Lume pic which will hopefully help:
EDIT: SNAP! Goes to show I should make sure I read "page 2" before posting!
a pic of the lume ,from there website,I'll take some more when it comes ,the one I'm getting is the very one on the website,which was made in advance to take photos of ,usually there's none in stock as there made to order
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Lume pic which will hopefully help:
EDIT: SNAP! Goes to show I should make sure I read "page 2" before posting!
Thanks, it's does.
Now to get a look at one.
Cheers
At a push I would even prefer one of the earlier date-only versions to the current day-date. For me, having a large rotation of watches where I typically only pick up and wear a piece for 2-3 days at a time at the outside, setting day/date is a faff (although I do it), plus more importantly as a rule I prefer a less "cluttered" dial. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone and if a non-date version could be offered there would be other takers, but obviously given the product's small market I do understand if it isn't viable to offer a non-date alternative.
There's something a bit off on the chrono reset pusher. Either it's not seated properly or the knurled finish is a bit uneven. Similar on other pictures too. Dial is nicely done though.
There's reason for everything. The knurling doesn't encompass the part of the pushers that goes into the case when you push them, as doing so would encourage the drag of dust and gunk toward the pusher seals. When pushed the end closest to the crown goes in further than the other end, and so the 'smooth bit' of the pusher is slightly higher towards the crown. This is also why the gap between pusher and case at the crown end is slightly larger than at the other end.
You can see it on mk1974's number 105 chronograph in the picture below, on number 036 that was in for an upgrade to the OO dial when I was taking pictures (brown strap is nice), and on picture JohnnyE posted, which is my watch sitting on a technical drawing (note the earlier clasp design).
OO has superluminova hour markers on the dial, in response to one of the comments I used to get that the O dial had no lume. Personally, when a watch is on my wrist in the dark I kind of know where 3 o'clock is so don't really need to be told, but I have to admit mildly glowing markers do look nice. That's also the reason 3 o'clock doesn't have a big 3; we all learned what it was a long time ago.
And here's what the pushers look like with no movement or dial obscuring them. The buttons extend toward the crown to provide protection to it without having to put crown shoulders on the case. Also makes a nice size button rather than a small round thing. The best way to do pushers would be without having them penetrate the case at all. Rare earth magnets are powerful enough to do it, but it might be a flawed solution.
Good to see you on the forum Lorne. If not a non-date version, could I buy a date-only version?
You could, as I kept a few dials for possible repairs of O model Field Engineers, but now that I've upgraded most O's to OO's there aren't many of the originals still around so the spares requirement is correspondingly smaller.
The O dial will fit the date counter of the OO model, and of course the revised hand set.
There are a lot of differences in the dials though as the below picture shows, including; superlumiova hour markers, the shades of cream and grey, sub-dial and dial marking, higher angle chapter ring (it looks smaller on OO). OO really is the fully fettled version, with all those tiny little things that weren't quite perfect on O all sorted.
If anyone fancies a bit of a laugh....
http://www.watchpaper.com/2017/04/18...-chronographs/
Photography, web-design, and now interview technique all need to be polished a bit! In my defence though it was 'interview by email' so I provided complete answers to be edited down to fit the required word count. Unfortunately no editing down happened.
I appreciate the reply Lorne and it is looking as if I will have to put my money where my mouth is!
I get the refinements in the OO dial but I just don't want the extra O. Could you please give me an idea of timescale if I place a special order for an O?
Can I ask a couple of other things too?
Is the Roman numeral bezel still available?
And a Google image search throws up a pic of one of your watches on a mesh bracelet (with a comment from your goodself on a different forum that you weren't keen on the mesh - there's something of a pattern here as I quite like it and would prefer a mesh as the alternative to the leather strap!). My last question (I promise) is whether a mesh will work with one of your deployant clasps.
Thank you.
Just got my hands on this,its a fair chunk,similar in weight to a po chrono,a couple of pics
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Yes to Roman Numeral bezel. A mesh bracelet will fit the case, and possibly the deployment buckle, but I did drop the concept after trying some out and went for the metal link bracelet instead. The main difference will be that a standard mesh bracelet will have straight ends instead of curved and profiled ones, so (personally) I don't think it'll look good and it'll throw the balance of weight off meaning there might be a tendency for the watch to rotate on your wrist.
Timescale is normally about 6 weeks, but I have movement and rotor 106 on order from switzerland, so perhaps a couple of weeks less. However, mk174 has advised number 105 is running out of time by a mile this morning so he's sending it back for a refund. Out-by-a-mile doesn't fit the within chronometer-standard so I suspect something in the movement has gone astray (swiss build eh!), meaning 105 might be scrubbed and replaced with 106 if mk174 isn't to cheesed off
Just an update:
6.5 years in to production and I've build around 120 Field Engineer chronographs. As you can tell, I like to fettle things to get them as close to perfect as possible, so whilst the current Field Engineer is still very recognisably similar to the original, it does have numerous small changes and 'tinkering' within it. Of course, all earlier Field Engineers can be upgraded to the current spec at cost-price, and like the pics below, many have.
Recent fettling includes;
A change to the same butterfly deployment clasp I use in the metal bracelet.
A compression system underneath the dial that gently compresses the movement in the vertical plane to improve shock resistance from any knocks or drops on the front face. The front sapphire is still recessed 0.3 mm below the bezel which has been very successful as no Field Engineer has ever broken its front glass. A couple of OO spec watches with my replacement day/date arrangement and mechanism did require resetting the day wheel however, as it had slipped after a knock, so the compression system also keeps that in place.
A couple of materials changes in movement components to move cyclic stress ranges outside their lower fatigue levels.
Extensive discussion on pistonheads about whether the movement modifications and new day/date system mean it's ethical or not to now call the movement 775M2; 775x family, 2nd Modification set to go into production.
Front and rear views of Number 036 after an upgrade from O spec to OO-775M2.
[IMG][url=https://postimg.org/image/5d6rmi5wn/][/[/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]
Still rubbish at photos and uploading via image hosting sites!
Thanks thats a really interesting watch, and enjoyed reading his website. Bit large for me unfortunately.
I see both sides of this argument and wouldn’t call it spamming.
The phrase “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” does spring to mind however. Calling the site owner tight whilst enjoying some free advertising is bound to rub some people up the wrong way!
Just paid a visit to your website Lorne and I think your watch is outstanding both in terms of design and spec.
Congratulations!
I really like it. Had a look at this months ago. My only concern was legibility of the hands on the white dial. Looks pretty robust and I like the exclusivity. May yet make it into my my next top 5 targets.
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very seriously considering one of these as my next big watch purchase. is there a non date option?
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
I keep coming back to this, more exclusive than most watches, more so than a Daytona with out the price.
On an aesthetics front, for me personally the Trident on the second hand should point the other way. - ie be at the end of the shaft as carried by Brittania. Not pointing along the shaft (seconds hand)
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Respect to you Johnny and great info from Lorne and all.
I like TZ for the help the members offer. This is a beacon of that.
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Last edited by mangoosian; 28th March 2018 at 01:24.
Spamming my own company on a watch brand thread - Yes, I expect I can be considered guilty, so my apologies to anyone it may offend.
Supportive of Eddie - Likewise I'm very supportive of Eddie. He's an excellent guy who let me post a direct and blatant 'spam' when the original O series model went into production simply because it was interesting. Over the years I've noticed that very few organisations or media outlets will allow any genuine interest pieces to be published without an obligatory pay-to-be-featured or we'll write about you if you place an (expensive) advert next to the article. Same of course with any watch shows. Such things are simply not possible when you have a production level of perhaps 2 dozen a year and try to maintain as fair and reasonable pricing as possible.
Anyone that criticises the design or ethics behind the brand - good on them, watch choice is more subjective than the type of car you buy or even the model of wife you marry. I read and reflect on all criticism and sometimes come to the conclusion that it's making a valid point. The reduction in chapter ring size on OO series is a direct consequence of someone saying it was fugly (had to look up fugly and was quite shocked).
Anyone that criticises the whole brand and ethos - over the years I've given plenty of advice to people who've wanted to build their own watch or brand, and I'm quite happy to continue, so just ask. Brand and ethos are personal choices that I accept not everyone will agree with.
Final spam on my own brand. www.marinechronometer.co.uk courtesy of the most excellent JohnnyE will be going live in a week or so as Classic Chronographs Ltd transitions to The Marine Chronometer Company. The 775M2 movement is built and timed to cosc chronometer standard and the watches are designed for a marine environment so I think it's a sensible change of name. I guess Bremont and their 'aviation chronometers' might have a little fish snapping at their heels in due course.
edit: trident being upside down on the main seconds hand. This is an interesting one, particularly as Christopher Ward put the trident the other way up on their watches. My reasoning was that the main seconds hand is the seconds counter for the stopwatch and therefore spends most of its time stationary and pointing upwards, or in my case pointing at the 7 or 8 second mark as I'm a bit funny that way. A trident always pointing down doesn't look good (tried it and trust me on that) and can have an unconscious connotation of a horse-shoe pointing down and all the good luck falling out. Hence trident counterweight configured the way it is.
another edit: non-date version could be done by gluing a couple of blanks into the OO windows, but it might be a little visible. No doubt one day when I expand the range I'll also offer different configurations, and possibly even a black dial version.
Last edited by LorneG; 29th March 2018 at 13:24.
Having just had a Bremont e-mail and saw the price at £4800
Yours is more exclusive more dependable and thus for me more desirable and will be my next purchase.
As for spamming nah, you are zillions of light years away from Ally et al
Spam away spam spam spam
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The Bremont e-magazine is interesting and very nicely done. This months one shows a multi-axis cnc lathe and milling machine, what looks like in-house manufacture of a movement mainplate, and a nice piece about bringing as much manufacturing as possible into the UK. Combined with the shops and boutiques it certainly adds value and wouldn't have been cheap to do. I'm pretty sure they'll get to the point they can confidently say 100% British.
Interesting use of a rubber inner movement holder, which is a great way of having a really solid layer of shock absorbing. Material longevity and particles flaking from it may be a future issue though. I went soft copper with a profiling and fixities that allow deformation if an impact is excessive. Similar with their hardened cases, but as hardening reduces ductility it results in more impact load transmitting through the outer case. Each to their own though. Love the knurling, but then I'm a fan of knurling.
Well... I kept Lorne waiting WAY too long for this... but I'm very pleased to announce the launch of his new website tonight at https://marinechronometer.co.uk/
Call over and have a look... it should be a lot easier to navigate now on mobile devices in particular.
New website looks very good and navigable on an iPhone Johnny.
Very nice job, Johnny.
You must be pleased, Lorne.
Simon
As a good honest Yorkshire man
I've just asked Lorne for 135 I know it's going to be the first of the new price increase. Hey I can live with that, even if it's for the exclusivity of such a timepiece.
Does the new strap still have the lovely deployment clasp?
I gather its a "yes" on that front... and I can say, it is a REALLY nice clasp. In chatting with Lorne, he explained to me that these new straps will have a 3D printed core, to create the perfect curve - engineered to fit comfortably. The clasp, is placed so as to hold you at the back of the wrist, just where your run of tendons are, in line with the thumb. In practice?... it WORKS! Utterly comfortable.
Congrats on ordering #135. I look forward to seeing your flag added to the map!! https://marinechronometer.co.uk/inde...e-in-the-world
Last edited by JohnnyE; 13th June 2018 at 15:19.
edit: trident being upside down on the main seconds hand. This is an interesting one, particularly as Christopher Ward put the trident the other way up on their watches. My reasoning was that the main seconds hand is the seconds counter for the stopwatch and therefore spends most of its time stationary and pointing upwards, or in my case pointing at the 7 or 8 second mark as I'm a bit funny that way. A trident always pointing down doesn't look good (tried it and trust me on that) and can have an unconscious connotation of a horse-shoe pointing down and all the good luck falling out. Hence trident counterweight configured the way it.
Lorne,
My early bad explanation/description.
I mean aesthetically, in my eyes, the trident with it's three prongs should be at the opposite end of the seconds hand. I.e at the 12o'clock position centre prong at noon. So same orientation but at the top of hand/finger not the bottom.
(as a trident would be held)
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It's always upside down half of the time, unless you're in Australia
Ooh, Nice! Thank heavens it is 44 mm. If was 40 or less I'd have been all over it!
A cracking watch I must say. Something very different and interesting.
LorneG, how did you come up with the logo? The reason I ask is it reminds me of Maserati!
The Maserati logo is in fact based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore. Similar.... But nothing to do with Britannia.
Source: https://marinechronometer.co.uk/inde...ometer-company
Company logo by Britannia. Over 2000 years old, but Britannia, the figurehead of the United Kingdom, still looks good. Her helmet is Corinthian, shield is Pict, the lion's from African and the trident is Roman, tri-dent being Latin for three-teeth, but the girl is all British. She looks good because the ratio of her shoulder height over hip height is 1:0.618, which is the closed-form solution to the Fibonacci ratio. Britannia embodies the notion of ideas and concepts from around the world being bought together into a single coherent unit. It was a philosophy that triggered the industrial revolution and propelled the world into the modern era.
Didn't know there were two threads on this watch. I shan't direct this one towards cars though, tempting as the Maserati comment is. The 3 hand running seconds is rather similar to the Mercedes logo though.
Justy to say that yes, the butterfly deployment clasp will be on the new straps as I sized it specifically for them. Leather thickness through the clasp will be about 3.5 mm (should be exactly 3.5 mm but there's more manufacturing tolerance in hand-made leather straps than CNC steel cases, hence 'about'). In JohnnyE's pic the Hirsch strap has 2 mm thickness through the clasp, so you can see it's slightly oversized for them.
dooh, the perils of an interview by email. interviewer asked for full as possible replies to his questions, which he'd edit down to a sentence or two. only went and put in the complete replies!
No pictures of the original diver I'm afraid as I wasn't overly impressed with the visual design. Sold half a dozen, but I don't think the owners were all that impressed either as they all went straight for the upgrade to Field Engineer when I introduced it. All diver's returned, and all broken into little pieces as part of 'I wonder how strong they really were'. Quite strong and, yes, every single one destroyed. Taught me a lot about the non engineering part of watch design, and also the importance of making the watch/strap/clasp combination balanced and gently fixed to the wrist so it won't slip or rotate.
Having always regretted not getting a Rolex Daytona from Blowers. Mother of pearl white face diamond dots. £6000!
Now looking at their prices I laugh, otherwise I'd cry.
But feeling SMUG to say the least, I am getting a more exclusive watch, a more interesting watch, a watch that is British as Rolex once was. Substantially handmade. Bullet proof warranty.
At a fraction of the cost.
No brainer to me
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