Time flies - it is already mid December and the case machining is still few days away. The good news: final set of production drawings is now completed, including the case finishing.

The main selection / design criteria was to make the case easy for polishing and refinishing when the watch is due for servicing, which meant high gloss lugs an bezel and horizontally brushed mid case.

Yes, the winding crown will be signed. Not sure yet about having my name on the dial, but I'll worry about that later.

We have reached the point of no return where any mistake is irreversible. Whether the movement will align as it should, is there enough clearance for dial and hands? Is the engineered estimate of water resistance as per specification? And most importantly, how does the watch feel on the wrist?

Oh, yes - all the winding crowns are done too!

Assuming all goes well, the next step is engraving and completion of the dial and hands design which should not take more than 6-8 weeks, including dial prototype and final production run.

Finally, once all the components are in stock, I will start the assembly of each individual watch, one piece at the time.

The sample case components of the first production run arrived mid-day yesterday.

I can't remember when was the last time I felt so excited and anxious!

Fitting the sapphire crystal, case back crystal, seals, mid case and bezel then inserting the movement and winding crown for the very first time was an experience I'll remember forever!

The good news: mechanically, all fits well, exactly as per drawing / design.

And equally importantly, the steel finish is just amazing. As much as I am trying not to be subjective, the watch feels at least as good as any $5K Swiss timepiece.

As we speak, I am wearing the zero/nine Pilots. Since the dial and hands are not ready yet, a provisional minute hand is fitted so the watch does tell the time.

For the next few weeks, until the dial is finished, I will have the opportunity to wear it and to check it for timekeeping, water resistance as well as to get a 'general feel' of the watch on my wrist.

Attached below are couple of images for Premium subscribers.

I know that some of you are eager to place your order. While the most challenging and most difficult part of the manufacturing is now successfully completed, I don't want to get distracted with sales before the dial and hands are in stock.

Final dimensions:
Case diameter: 44.2mm
Bezel : 44.0 mm
Thickness: 12.3mm
Winding crown: 9mm
Movement: manual wind.

3 piece case with screw-lock bezel and screw-lock case back, sapphire crystal front glass 2.0mm.

Manual wind Unitas [Swiss] movement, the very same base calibre as used in Panerai manual wind watches. Additional finish: Cote de Geneva finish.

Water resistant to 10 bar min.

Known as "the time lady", Jane Barbe had weekly audience of over 300 million listeners! Barbe landed her voice to US telephone companies for both time signal and pre-recorded messages.

Even today, long after she passed away, her voice is still on air 24/7, providing an important and valuable service.

For thousands of mariners and sailors with no access to satellite communication, Internet or mobile phones, her voice still provides a comfort on the open seas and path to safe harbour.

Last night I've recorded a 1 minute sound clip of Jane Barbe's voice, a reception of the Time and Frequency standard signal transmitted form station WWVH located at Hawaii.

Click here to listen to Jane's immortal voice.

No wires, no borders: just a pure magic of radio waves...

Dial design: California-style dial is one where hour markers are mix of Roman and Arabic numerals. Dating back from 1930s it seems as a right choice for a 1930s style Pilots watch. Ideally I would like to try a few colour combination, but for the very first production batch any particular shade of sepia on black will do. I am toying with idea of 'branding' the run with a catchy name - but this is still uncertain.

I like the sound (and meaning!) of Spanish rebelde. Not very Australian, but if you have a better idea, do let me know.

"And I am a rebel, when I don't follow everyone else."

Standing in the form of a shop display filled with new IWC watches, one would be under the impression that the company history was paved with nothing but everlasting success and great designs.

However, like all other Swiss watchmakers, the reality was completely different- especially during the turbulent 70s.

Of course, it is easy to fall into a trap of generalization and by so, to "invent" historical events. This is why a report from someone who was not just an insider but actual 'actor' is a priceless testimony for both watch historians and watch enthusiasts.

A recently published interview with legendary IWC watchmaker Kurt Klaus gives a credible and authoritative recollection of the seventies and eighties.

Klaus started his career with IWC in 1957. Back then, IWC was under the 'rule' of Albert Pellaton. Pellaton was "Mr IWC" - a designer, head engineer, inventor and production manager. During the 1960s, IWC was on a quest to improve timekeeping of mechanical watches and to their credit, people in Schaffhausen were leading the Swiss pack.

However, Klaus remembers the 70s as a period where IWC was brought to it's knees by the advancement of battery operated watches. Out of 350 watchmakers and staff, 250 lost their job. The working week was reduced to just 4 days and the company was on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy. IWC stayed in business thanks to their contract with Porsche and the aviation industry. Or as Klaus puts it: "amongst other things, we also made watches".

In his spare time Klaus decided to continue work on mechanical pocket watches and complications. At that time, Albert Pellaton passed away and IWC lost it's technical director. Klaus remained the last and only engineer at IWC!

The management accepted his proposal for a new watch with a moon phase - based on a pocket watch design. In order to play safe, IWC set the production run to just 100 pieces, but even that seemed like almost unsellable quantity. The new model premiered at Basel fair in 1976 and to everyone's relief, IWC sold the entire lot by the end of second day.

According to Klaus, these were the most difficult days of Swiss watchmaking and IWC in particular. The recovery was slow and painful, but thanks to a small number of watch aficionados who preferred the traditional "ticking" watch over the accurate, but heartless battery operated 'novelty'.

In 1985 Klaus completed the design of the IWC Da Vinci perpetual calendar which was then regarded as 'something you can not get from a quartz watch'. As a reward for a successful design, Klaus was put in charge of a small but deducted team of watchmakers who re-positioned IWC's presence and led the renaissance of Swiss mechanical watchmaking. The next model on repertoire was a minute repeater. "This is how IWC became to be known as an engineering brand" said Klaus.

Future of watchmaking?
"I am an optimist. While we now use better materials and have advanced manufacturing facilities, the watchmaking itself is the same as it was 60 years ago, when I fist started. It's still the same".

I can hardly believe that 4 months have passed since my last post! Finally, the first batch of rebelde watches has been completed and I can now slow down and unwind.

A very special 'thank you' to 263 customers who put their trust in rebelde by placing an early order.
Yes, with the current output of 3-4 watches per week, it would still take some time to complete all orders but I guess this is a small price to pay for a very unique, limited edition watch.

For those who are new to my blog: rebelde is bespoke watch based on Swiss manual wind mechanism with case, dial, hands, winding crown and everything else designed, assembled and adjusted by your Australian watchmaker. Case size is 44mm and two models are available: Pilots (the one with fancy bezel) and Control Tower with larger numerals and polished bezel.

The website is yet to be created, however I have just uploaded 60 images to rebelde gallery:

http://www.rebelde.com.au/gallery/index.php?slide=re0.jpg

www.rebelde.com.au

Last week I got an email from someone in Adelaide who calls himself a 'watch reviewer'. He got my details from a Swiss parts supplier , who thought that rebelde would benefit from a locally written and published review.

It was pointed out that our mate has been successful reviewing both common watches and high-end pieces worth well over $600,000.

Of course, I was curious to learn more. However it quickly became obvious that his blog was all about selling advertising banners for $500 per month so I politely declined any prospect of business.

Then the phone rang - our reviewer form Adelaide wasn't happy. He was talking fast, trying to point out that he is not interested in my story nor industry issues. If he is going to do the review, my input would not be required. All I need to do is to ship the watch to Adelaide and he will tell the world his opinion.

At that point, I was really interested to learn more about his credentials.

'Since you are not interested in the project itself, but just the watch, I would assume you will perform numbers of technical measurements for the benefit of your blog readers. I guess you do have a precise and highly sensitive 'path-measuring-system' which continuously monitors and measures thickness of the watch case exposed to pressure and vacuum?" - I've asked.

"What?"

"Understand. How about a device to measure daily timekeeping error, frequency of the oscillator and amplitude?"

"No...but I have been writing about watches far more expensive than yours" he said, fairly agitated.

"Fine. Do you have a calipers so you can at least measure case diameter and thickness?"

"No I don't - he was fuming - but I do have a RULER which would certainly do the job"

"Well mate, as far as I am concerned, you can use that ruler to measure donkeys ears."

What followed after was not for publishing. Let's just say I am not really good at making friends and that you won't be reading anything good about rebelde from this guy any time soon.

I have no problem with anyone trying to make money selling his wares, but if you want to make your name as a watch reviewer then at least do your job properly and honestly. Especially so if your blog proudly states that you've been a watch critic since 2014.

Any review for the sake of blunt advertising or mere entertainment is really useless.

Criticizing a precise instrument like a watch requires at least basic understanding of timekeeping, water resistance and micro engineering.

If you want to impress me - and more importantly provide a meaningful piece of technical information to your readers - then please review my watch from technical aspect.

For example, find out the amount of case deformation at 10 bar. That information would tell volumes to those who care about IMPORTANT stuff - like water resistance. Or if you want to be cool, then go a step further: measure the speed of deformation.

Take no prisoners: challenge my claims!

Test the water resistance of rebelde with crown pulled out to time setting position. That would be a great review on any watch, one I would pay money to read.

I understand that a young and enthusiastic reviewer may not have neither expertise nor equipments to conduct such tests, in which case I would be more than happy to invite him to spend an afternoon with me, learning about issues which are truly important.

I would be more than happy to pull the rebelde apart and talk about what makes it a watch. To show the finish of the side of sapphire crystal and how it sits inside Teflon seal. Or the thickness of the bezel-to-case rubber seal. It would be an exciting exercise beneficial to everyone involved AND online readers.

Sending a watch to someone for review who by his own admission is not interested in neither technical aspects nor industry issues is just waste of time.

*** rebelde water resistance testing

No, I don't recommend water related activities - after all, our watch is pilots, not divers. However for those who need to know: yes, the watch is fully water resistant to over 10 Bar ("100m WR").

Each piece is tested for pressure and vacuum. The testing process is fully automated and allows me to simulate performance under various conditions.

In short, when the air is pumped under pressure, the watch case deforms elastically. While such deformation is extremely small, it can be precisely measured. When the pressure is stabilized and air inside watch cools down, the case will continue to expand. That additional expansion is indicator of water resistance and it is then measured again. Typically we are talking about regress of 0.06um (0.06 thousandth of millimeter).

The sturdier the watch, the smaller the deformation, and correspondingly the measurement itself is more delicate.

Heaps of fun!

When a collector puts his $30,000 Swiss watch in to his pocket so he can strap on his new rebelde, such act is no longer about watchmaking - it is scandalous and inspirational.

But I didn't start la revolution.
I am just enjoying it.
Immensely.

Actually, he didn't buy just one rebelde, but two - and that itself was not a big deal neither. After all, addition of two more pieces to collection of over 200 high grade watches is hardly worth mentioning.

What did come as a surprise was his request: an open order for every new model of reblede I'll ever build.
And that itself has to be the most humbling experience for any watchmaker.

David vs. Goliath:
rebelde N38/75 [ 44mm, $2K] and Panerai PAM341 EGIZIANO (Egyptian) [60mm / $28K]

Thanks to a quick 'selfie' of Craig Gilbert's I 69/75, our rebelde appeared at Facebook page of Watch Time magazine. Apparently, the Watch Time is America's #1 watch magazine. Craig's photo was published and got over 1,000 likes and 40 shares!

You can check it out here (and add your rebelde photo if you wish)

https://www.facebook.com/watchtimemagazine?ref=br_tf

Of course, few commentators were quick to label rebelde as a Panerai tribute, copy and even Panerai fake. I guess those naive and misinformed comments stem from California-style dial which is now associated with watches made by Panerai.

The truth is, Panerai was just one of MANY brands who in 1930s made watches with mix of Roman and Arabic numerals and there is nothing to suggest that California dial is an exclusive Panerai style. (Panerai actually never made such claim).

Here is just one example of Rolex Cal dial, as featured on the cover of soon to be released Rolex Story book:

Happy collecting!

Nick

Quartz movements are affected greatly by shifts in temperature, which alter the oscillating frequency of the crystal. Rolex overcame this problem by introducing a thermistor to the circuit which detected the ambient temperature of the movement and its case, and altered the voltage supplied to the crystal. Furthermore, a series of sensors accommodated for gradual shifts in frequency response of the crystal over time, which greatly increased accuracy. Think of this movement as today's electric cars, the Tesla of watches.

The Oysterquartz we have for sale today is a strange beast. It is not only a gold and steel combination, (which at the time was significantly more expensive than the stainless steel version) but it is also fitted with a custom made sapphire-studded bezel. Now I need to state something obvious: the bezel was not made by Rolex. In general I don’t deal with watches which have non-Rolex components, but reverting this Oysterquartz into its original condition (finding original plain bezel) is just impossible.

See beyond expectation.

The concept of irreducible complexity is not a new one, but I can’t get enough of it.

What is it all about? In three words, it is: “brilliance of simplicity” or designing and manufacturing products which are just complex enough to do what they are engineered to do and nothing more than that.

Your Rebelde is a perfect example of a timepiece which consists of exactly as many components as it needs to have to function. If you take one component out of it, it will no longer become a watch. Of course you can add as many bells and whistles as you want, but the more you add the further you stray away from irreducible complexity.

Our life is cluttered with unwanted and unnecessary things.

Why is it that every new version of an email client comes with 50 new tabs and buttons that you don’t really want? Why does my microwave need to tell me the weather forecast for the next week? Why does my fridge need to be able to browse the web? Why is 4.0 better than 3.0?

The fact remains that my 1965 Olympia typewriter, with all its short-comings, still provides me with far greater pleasure than any Microsoft word processor.

Back to your Rebelde.

There is actually one component which can be removed, and that is the seconds hand. However this will come at a price. If I remove the seconds hand, you would no longer be able to read seconds.

So here is my question-If I remove the seconds hand would your Rebelde become less precise or less accurate?

We tackle the subject regarding precision and accuracy at our watch talk night nights, and the discussion ensues is always an interesting one.

So what is your answer? Without the seconds hand, have we lost precision or accuracy?

The title of the work is aptly named "Like no Other" which is a fantastic play on words, with a triple meaning. Firstly it depicts Jesus who was a man like no other. It was created by a technique never seen before so the artwork is also like no other. Finally the artist, Claude Mellan, believed that nobody would ever be able to recreate the masterpiece in the same style, making himself 'like no other'.

What does this have to do with watches? The answer is that here lies a piece of exceptional workmanship. It took Mellan years to make, and is more a thing of dedication and precision than creative freedom. Consisting of a single spiral varying in thickness to form the features of the print, parallels are drawn to the coiled "heart" of the mechanical watch. Thus of course any watch enthusiast would be attracted to a piece like this.

The Whille Unitas movement that we use in the Rebelde watch is more of a robust and reliable workhorse than a show pony; our Swiss supplier is working hard to impress us. All the movements used so far have 9 stripes, with the central stripe being positioned over the middle (centre) minute wheel.

I also have a few more movements with 18 stripes. But it is not the number of stripes that matter: it is the overall precision of polishing and arc 'grain' that makes the finish attractive. A detail like this is what separates Rebelde from many other Swiss-made watches.

Being a mechanically minded person, I was searching for a scheme that would incorporate some kind of engineering aspect to its plan. After doing some research, I found that ADRA, an International Humanitarian organisation, is working on a project called ‘Clean Water’.

Basically, they target increasing the fresh water supply to the East Timor communities by digging wells and installing hand pumps. The ADRA East Timor Team is young and enthusiastic, and I’m really in favor of what they do. I called ADRA’s head office in Dili and you can imagine my surprise when the project manager who answered my call turned out to be a young man called Ben from Adelaide. Naturally, we clicked straight away, and in a few weeks from now, Rebelde will have its own well and pump installed in Viqueque.

There are a number of challenges associated with this project, the main one being well-digging. Ben explains what it's all about:

“In regards to our proposed plan, we are planning on constructing our own low cost, locally made, and easily used drilling rig that can be used to drill bore wells from at least 15-25 meters deep. The benefit of this system is that we don't have to use the expensive drilling companies which charge from $5000 - $20000 for just one bore well. Also, community members can help in the process, and if the drill bits break, we can easily fix them, or make others as we've found a welding company that can make the necessary parts. In terms of the hand pump, casing and filter, we can purchase the widely used dragon hand pump. Just yesterday at my house there was no power for the day, so all the electric bore wells couldn't function, however, just down the road the people were using the dragon hand pump (or at least a similar model) manually so that they could wash and use the water for latrines, etc, another benefit. These are very easily repairable as the pump is above the ground level, so no need to spend lots of time pulling the whole thing out of the ground, etc, and the spare parts (rubber / leather and washers) used can be found almost anyway."

Ben also enclosed a few photos of the pumps ADRA installed just recently.

It is a sad story, one of massive waste and disappointment. To set the scene. Early cinemas had just experienced their first taste of music in film, and consumer demand for sound in motion pictures was very high. Everyone wanted to hear the latest jazz standard alongside the lead actor’s usually silent performance. Cinema owners jumped at the opportunity to advertise their theatres as being: “equipped in-exhaustible live band”, or “Phono-ready!” These early systems were developed by telephone engineers who used earpiece technologies that were enlarged. These systems had poor frequency response and lacked clarity, but to the casual cinema goer and business savvy theatre owner, that did not matter. They had SOUND!

The story develops. By 1926 the first Western Electric speaker systems, labelled as the Westrex (Western Electric Export), were released to the public. Years of research and development went into creating hi fidelity drivers, amplifiers and horns. Very high quality audio reproduction. And no one bought them.

The already existing systems in cinemas were performing to everyone’s expectations and the new, vastly improved, systems were far too expensive to be justifiable replacements. People were content with mediocrity, yet audio nirvana was just around the corner. However, W.E.’s speakers were not a complete failure. They released nearly 6 more publicly available systems, the most notable ones being the Mirrophonic 1, 2 and 3. By the mid 1940’s AT&T realised the massive research, development costs and low consumer expectations for audio systems meant that the market for hi-fidelity audio gear was not profitable. W.E. stopped producing the cinema systems on large scales by 1941 and stopped all audio production by the mid-1950s.

The crux. Audiophiles are a strange breed, not unlike watch collectors. Both are crazy, irrational creatures who thrive on scarcity and the idea of being unique. Both love the idea of being separate from the masses, having something no one else has. Both have a very keen eye in regards to quality and accuracy. The small production runs, combined with the fact that many systems were destroyed or irreversibly damaged over the decades, means that W.E. cinema speakers are extremely rare to the point where complete systems stretch far into the six figure range. The speakers are rare, unique, no one has them and are widely regarded to lie on top of the pile in terms of quality. In a paradoxical shift in supply and demand, rare objects like our aforementioned W.E. speakers or a vintage time-piece experience massive jumps in price because they are good. Simply good.

If there is one horological timepiece wherein we can draw a parallel to the W.E. story, it would the Atmos clock, engineered and developed by Jaeger Le Coultre.

The beauty of an Atmos clock is that it runs on minimal external energy input. Unlike many clocks, which need to be wound by hand, the Atmos clock uses the idea that changes in barometric pressure affect how much space a gas occupies. A gas is hermetically sealed in a chamber with a set of “bellows” on one end, and as it expands and contracts due to changes in ambient pressure, it winds a mainspring via a small mechanism. The real genius lies in how little energy the clock uses to operate. Instead of 18,000 or 28,800 beats per hour (normally associated with wrist watch mechanisms), the Atmos averages around 120 bph! It is an incredible feat of engineering to have such little energy consumption and such accurate time keeping.

The Atmos clock as we see it today is not quite the original design. A barometrically operated clock was developed by a Dutch inventor, Cornelis Drebel, in the early 1600s. The design developed over the next 300 years, ultimately culminating into a very close prototype to the clock we see today. Jean Leon Reutter, a Swiss engineer developed the first “Atmos” prototype, and started to commercially produce the mechanism under a French company, Compagnie Générale de Radio. Jaeger-LeCoultre overtook production on 27 July 1935. Simultaneously JLC developed a far more efficient design, using ethyl chloride as a substitute for mercury and ammonia vapour, which made the Atmos clock one of the finest horological instruments of its time.

Over the next five decades the Atmos clock was not a commercial success as simpler , more reliable mechanisms existed, and high quality, scientifically accurate devices were not necessarily desired. Much like the W.E. cinema speakers, the Atmos clock was by no means a failure (over 500,000 were manufactured), but its true brilliance and raw potential as an incredible instrument simply flew under the radar. People were content with mediocrity.

Of course both the cinema speakers and the Atmos have their draw-backs: they are both very difficult to service and maintain, they are very expensive and have been superseded by cheaper alternatives, yet for a true a collector and for someone who appreciates fine engineering and intricate mechanics, there is no substitute. We do not settle for mediocrity.

They represented a business which 'specialized' in watches. Namely, consignments. In essence, they needed someone who could provide valuations for the watches they accept for sale, verifying that the watches are genuine.

"So you are licensed second hand dealers, right?" I asked. "Yes" said the one on the left. "No" said the one on the right. "And you collect, record and submit the details of the customers and of the watches to the Police, every day, as per your requirement as second hand dealers?

This time the man on the left said 'no' and the other one said 'yes'.

The situation was seriously comical. At least for me.

"We can pay you for your service" said both, in unison.

But dealing in second hand watches is not just about money. It has lot to do with responsibility, expertise, building your own reputation and above all - doing it right way. I tried to explain that having a second hand dealers licence is an absolute must. Licensing and record keeping is not optional. It is the way how the NSW Government keeps the bastards honest - me included.

Somehow, my words got lost in translation. Based on their facial expressions I think they thought I was not interested because I fear competition - or something along those lines.

I grew up in a city of 50,000. And the city was cursed with no less than 7 watchmakers, each of them trying his best to make an honest living, heavily competing with each other. Competition is good. Actually competition is the best thing that could ever happen to a watchmaker or a watch dealer. I wish there are not 3 but 30 dealers in Sydney. Thirty registered experts that is.

"So you can not do valuations?" asked the smart one.

Yes I can. But doing a valuation for the competition does not make sense.

When you pay money to watch Nadal playing Federer, you don't expect to see Novak Djokovic serving of behalf of Nadal. That just does not make sense. People buy watches from the Rolex Boutique because they love Rolex boutique. They buy watches from NH because they trust NH. And they will buy watches from YOU because they will trust you. It's simple as that.

Learn, struggle, sweat and make mistakes. Learn fast and become an expert. Life is not a Hollywood show where you can call in an expert or friend to verify and tell you how much it is worth and what to do. That is YOUR job. And whatever you do, and before you do it, register yourself properly.

They left empty-handed and disappointed. But they are young, and hopefully one day, they will get it.