What would a Stainless version of this cost then Eddie? I would still like the case/dial/hands if it was made from SS. Do you think there would love for 100 SS versions?
The main reason is that they have to clean out the machines to switch to bronze and then clean them again to go back to stainless. It's not worth it just for 100 cases (which is what I wanted).Originally Posted by Lippy
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
What would a Stainless version of this cost then Eddie? I would still like the case/dial/hands if it was made from SS. Do you think there would love for 100 SS versions?
It'll be very sad if this doesn't come to fruition. There certainly did seem to be an insatiable appetite for bronze watches at one stage but I'm not sure if the Helson/Magrette debacle has affected that. I still want one in my collection and was holding back until the PRS30 was released. :(
mmm - if they run a significant downtime period for machine maintenance ( likely to happen at least once a year anyway) and they could set up onto bronze immediately afterwards, it could be argued that they would have only one cleaning cycle rather than two, as the other cycle is a part of the maintenance regime. As such, if timing is not an issue, you might be able to explore running 150 just prior to or just after a period of downtime, but at their choice of timing rather than yours..Originally Posted by swanbourne
Hi Eddie.
Perhaps its worth considering some sort of prefunding arrangement to share the risk - i.e., get deposits for a certain % of the price on whatever number of watches you think would reduce your risk to an acceptable level before making any financial commitments yourself. The deposits would be non-refundable if you reached your target number of pre-sales and refundable if you did not. You could offer a modest discount to early purchasers to compensate them for the use of their money for financing purposes (to the extent that having the watch go ahead despite its challenging economics was not compensation enough). Alternatively, you could throw in some other sort of sweetener like a gift certificate at Time Factors (or whatever). You may be aware of this model being increasingly used via websites like Kickstarter. However, your own forum and community here would presumably provide enough of a network of like-minded people that using platforms like Kickstarter might be unnecessary.
Just a thought.
This has been suggested before but I recommend you research the pre-funding arrangements Bill Yao had in place for the Kingston. There can be no doubt that this damaged his business and his reputation.Originally Posted by david stinson
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I wasn't aware of the Yao/Kingston situation. There's nothing inherently wrong with the funding mechanism - a variant of customer-risk-sharing/financing has helped to finance natural gas pipelines for decades in North America. The advantage is that it allows the customer to communicate something that is unknown to the producer - the extent of the customer's intent to purchase. However, as you point out, it may not be suited to all situations, particularly, I suppose, where it's difficult to ensure that customer expectations are accurate in advance of seeing the actual product or where unforeseen delays are a normal part of business, etc. In any case, there tends not to be a shortage of ideas for watches that people want you to produce :lol: so perhaps it's not worth taking the risk. On the other hand, I can't recall a situation in which you failed to greatly exceed your customers' expectations.Originally Posted by swanbourne
I'm not advocating it. I was just wondering whether it had been considered - but you obviously have considered it and determined that it's not appropriate for your business. So, I won't ever mention it again :mrgreen:
Eddie is the option to buy 300 cases @ but build a 100 watches open to you, or would that mean you would be doing this all for effectively 0% profit?
Might be "Richmond Spencer" burning away at the back of your mind, when you mention "Not feeling the Love" ?
I like it, I would buy it, despite the crisis, and the SWIMBO
Me too :(Originally Posted by Optimum
I hope a solution can be found :)
I have been following the development of this model with a great deal of interest. Just to add my tuppence worth, I would like one when they come off the board and into the metal. The idea of putting down a deposit has merit from my viewpoint and I would happily raid the piggy bank to do so. Deposit taking could cause additional admin problems and general aggro to Eddie though.
Maybe a substantial deposit from interested parties is the way to go?
This is one of my absolute dream watches i'd really appreciate if it comes to production :). Looking forward to more information,
Best Regards,
David
Same here. I hope it is not dead altogether.
Stan.
The offer is sat on my desk now and on Monday morning I'll give the word to proceed. The bronze is coming from Switzerland, I don't trust the Chinese bronze ;-).
Bronze watch case PRS-30, design like picture
Case 42mm x 42mm, measurement without lugs
Brushed finish
ETA2824-2
Normal tube, crown 7mm diameter design like picture, plated in same colour like bronze
Lug spacing 24mm, lugs drilled through, shoulderless springbars
Domed sapphire crystal, anti-reflect inside
Screwed solid stainless steel caseback with engraving
Sandwich dial. Subdial with C3 Superluminova, top dial with the cuttings III VI, IX, XII and the hour points, date cut at 6 h and logo "Precista"
Hands like picture filled with C3 Superluminova
Water-resistant 10ATM
Bronze material = Nickel Aluminium Bronze, UNS designation C63000, C63200, ASTM specification B171
Payment 30% deposit + tool costs + bronze material before production
70% balance 8 days after delivery
All prices ex-works
Any questions?
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
No questions Eddie, it looks promising;
just an good thing to know so I can set some money aside for this one
Can't wait. Looking forward to getting one :-)
.
With a seconds-hand or without?
john
The Swiss have made waiting a luxury experience. ~ Andrew McUtchen
This is excellent news, Eddie, and I'm looking forward to seeing it come to fruition. Just need to make sure I've got cash when it turns up to buy one!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Well worth the wait for this one, some approximate availability timing would be handy.
The 2nd picture, third watch along has the seconds hand
That's really nice Eddie.
i suppose that its price won't be less than a thousand Eur. !
Lovely :)
Get it made forthwith. Tell me where to post my sheckels, I'm in.
Happy days! I am most certainly in for this one!!
I'll be there; amazing looking watch!
Although Eddie has a right to reservations about this watch, I have a feeling in the current cllimate of bronze watches this watch will be a top seller. There are alot of considerations as to why this particular watch may do better in general and not only because of the reputation Eddie has brought to the table for his brands.
The cushion case in particular always drives the fans mad, using a real bronze alloy which alot of WIS do value, simplistic easy to read dial and for some a 6 o'clock date window. I very much like the combination of roman numerals and dots for lesser numbers it really brings the dial out. I can see this as a real solid seller.
Good luck Eddie!
I'll take one of those, it's about the best looking watch I've ever seen.
Assuming you go ahead with this, what's the likely timescale and final price estimate?
Would it be possible to fit your 50 chronograph movements into this to effectively reduce the numbers slightly? If so, I'll take one of those too ( the one with the red thingy!).
Dave
I have been a lurker on the site for a couple of years, but this watch has just made me join the forum! This watch has just got to be made as far as I am concerned - and a Seagull Unitas wouldn't be a problem in my opinion (though that probably doesn't count for a lot).
I would certainly be in the queue for one.
A bit of a rushed comment will try to do a proper intro post soon
Yipee ! Can't wait. Hope the price is not a deterrent...
For those concerned about pricing, I think it's important to note that Eddie has a long history of bon marche watches. In fact, I can't think of a single one which could be described as anything less than good VFM, and most are great VFM. If the style appeals to you, you'll be hard-pressed to find a bigger bang for your buck (or is that "Pow for your pound"?).
I'm on the fence about another bronze watch - my Polluce is standing me in good stead - but will be watching with interest! I can tell you that I'd be interested in a bronze buckle! SS just doesn't seem right with the bronze Polluce.
I have no inside information but as to how much I reckon if you look to save about £1000 then that should cover it (hopefully with quite some to spare). Look at the (very broadly) similar 44mm Bronze Moray from Benarus: $1300 plus shipping (about $50), so about £840, or about £1000 including VAT once imported.
As to how long: I'd guess more than six months.
Any comments anyone?
Thought I would drag this thread up since Eddie's email said the watches would be with him in about six to eight weeks! Sure there will be a lot of excitement when the photos are posted.
Any updates on specs or pricing Eddie?
If Carlsberg did watches... Probably the best bronze soon to be on the market
Gray
Looks great! Glad I held off on the bronze Halios I was looking at as this is much more interesting.
Will be my first of Eddies if I can't get hold of a Speedbird GMT first (unlikely!).
Sadly, holding off on your Halios may be in vain until Eddie's given a firm(ish) date for completion. I'll be looking firmly at this if the price is okay.
I thought Eddie's email this week said 6-8 weeks?
Email? I did sign up for it but never get it.