closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 51 to 60 of 60

Thread: A new "Made In England" watch - how hard?

  1. #51
    Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Wokingham
    Posts
    2,081
    The German state provides huge incentives to businesses to set up manufacturing facilities for the production of watches and watch components.
    Quote Originally Posted by PIERS (UK) View Post

    Best of luck! It's always easy to make a watch on your keyboard, but doing it in practice and properly is anything but easy!!
    So true.

  2. #52
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    359
    Quote Originally Posted by Rev-O View Post
    Garrick? Not quite: "The UT-G01 calibre was designed in partnership with eminent watchmaker, Andreas Strehler and his company Uhr Teil AG and parts are made in both the UK and Switzerland."
    Was the case for a few early examples of the movement. No parts are made by Strehler in any current production watch. Springs and jewels are sourced from Switzerland (can’t remember where crystals come from). So, yes it absolutely is a UK manufactured movement. Garrick are better at making watches than maintaining a website thankfully.

  3. #53
    Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Wokingham
    Posts
    2,081
    Quote Originally Posted by Satori View Post
    Was the case for a few early examples of the movement. No parts are made by Strehler in any current production watch. Springs and jewels are sourced from Switzerland (can’t remember where crystals come from). So, yes it absolutely is a UK manufactured movement. Garrick are better at making watches than maintaining a website thankfully.
    Who makes their escapement?

  4. #54
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    359
    Quote Originally Posted by MrBanks View Post
    Who makes their escapement?
    I don’t entirely know tbh. They can make the balance bridge and balance wheel pinion in house and I assume the escape wheel also because they cut their own wheels and have a range of lathes, wheel cutters, milling machines plus the skills to used them. Spring not in house. I asked about the balance wheel when I was in their workshop but can’t remember what they said. I have a memory of seeing some very rough-cut balance wheels and also playing with some rejected ones so they are definitely not bought in ready-to-go.

    It has been nearly a year since I had any contact with them so take my insight as patchy and likely out of date. The trajectory was firmly towards more in than out though for sure and even then what they couldn’t make efficiently themselves was sourced locally unless impossible otherwise.

  5. #55
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    359
    Just to add some context to the in-house vs outside stuff (and hoping not to derail the thread) when I say above that some parts are made by local engineering firms I don’t want to give the impression that fully assembly ready components are delivered. Below is a plate as delivered and also a finished movement finished with the bridges added. As you can see there is a ton of work to do before getting to build the watch and of course all this work is done in house...




  6. #56
    Quote Originally Posted by Rev-O View Post
    Garrick? Not quite: "The UT-G01 calibre was designed in partnership with eminent watchmaker, Andreas Strehler and his company Uhr Teil AG and parts are made in both the UK and Switzerland."

    But Frodsham? Yes.
    Many thanks,

    Not too dissimilar from Christopher Ward then. I like what Garrick are doing and will probably buy one of their watches in the near future. I have owned several CW watches I have owned a few Timefactors watches all be it pre owned and would have no problems buying a Bremont some of which I think are quite nice.

    Regarding German watches I deliberately avoided mentioning Glashutte as a few brands there have the backing of some of the big hitters such as Union, Glashutte Original and Lange. I do think we are getting there and we have some excellent brands out there such as Bremont, CW, Garrick. Loomes seems a bit over prices for what they offer to me. I do think all the ingredients are there we just perhaps dont recognise what we have as much as other nations.

    Satori, some good points here please keep posting.

  7. #57
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Tether's End, Lincs
    Posts
    4,850
    Quote Originally Posted by Rev-O View Post
    ... Bremont tried to pass off a Swiss movement as "in-house" ...
    Except I wasn't talking about "Show-us-on-the-doll-where-the-watchmaker-touched-you" fallen-angel Bremont, I was referring back to the OP and the evolving discussion. Bremont screwed-up, as the dozens of threads lamenting it on this forum alone clearly testifies, but we really should all move on and be pleased that they are making a success of their business - jobs and taxes and all that...

    Contrastingly, the recent reboot of Ollech & Wajs has been teutonically pragmatic - they specify the exact percentage of watch components sourced in Switzerland as well as where the rest is made. It was a minor factor in buying a P-104, but it was certainly a positive factor.

  8. #58
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    359
    .... hmmm. Runs off to google Ollech and Wasj. Nice. c1000 on RAF 👍

  9. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by earlofsodbury View Post
    Except I wasn't talking about "Show-us-on-the-doll-where-the-watchmaker-touched-you" fallen-angel Bremont, I was referring back to the OP and the evolving discussion. Bremont screwed-up, as the dozens of threads lamenting it on this forum alone clearly testifies, but we really should all move on and be pleased that they are making a success of their business - jobs and taxes and all that...

    Contrastingly, the recent reboot of Ollech & Wajs has been teutonically pragmatic - they specify the exact percentage of watch components sourced in Switzerland as well as where the rest is made. It was a minor factor in buying a P-104, but it was certainly a positive factor.
    Good points. The problem now is that supply lines are so complex. This part is made here out of metal sheets or rods imported from here and then final finishing takes place here with assembly and adjustment done here . . . .

  10. #60
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Tether's End, Lincs
    Posts
    4,850
    Quote Originally Posted by Rev-O View Post
    Good points. The problem now is that supply lines are so complex. This part is made here out of metal sheets or rods imported from here and then final finishing takes place here with assembly and adjustment done here . . . .
    Aye. Which is perhaps is all the more reason not to obsess over the details, be pragmatic, and aim for something both achievable and desirable

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information