Change has come – British watchmakers prepare for new challenges

Two momentous events have occurred in the second half of 2016. These events have heralded change, which allows the words in the lyrics of the Seal song “A Change is gonna come” to become true. His soul stirring balladic rendering of ‘how it’s been an uphill journey and been a long time coming’ (The lyrics of the song are penned by songwriter Sam Cooke) has finally arrived in the form of Brexit (June 2016) and the US Elections (Nov 2016). The ripples of change is sure to flow towards Europe as elections in France (April 2017) and Germany (Aug 2017) will sandwich elections in Czechoslovakia and Netherlands.

The only permanent thing in life is change apart from death and taxes (credit to Benjamin Franklin). The timing of change is critical. Time is relentless and when the events coalesce then it is opportunistic time. As the developed countries (where the change is happening most) realign their trade policies and agreements, Britain is on the threshold of leading the change.

Time and the measurement of time has always been the bastion of British watchmaking skills from time immemorial. It appears that Britain will no more have to wait at the back of the queue (as exiting US President Mr. Barack Obama had remarked just before the Brexit vote). Under the leadership of the dynamic Prime Minister of UK, Mrs. Theresa May, Britain can leapfrog over others and claim back the dominant position of favored trade partner with the strongest economy in the world.

The timing is perfect as British flavor in the United States of America are strongly represented both culturally (the entertainment arts have personalities such as Mark Rylance, Emily Blunt, Kate Winslett, Helen Mirren among others) and politically (the Queen at the age of 90 and as the longest serving monarch) is revered the world over. Therefore, it is time that the watchmaking industry establishes ‘Glashutte’ styled watchmaking facilities.

Opportunity is knocking and there is no dearth of finance (the pound is affordable as an investment currency), the knowledge of watchmaking is in the British DNA and the skills are in excellent hands of reputed watchmakers and institutions. Glancing through WatchPro or reading Hodinkee (reputed web resource on watches) or any online community such as trustpilot.com the name of Perpetual Time chimes the solidity of British watchmaking excellence. Several Perpetual Time reviews agree that the service and professionalism in watch restoration is incomparable. The appreciation accorded in Perpetual Time reviews are sincere as the recipient of the workmanship understands the passion and dedication of Perpetual Time.

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Bespoke elegance of watchmakers stand firm

In the push to enhance sales of watch merchandise during the Christmas season watch brands and big-time retailers are sparing no expense in outdoor advertising. Giant billboards dot the London skyline and intersections. People passing by are bombarded by visuals that are stunning and sometimes it can be jarring. Manchester, Liverpool and other major cities in UK are not spared either. Is this the new wave or change that is sweeping the world?

Brexit happened according to pundits because the senior citizens and elderly overwhelmingly voted ‘OUT’. Is this true? The US elections have followed with a similar verdict; change not for the sake of change but as a cry against authoritative governance bordering on arrogance. Brussels was given the heave-ho while the Americans decided to go anti-establishment. The far right in France is licking their chops and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing opposition not witnessed in the last decade. These changes have heralded the beginning of going back to solid roots whether it is governance or watchmaking excellence.

British watchmakers have never shouted from the rooftops to market their products. The world of horology in Britain has always exuded a quite elegance that is true even to this day. Excellent engineering and elegance in crafting has been admired and patronage extended by the watchmakers guild in Britain. The tradition is continued with the Guild of Master Craftsman conferring on several trades the coveted badge of honour on professions such as watchmakers. One such establishment is the bespoke BHI and WOSTEP trained Master Craftsman Perpetual Time.

Headed by a passionate watchmaker, the CEO Mr. Alex Photi brings passion and dedication to the watchmaking profession that is throwback to the beginning of horology in Britain. Several Perpetual Time reviews have openly expressed their admiration for the skills of this institution. Britain is home to vintage watches and clocks that are still available in many homes. The appreciation in Perpetual Time reviews by people who wear family heirlooms on their wrists is proof of this fact.

 

Bespoke British watchmaking history

Is a watch a fashion statement? If not then it is a device that is functional. Truth be told it was such a device. The 18^th and 19^th Century had created the need to tell the time and without a watch it was not possible to regulate life. In the 20^th Century the Shinkansen bullet trains of Japan created a spectacular metric; citizens would consider their watches were wrong when they compared the time with the arrival and departure of the bullet trains.

The digital age has put paid to the watch as a functional device. Digital clocks are everywhere – even the wrist although it is an extension of the smartphone. These watches tell and show more than time. It is a glimpse into the social world of the human being. However, in defence of the wrist watch with mechanical movements it must be stated that the allure and elegance has not waned one ‘beat’.

Vintage watches and modern mechanical marvels continue to beat and oscillate perfect time.  There is a new term for the wearing of mechanical watches. It is a niche space; the division is stark and clear; on one side you have the digital’o’cracy who peer at the changing technological scene in bits and bytes including the time. On the other side are the down to earth homo-sapiens that include millennials who are conscious that too much intensity of digital based niches will spell the onset of mankind’s doom.

The watch world has interesting mix of the old-world charm woven stories in several online forums. A new entrant to this treasure trove of information is Perpetual Time Reviews that have managed to find its own niche space in this age of information. As a web resource the stories in Perpetual Time reviews do not follow any pattern. It is sort of bespoke (custom fit) for different personalities. There is no one-size-fits-all type of information. Being random the stories have one thing in common – the rich history of British watchmaking.

Being British and not be Boring

Here are a few examples of what constitutes British in no particular order.

Monarchy – Queen Elizabeth II is quintessential British. She is the face of United Kingdom. Apart from longevity it is her grace and poise through all the trials and tribulation her country and family has undergone.

The Beatles –The musical band revolutionised music. Although heavily influenced by American music (Elvis Priestley in particular) no other music band in the popular genre has achieved the status of demigods.

British sense of humor – This is legendary. It cannot be defined by a single word or phrase but you can recognize it for its subtle and profound nature. There is hardly any slapstick and no attempt at buffoonery.

Pageantry – No country in the world reveres and enjoys the pageantry of ceremonies as much as the British. Irrespective of the occasion it is steeped in tradition and the people love it.

British architecture – London is at the centre of perhaps the best architecture marvels; the citizens owe a huge debt of gratitude to Sir Christopher Wren who rebuilt (partially) after the Great London fire.

British fashion – High street fashion is a match to Paris, Milan and New York – more of a trend setter for understated elegance

British solidity – Timeless appeal of their clocks, watches and McLaren racing cars – Jaguar, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin are names to reckon with and so is James Bond.

Heathrow – One of the world’s busiest and among the few airports in the world to build a third runway.

On the subject of watches the unmistakable appearance of class without being obvious is immediate on spotting a Roger Smith, Bremont or a vintage Smith. England is perhaps the only country in the world with talented watchmakers in all major cities who can service a tourbillon or a ‘dead-second caliber’. Checking Perpetual Time reviews (one of the esteemed watchmaker based in Liverpool and Manchester) reveals this intricate facet of British character. The resource site Perpetual Time reviews is an excellent window of what constitutes British.

Smiths watchmaking legacy

1950. Smith & Sons is a multi-national British industrial group functioning under several names in the industry for over 150 years. Few people are aware of the wonderful legacy of this erstwhile watch making behemoth. Yes, that is the right word for during their heydays of watch and clock manufacturing they were producing over 25,000 timepieces per day; this was around 1950. These manufacturing facilities were in Wales.

It was also around this time that the Smith brand was associated with the first conquest of Mount Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary also wore a Smith wristwatch (DeLuxe model) although it was another world famous brand (famously advertised) associated with Hillary’s climbing of Everest. Smith also got their share of publicity as the famed New Zealand mountaineer stated that the Deluxe Smith model watch worked flawlessly throughout the expedition due to the special lubrication used in the Smith watch movement. The expedition was using other sensitive equipment manufactured by S. Smith & Sons*.

The Smith watch brand has stopped production since 1980’s as quartz watches and other advanced manufacturing technologies took over watch production. Smiths have diversified into other areas such as medical instruments and other products. However, vintage Smiths fetch a premium in the collector’s market and ticking perfectly to this day. An avid collector posting in the Perpetual Time review forum has stated that he owns a couple of Smiths with one being the Timefactor model.

In the same Perpetual Time review he expresses his appreciation for the generic spare parts used by this restorer for the W10 military Smith model. British collectors value such craftsmanship of founder Samuel Smith and handed down several generations. With Britain once again free of the clutches of Brussels the time is ripe for Smith-styled British resilience.

(* for links visit Wound for Life, Sep 2015 article by Shane Green – Lessons in History)

Related Source:http://perpetualtimereviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/smiths-watchmaking-legacy_11.html

 

Watchmakers extraordinaire

Is a watch just a watch? All watches are just not the same. The horological world is full of characters, yes Sir, that is what they are; watchmakers all of them, they are skilled at what they do and some of them dare the impossible.

The example of the Frenchman Francois Paul Journe is apt. He is true auteur in the correct sense of the word. An inventor extraordinaire who imbibes horology and breathes its DNA; he built a remarkable watch in 2000 that practically cannot be copied. Naming it Sonnerie Souveraine this watch chimes and minutes reminiscent of a standing hall clock. He can be called the doyen of independent watchmakers as he produces about 750 to 800 watches in a year. The world of collectors is small and among them the name of F. P. Journe stands tall

Then there is genuine Swiss flesh and blood Philippe Dufour. He is traditional Swiss by birth, in thinking and in style. He is a one-man band promoting Swiss watchmaking skills. In 1992, he created an 18K masterpiece that chimes on demand. He produced four pieces and in 2008 one of them sold at a Christie’s auction for nearly half a million dollars.

The story of Antoine Prezuiso is a saga of Italian passion combined with Swiss flair. Watchmaking is in his DNA since he was 7 years of age. He has created a watch called 3volutions that is a combination of three tourbillon movements in one. Making one tourbillon is difficult; creating three is in the realms of the impossible. This watch is priced at 1.4 million dollars and it takes 12 months to produce.

Kari Voutilainen as you guessed rightly is from Finland. He is a graduate of the only watchmaking institution in Finland called Kelloseppakoulo (started in 1944 in Lahti and now based in Tapiola). Kari has fashioned a repeater watch that chimes not only the hours, the watch chimes 10 minute intervals and then the minutes. This creation has fetched the astronomical sum of almost half a million dollars. Following in Kari’s footsteps is another Finn called Stepan Sarpaneva.

Mr. Vianney Halter is the crazy watchmaker from France (in his own words) He derives inspiration for watchmaking from movies and science fiction. He owns literally several antique mechanical devices. He produces about 20 pieces in a year.

This list is only partial and thanks are due to the Wall Street Journal of Nov 22, 2013 for research inputs. If you happen to own any of these one-offs and they need to be serviced your best bet is to get in touch with Britain’s Perpetual Time in the event the original creator is not available. To know whether this watchmaker is capable look up Perpetual Time reviews.

Apart from excellent certification from WOSTEP and The Guild of Master Craftsmen this enterprise, bring to the watchmaking table equivalent skills sans the dare of creating their own. They can be proud of their servicing and restoring ability as other Perpetual Time reviews testify. Many a classic watch been restored under the expert care of these talented and expert craftsmen.

 

Smiths watchmaking legacy

S. Smith & Sons is a multi-national British industrial group functioning under several names in the industry for over 150 years. Few people are aware of the wonderful legacy of this erstwhile watch making behemoth. Yes, that is the right word for during their heydays of watch and clock manufacturing they were producing over 25,000 timepieces per day; this was around 1950.  These manufacturing facilities were in Wales. It was also around this time that the Smith brand was associated with the first conquest of Mount Everest.

Sir Edmund Hillary also wore a Smith wristwatch (DeLuxe model) although it was another world famous brand (famously advertised) associated with Hillary’s climbing of Everest. Smith also got their share of publicity as the famed New Zealand mountaineer stated that the Deluxe Smith model watch worked flawlessly throughout the expedition due to the special lubrication used in the Smith watch movement. The expedition was using other sensitive equipment manufactured by S. Smith & Sons*.

The Smith watch brand has stopped production since 1980’s as quartz watches and other advanced manufacturing technologies took over watch production. Smiths have diversified into other areas such as medical instruments and other products.

However, vintage Smiths fetch a premium in the collector’s market and ticking perfectly to this day. An avid collector posting in the Perpetual Time review forum has stated that he owns a couple of Smiths with one being the Timefactor model.

In the same Perpetual Time review he expresses his appreciation for the generic spare parts used by this restorer for the W10 military Smith model. British collectors value such craftsmanship of founder Samuel Smith and handed down several generations. With Britain once again free of the clutches of Brussels the time is ripe for Smith-styled British resilience.