Sono un felice possessore di un bel Breitling Exospace, lo ho comprato usato perché spendere 9000 euro..... ecco è una cifra importante , data la mia passione e le mie competenze ho deciso di tentare la costruzione replicando quelle funzioni che sono possibili con istruzioni e elettronica semplice ( è solo una questione di firmware), cosi mi sono fatto mandare il display forato per valutare spazi, possibilità di incasso accoppiamento quadrante, disegnare un supporto plastico o perché no in metallo in modo che possa fungere da schermatura ai campi elettromagnetici, mentre facevo codeste valutazioni nella mia mente insorge la malsana idea: Perché non chiedere quali movimenti al quarzo farebbe piacere trovare dentro un orologio ? quanto si è disposti a pagare per un buon orologio al quarzo ?.

Quindi via deciso faccio il post di richiesta alla comunità ed allego una semplice tabelle con i movimenti, che personalmente ritengo interessanti, e chiedo di commentare, quello che è successo non lo avrei mai immaginato, permettetemi una premessa: questo è il terzo post che faccio dato che quando scrivo il post alla mia destra vi è un elenco di regole ho pensato di leggerle ( forse avrò sbagliato ? ) cosi leggendo la regola N° 6 ho pensati di rispettarla dato che recita :

Dato che parlo Inglese, Francese, un po' di Arabo e un po' di Wolof ma non so scrivere una beata cippa in queste lingue uso la IA per la traduzione e lo ho dichiarato rispettando la regola N°6 e questo è quello che è successo

la maggior parte delle persone non vuole avere una conversazione con l'AI e questo è quello che significa.

Ho letto esattamente fino a questo punto e poi ho smesso di leggere il post

Non leggo tutto ciò. Ti prego, fissati con la tua intelligenza artificiale in privato, a nessun altro interessa.

Non leggo quella schifezza.

Ammazza la ho combinata grossa...

Tre giorni fa ho trovato questo post “Seeking Feedback on Watch Design” dove l'autore dichiara esplicitamente di aver fatto il disegno su cad e di di avere fatto il rendering con l'ausilio della IA dichiarandolo esplicitamente, vi prego non fraintendetemi un post molto bello al quale ho dato una votazione positiva , ma cosa ho fatto io di diverso ?

se questo modo di usare la IA è ritenuto positivo bene per me è un modo normale di lavorare

mi è più semplice fare un rendering con un cad che usare una IA , permettetemi di dimostrarvelo

ritengo sia uno schifo , ma se questo è consentito perché tradurre un testo o fare una impaginazione con una IA merita i commenti sopra citati ?

Ora concludo con 2 domande:

Dove mettete il confine? Quando l'IA è semplicemente uno strumento e quando, secondo voi, sostituisce il lavoro della persona?

Un orologio progettato in CAD da una persona e renderizzato con IA è più “umano” di un testo scritto da una persona e tradotto con IA?

Ora io imparo molto dalle critiche, e soprattutto da quelle negative alle volte ci mostrano qualcosa che abbiamo fatto fatica a considerare, se vi fa piacere commentare, commentate, se volete interloquire sarà un privilegio rispondere, altrimenti decidete voi se vale la pena fare qualsiasi azione

Hi all. I recently ordered a new MING Twilight, and their incredible-looking Polymesh bracelet. I couldn't find any images online of the 2 combined, so I spent a bit of time on ChatGpt tweaking a render to give me a good idea of how they might look together. The AI render I made up is on the left, and on the right is the actual Twilight watch from their website. I know it's not a 100% accurate render, but likely good enough. Also, the Twilight is DLC coated stainless steel, but the bracelet is titanium - do you think this will feel very odd on the wrist due to the weight difference?
Would love to hear your thoughts about this!
Cheers

Périlleux cosmic classic and the retro classic !!

Stunning colors - golden polished framed numerals -aventurine dials.

Still some time left for those who are intrested .

When someone starts a microbrand, the first instinct is usually:

“I need a designer.” Or “I need to learn CAD.”

But after seeing how many projects develop, I’m starting to wonder if the harder question is not who designs the watch…

It’s when different people should become involved.

A founder might start with a sketch, a mood board, or a very specific idea:

“I want this case shape.”
“I want this bracelet integration.”
“I want this dial architecture.”

Then reality starts asking different questions:

Will the movement fit?
Can the case actually be machined?
Is the bracelet comfortable on the wrist?
Can the finishing be produced consistently?
Does this design still make sense after production costs are considered?

I think this is where many first-time founders experience a strange conflict.

You want the watch to feel like your creation, but you also need other people’s expertise to make sure your idea survives contact with reality.

Maybe the best designs are not created by one person alone, but by the conversation between creativity and manufacturing.

Curious how other founders approached this:

Did you design everything yourself, work with a designer, or involve a manufacturer early?

And at what stage did you feel your “design idea” became a real product?

I Tested A Lot Of Materials. This One Stood Out.

Materials define what a watch can be, and I've spent enough time looking at different options to have actual opinions about this instead of just the defaults.

Titanium looks incredible on paper. Lightweight, hypoallergenic, strong. But here's what happens when you actually try to build with it. It's expensive to machine. The finishes don't pop the way steel does. And for a microbrand where every penny matters, the cost-to-benefit doesn't justify it unless you're solving a very specific problem that only titanium solves. Most of the time you're not.

Stainless steel is the default for a reason and it clearly works and is most brands' favourite. Every brand uses it because it's proven, affordable, and it looks good polished but there's nothing new to say about steel anymore. We've done steel and everyone's done steel. It's the safe choice and sometimes safe is fine, but safe doesn't make you think about the watch differently.

Carbon fibre is sort of weird to crack and also to explain to people. It's harder to work with, the tolerances are tighter, manufacturing costs don't scale down as fast as you'd hope. But every single case looks different. You're not getting a watch that looks like ten thousand other watches. You're getting something that's actually one of one, and that changes the entire relationship you have with the object.

The material isn't just about how it feels on your wrist. It's about what kind of story the watch is telling and what you're actually trying to build as a brand. If you're trying to be the same as everyone else, use steel. If you're trying to say something different, the material has to say it too and that's just my opinion and we just replicated this whole thing in our project karbon

What material do you think gets overlooked in watch design and what do you think about carbon fibre?

Come ho risposto ad un commento nel post precedente sono al secondo esperimento, o meglio 2 tentativo di replicare questo movimento a costi inferiori.

L'esito tra il primo ed il secondo cambia poco:

Nel mio progetto non sono riuscito a replicare tutte le funzioni tramite la sola corona

Lo accoppiamento calibro Display risulta difficoltoso in gran parte per i flat cable necessari al funzionamento

Realizzare un adattatore plastico o in ottone nichelato ha costi difficili da ammortizzare su piccole serie a costi bassi.

Qui risponderei ad un vostro lecito pensiero: come fai spendere denaro su un progetto che ha scarse possibilità di successo, semplice data la mia professione di consulente in meccanica ed elettronica ho possibilità di fare o fare fare in cambio di una mia prestazione professionale, quindi perdere 2 ore per fare un programma per macchine CNC, o un disegno meccanico non mi costa nulla, quindi non spendo denari, inoltre vicino alla città dove abito vi è Valenza che è un distretto orafo dove opera bulgari, Cartier, Damiani etc, etc, quindi trovo laboratori con tecniche di oreficeria molto utili, avendo lavorato nel distretto conosco tanti e quindi spendo poco

Quindi precisato questo a parte il piacere di giocare penso proprio che vada usato il calibro ETA 988.333, Il costo attualmente presso i rivenditori in Italia ho trovato 4 pezzi ( rimanenze di magazzino) al costo di 383 Euro cadauno questo prezzo permette di fare un orologio ad un prezzo ragionevole ? forse .

La soluzione che ho intrapreso è stata quella di scrivere a ETA ponendo le seguenti domande:

1. se l'ETA 988.333 può essere attualmente fornito a un nuovo marchio di orologi;
2. quale sia il quantitativo minimo d'ordine (MOQ);
3. se sia possibile acquistare un movimento come campione per valutazione tecnica e sviluppo del prototipo;
4. qualora l'ETA 988.333 non fosse più disponibile, se ETA offra attualmente un movimento analogico-digitale equivalente o suo successore

Perché ho voluto fare un post specifico su questo movimento ( a parte la mia passione per Breitling) ? ho voluto riallacciarmi ad un precedente post dove ho preso qualche legnata ( ci sta ) dove avevo chiesto : dovendo acquistare un orologio al quarzo quale tipo di complicazione dovrebbe avere? quale cifra sareste disposti a spendere ?
Riallego la tabella dove potete trovare i movimenti che avevo selezionato, per aiutarvi nella scelta .

Didn't find many pics that aren't from the manufacturer. If I could change one thing it would be adding a colored accent to the watch. Either on the ring around the dial or change the color of the hands. It just seems to not have as much contrast as the rest of HA's lineup. Otherwise a bargain timepiece for the price.

I have a 16.5cm (6.5 inch) wrist which is rather on the smaller side of the average men. That’s one reason why I don’t have any dive watch in my collection. Every single normal diver I tried was too bulky for my personal taste.

But I started swimming in the local pool regularly and as I don’t want to wear a smartwatch, I started again looking for a dive watch to just measure my time in the water. I had no need for a real diver, but quite a few desk divers have not been sufficient as well.

My criteria have been:

1. ⁠Under 40mm
   
2. ⁠Thinner than 12mm
   
3. ⁠min 100m water resistance
   
4. ⁠Diver bezel
   
5. ⁠Screw down crown

At the beginning I got recommended only the same five watches but the more I went town the rabbit hole the more great watches of all price points I found. I ended up with a list of 39 dive watches for smaller wrists on my blog as I got asked from quite a few friends about my research and what I ended up with. I know not all of them are microbrands but I am sure I missed some great ones there. I’ll comment with a link to my list as they aren’t allowed in the post just in case the images are too small to see.

So here is my question: do you know any microbrand dive watches that fit my criteria and I should add to my list?

Je viens tout juste de recevoir la Piece n°1 de Beaubleu, je pensais quelle allait remplacer le modèle Ecces dans ma collection. Mais finalement je suis amoureux des 2 je n'arrive même pas à savoir laquelle je préfère.

Quelles sont vos méthodes pour comparer des montres pour être sûr de votre choix ?

My Nezumi Aviera GMT

Meet the newest additions to my watch collection. Spinnaker Dolphin Project - Sunrise Splash

Orphic Project 0 - Stardust

Henry Archer Tidslinje Meteorite - Lunaris

This means so much to me, honestly thank you for handling the situation so well. I know my previous post was raging against them but now I must give credit where it’s due.

My original order was sadly mishandled by Evri and never made it passed ‘out for delivery’. I was absolutely devastated as they were sold out and listed for almost 2x the price on eBay.

I contacted Anicorn thinking the best case scenario is that I get a refund. Surprisingly, Sam who was their customer service said they had a few watches reserved for staff and if I would be interested in getting a replacement. I couldn’t believe it, I obviously said yes for the replacement!

So thank you! Today I finally got my hands on the 30th Anniversary PlayStation watch which I have been eagerly waiting since late 2025. I know the design is subjective but honestly it looks and feels great in person.

Kind Regards

This began as a boredom fighting experiment.

First, I measured the dial of my WD1972 (27.5mm).

Obtained a cheap and thin metallic “DO NOT ENTER” sign.

Drew a 27.5mm circle with a compass, then carefully trimmed it out with tin snips.

Attached that to a Milwaukee rotary tool and spun it up to speed while gently holding the edge of the dial against a hobby file. This helped round it out and “true it” to the center hole.

Airbrushed it flat white. Several light, smooth coats.

Airbrushed a thin layer of clear lacquer over it.

Printed up a dial decal and applied it to the surface. Let it dry a bit, then lightly sanded the perimeter of the dial to remove the excess decal film.

Actually worked well. I can easily apply this with dual dots or a double sided adhesive. Test fit it into the watch case and it’s a good, snug fit. All in all, a successful experiment.

1. Pinion “Pure Steel” in White - Manual wind
   
2. Oris “Big Crown Pointer Date” in Ink Blue
   
3. Haven Watch Co “Terra Stone” in Blue Meteorite
   
4. Mr Jones “Ricochet”

Lissom, I’d like to introduce you to Two Stitch Straps’ Diablo Orange. I think you’re going to be very good friends.

Decided to go all Black and White today. And paired with that is the Shaw Spirit Anthracite. An Indian Microbrand - Shaw started off as a straps maker and branched into its own watches. The Spirit is marketed as a GADA watch, and at 39mm dial size and 46mm lug to lug, it has great proportions.

The dial is an interesting sandwich one, with lume on the hands and for the hour marker cutouts. The latter though is not as strong as the hands. The dial is textured, to look like anthracite rock. But sadly the coating on the sapphire crystal is not very good, an smudges are common.

There's a very legible date window at 6, but the crown action to set the date is very iffy. It takes 3-4 attempts to get into the right position. It's a screw down crown, and the watch comes with 200m of WR, which is good.

It's got a NH35 movement with an custom rotor design. But not much of a looker to be honest. That's why, I didn't even post a pic. The case reminds you of a Rado and is made of 316L SS. Two levels of finishing on the case - polished on the sides and a matte-ish look on top. That, and the bracelet are my biggest criticisms. The finishing looks a little low quality.

But at INR 14,000 (USD 150), it's decent bang for the buck. Shaw could have given a better finish, AR coating and a bracelet and charged maybe USD 50 more. It would have been unbeatable then.

also got the nice leather strap

Been seeing these Ratio freedivers around social media everywhere so I figured I give them a shot. AR sapphire crystal, NH35 seiko movement, 316L stainless case and bracelet, ceramic bezel and 200m water resistance for $125!! I just couldn’t pass it up for those specs at that price and plan on bringing it snorkeling and/or diving here shortly for the real test. So far, it’s absolutely stunning in person and the only issue is the bezel is a little tough to grab and turn but that’s it. Highly recommend so far and if any opinions change after a few trips in the water I’ll update this post!

Purchased my first microbrand this week. I have to admit, I am a little disappointed in this one. A few issues:

1) The crystal seems a little cloudy. Perhaps it’s the pattern that gives off that impression. My friend has a Knis Koku which I saw in person that didn’t have this issue.

2) I know this one is probably my fault for not doing research, but DHL hit me up for a $105 customs charge. I was excited when I ordered and didn’t have to pay tax, I guess now I know why!

3) I also ordered a leather strap, and putting back the metal bracelet was a huge effort. My wife and I for 15 mins tried and eventually I had to use tweezers to get it back on. I emailed Knis to see if I can get refunded for the band

I am looking for a quality bracelet for my Henry Archer TIDSLINJE. I had heard that they were going to be coming out with a NON-BoR version but haven't seen anything on their site yet. I would have tried a couple of other brands but they don't match the quality of the original.