye. I inspected several cases which had failed QC and couldn't find a fault until it was pointed out. Very small blemishes in the finish, no larger than a pin-head, and often in an area that the customer would never see, like under the bezel. I was very happy to see such attention to detail.
Roland Kemmner takes full advantage of his job to make custom watches for himself and here's one nearing completion.
He has many more unique watches in his personal collection, most of them in precious metal.
Not only does Fricker make watches for retailers (and they make for many well-known names), they also offer a bespoke service to individuals. Here is a vintage pocket watch which has been fully restored
and here are 3 vintage movements, most with complications, which are destined for oversize wristwatch cases. At least one of them is a vintage IWC and another is a full repeater.
Despite the tight schedule it was an interesting and worthwhile visit. Fricker is very much a family firm and the atmosphere in the factory was very friendly. I look forward to my return when the projects are underway.
I hope you found this interesting.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Really interesting report. Thanks Eddie.
I like some of the watches that Fricker has made for himself.
Hmmm... any word on the CAF... :roll: .....?
Sunnie
Thanks for this, Eddie. Very interesting. I'd love to find a vintage pocketwatch movement of real quality to have made in to a custom wristwatch. One day maybe.
Cheers
Foggy
Some great pictures there eddie very interesting and with QC like that cant go far wrong
Thanks, Eddie. Great photo essay.
Best wishes,
Bob
Very interesting.
What exactly are your 6 watch projects, Eddie?
Lovely pics, thanks for those Eddie!
Are we going to get a general status update on your projects? I'd like to know if there's anything in pipeline for the year to start budgeting if needed.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Very nice report Eddie, and excellent pix!
Ted
Thanks for the very good report Eddie.
Regards,
David
Looks like an EZM2 with a white date wheel ... the 3 has a white-tip black seconds hand and a second 24 hour chapter.Originally Posted by swanbourne
You are always surprised about how few people do so much work, in Europe ... when it all gets done by one person in ol' Blighty. :wink:
Thanks for the report. I love all that.
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
Just wait until China has the same proportion of their folks engaged in watchmaking as does Switzerland.Originally Posted by abraxas
Best wishes,
Bob
Not worth thinking about.Originally Posted by rfrazier
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
Cool. Some operation they have there.... 8)
Thanks for the excellent report, and the pictures, Eddie! :)
... the EZM3's "second 24 hour chapter" is hard to spot. :wink:Originally Posted by abraxas
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
Originally Posted by Crusader
Meaning?
* * *
What about the EZM2's red seconds? :roll:
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
There's nothing to report yet Dave, I'm waiting for quotes and timelines now.Originally Posted by Dave E
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Ah! Well, fingers crossed and hope it all comes in as you want it to then :)Originally Posted by swanbourne
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Hiya,
Eddie, did you get to see their eBay department? :lol:
ttfn
JasonG...ducksandrunsaway
Isn't it Zeno who has an eBay department Jason? :wink:Originally Posted by JasonG
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Well ... did you see their 'pick the case you like department', then? :POriginally Posted by swanbourne
john
Costume jewellery. Ouch!!!
No but I did see a Dreadnought case with dive tables engraved on the inner bezel.Originally Posted by abraxas
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Eddie,
Ah, my mistake. I thought there was an "issue" with Fricker too...my mistake. :-)
Incidentally, I notice that the pic with the EZM in (on-wrist) features paperwork that said "Hanhart" in big letters at the top. ;-)
I guess Fricker makes a lot of different "manufacturer's" watches?
ttfn
JasonG
PS: Who make the PRS-14 for you? Mine's still going strong and looking for a suitable bracelet...any suggestions? (Wetsuit extension not necessary)
Fricker made the PRS-14 Jason and no, I haven't found the right bracelet yet. :(
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Very interesting Eddie.
I felt a bit sorry for that poor sod who sits polishing cases all day though. :wink:
Cheers,
Neil.
So Doxa is using Fricker now to make a Dreadish Sub? :lol: :lol:Originally Posted by swanbourne
Hi Eddie,
Great pics of your visit!
Since you're apparently not willing at present to reveal anything about your 5-6 future projects, let me begin to express a hope that a titanium diver will be among them. Preferably one closer to the initial modification/proposal/idea of the Dreadnought - influenced by the Aquatimer - with a less cluttered dial (i.e. EZM3 without any numbers).
Oh I would love one of those suckers if it also had antimag built in. That would be a good one!Originally Posted by nextcube
I would love to see that DN case Eddie. I wonder if mine could be retrofitted?Originally Posted by swanbourne
They said it was only an experiment Ron and to be fair, it was on the table with lots of parts of cases, weird cases and bits.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Interesting report Eddie, it's nice to know a few projects are progressing too :D though perhaps bad news for my bank balance an credit controller (aka wife)
Package coming your way Steve, hope there's someone there to sign for it tomorrow.Originally Posted by tempus
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Cheers Eddie :D
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
p.s.
Cool, thanks for the review!
Ver nice, but how about the CAF?