Horological Meandering

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Grandrécif - my self-made watch project

Hi there. After many years of passion and watch collecting, the addiction to the horological world can be change in unexpected ways. That is my little story, just an Italian guy who, after many years passed to collecting vintage watches, study books and attempts to understand more about this fantastic world, during his habitual and compulsive search of vintage watches to add in collection, find and buy an dozen of vintage NOS movements from the 1970s... This calibers was forgiven in a warehouse and never becomes watches, after about 50 years, asking me an second chance... But I haven't done anything of similar before...so I tried to give sense to them...and in this way becomes my story. The movements was an caliber FE4612, produced in the 60/70s by the Jeambrun Technic-Ébauche SA, part of the France Ébauches. Automatic, 21600ah, day date quickset, other specifications on the exact of the technical sheet of the attached period.



The think to make watches with only 12 movements was very creazy, because this is no numbers for an industrial realization, who allow me to order pieces around the world and assembly all... In addition to, I wasn't have competences to build an watch. But I was determined to carry on... The idea of what kind of watch to make was pretty clear in my mind. I would have loved to make a sports watch in the style of the era of those movements ... a skin diver, aesthetically straight as a shot, spartan and robust.







Among the modern case production supplies , of which we must be necessarily use because my numbers are not contemplated in industrial processes, between the endless and boring plethora of Rolex / Tudor / Omega hommage and the rather questionable quality, check out this, a steel case, sapphire crystal ceramic bezel, very similar in appearance to those that used to be the case of the past. It does not have a screw-down crown and a very thin glass on the case-back, which is aesthetically not very refined, we will have to work on it and spend some money on it ... but at least it looks like a good base.





About the choice of the dial, thanks to a little collage with Photoshop, after a survey with some friends, among 4 types, the "winner" was the first.



Therefore, having found a basic configuration, it was now necessary to move from theory to practice, from collage to realization. I start looking for some factory that produces the dials ... but we start with at least 300 units ... with technical specifications, CAD drawing and other things not within my reach. So between desperation and madness I decide to leave and make the dial by hand. Already ... starting from a brass sheet, paper, pencil, caliber, cutter and bow ... So ... I take the measurements from the case and, let's start...













At this point it should be tried in the case. Here the first obstacle already arises, since, by inserting the dial and the movement in the case, the heights did not coincide. The crown hole did not coincide with the shaft seat and the bottom did not close ... End of the games. I remember being with my watchmaker for advice. He tells me I have to give up, because obviously the case is not suitable ... But a little voice from inside tells me ... and if I tried to dome the dial? So I put myself in front of his glass press and try to play a little with the plugs. And here is where a flat dial becomes a domed dial or a step-dial or pie pan ... or whatever else it is called 🙂. At the same time this expedient makes save me gain millimeters and in a more vintage aspect to the dial. Here the genesis





Meanwhile, summer comes, we go to the sea. Work on the dial is suspended and I focus on improving the waterproofness of the case. First of all the crown that is to be laughed, must be replaced with a tube and screw-down crown, I decide to turn to an Italian product, Belloni, a crown factory in Cremona. I choose a classic and functional crown with a twin-lock style. I replace the crown and the back glass with a thicker one. I change the gasket on the back, which makes me laugh, with a more powerful one and we start with some tests in the laboratory, always from my watchmaker who I thank for their availability.





However, those who are a little familiar with diving watches know that laboratory equipment, even the most expensive ones, certified by service centers etc, do not actually reach more than 12 ATMs. You can in fact have all the 300/500/1000 MT you want, when you bring it to a watchmaker or in assistance for revision, after the test they will always make it up to a maximum of 5 ATMs, maximum of 10. However, having passed all the tests in the laboratory, I was looking for something or someone to give me a test at least at 20ATM Having obviously not found anyone, I decided to do something different, simple to think ... but what will happen? Well, one of the most exciting pages of this adventure is coming ... 6 September 2018 TEST OF DEPTH IN SEA AT 200mt. Here I am therefore to tell this experience, nice, funny, exciting to the point of having the desire to do it again. I have to disappoint those who were hoping for a live Facebook or video ... No videos unfortunately. It was not easy to keep one's balance, to keep the boat at the same point, to manage about 220mt of wire, to guarantee a descent and ascent perpendicular, and to document a minimum of everything ... doing it simultaneously among other things. Furthermore the operation went on for about an hour and a half. The trial, between descent and ascent, lasted about an hour. It went well: my companion was a historic fisherman from the village who knew this sea like his pockets. The choice to let me be accompanied by a fisherman was wanted and apt at the same time, I could have chosen a nice boat by some boaters or a cool rubber boat of some tourist, I didn't care to take cool pictures ... But beyond the experience and the knowledge of the waters, in anticipation of the fact that if I had problems with the rope untangling some kind of skein I would have solved nothing, and in fact during the descent the wire has "softened" several times and in a few seconds the problem has been solved. But let's take a step back. We are in the Ionian Sea, gulf of Corigliano, in the bay of Capo Trionto ,, also known as "la Fossa". About 2 km in a straight line from the coast. You notice it from the color of the water that is deep below to be frightening ... A blue that has never been so close to black ... and I suspended above ... the feeling is strong, especially if I think that something it is now in my hands, in a moment it will disappear swallowed up in that immense black / blue hell of salt water, where there is a pressure 10 times that of a car tire, where there is an indescribable cold, through dozens of currents ... and then immediately on, when a human being would need up to 14 hours to ascend and hope to survive after depressurization. While you think all this, try not to fall into the water ... and try to take some pictures with the phone ... After the descent, which lasted about 30 minutes, we waited for the wire to be perpendicular, a sign that the descent was over ... this happened about 10 minutes later. During these few minutes it occurred to me how this operation closely resembled that of a sounder. The manual sounder is the oldest instrument for measuring the seabed, the use of which is already documented among the Egyptians, and consisted of a rope to the end of which a weight was connected, an instrument now supplanted by sonar and digital sounders ... but who knows probably in this corner of Magna Graecia, at the mouth of the mythical Traente, a field of the historic war between Sibari and Crotone, many years before, someone did these same gestures, which I repeat today thousands of years later, albeit for a completely different purpose. The tiring ascent begins. Fatiguing but also confident ... the rope is heavy, it means that the cement weight is still attached, so it seems that the knots and straps have kept ... and the crate will still be there? ... Meanwhile the sky will clouds and the sunset is approaching, the dark blue water begins to have gray reflections ... that is a bad omen? I hope not. A knot made at the 50th meter comes out of the water and tells me that the bulk is done. The arms are of fire and they hurt me, the fisherman offers to continue in my place ... kindly refuse ... you want to put the satisfaction of pulling it out of the water alone, not even a 20kg tuna ... I was in trance, who knows what the good friend thought of me ... But who cares about it after all. Pulled up, but the first one to sling over the chest, however, was not me but him. They are fun things for everyone then, I think to myself, I'm not crazy, it's kind of like being a kid again: cool. I take the phone and take some pictures lying on the floor, while my friend is already heading towards the shore. It's time to enjoy the sunset. Hello everybody



























One thing that still left me somewhat puzzled was the glass case back. Certainly he passed the waterproofing tests and also came back good because he showed the vintage movement, but ... But the skin diver of the time reported on the steel caseback, engraved a small sub. An evocative feature that I would have liked to miss. So the idea to decorate the glass ... but how? I throw down a draft of the decoration, then I turn to an Italian graphic arts company, which carries out a film to be applied to the inner part of the glass with high resistance and guaranteed for two years on the outside, so to my specifications. internal of indefinite duration. I was never a great designer, the idea was born drawing for my 4-year-old son while watching a documentary on the coral reef.



In the meantime, I also change the glass behind again, passing from a flat to a single-domed or in Italian lenticular optic, to give depth to the image, also giving behind the clock, the form that reminded a bathyscaphe



The workmanship alternated and it was a continuous trial and attempt, so there is no perfectly defined chronology. I apologize in case you jump from one pole to another. There's still work to be done on the box for the moment, let's pause and go back to the dial. The feet are still missing, then a series of micro adjustments of the camber, and other small tricks in which the help of my watchmaker was decisive. In short, we arrive at the beginning of October with feet, welded in a torch, old goldsmith method.



We haven't talked about the hands yet. The only ones that like lengths and style are those of Planet Ocean. But as a fitting, the holes were not the same as the size I will use. So I had to work every single sphere adapting it by hand.



Final test with everything assembled except the print of the dial. It goes well



Let's start with the dial using my limited knowledge of digital drawing.









After that the dials are sent to Coledan in Milan, anche great handcraft dial maker. Which will take care of the cliché and the tampographic print. Meanwhile, I will spend some time deciding to dedicate many other things to do ... Including the box























...laser engraving...





.... rubber straps....



Meanwhile, since I had nothing to do, I was bored, I took an old pendant I had. This diver in the left hand held a stone. With the goldsmith's hacksaw (the same one I used for the dials) I cut and turned my hand, "erased" the stone, then I re-welded my hand, took a micro thread and a head of a little girl and put the watch on it . Made the cast, the wax, the castings and I created some pendants in marine bronze. Then I sharpened one of the two fins and therefore it can also be used as a lever for changing the straps.





Finishing the case: handmade chamfering polishing



December 5, 2018 History in history. In order to carry out the GRANDRÉCIF project, I had to learn to service my movements myself. Despite being NOS, they are over 40 years old and to do things properly the movement must be cleaned from the old and freshly lubricated oil. It's not an easy movement like a Myiota or an ETA 2824, of which you can find everything: from the cards for oils to tutorials on YouTube. Apart from that there is no exploded view, so I had to learn in the field. Then there are many more pieces. The 60s / 70s were the years of innovation and France was far ahead. The FE4612 movement has a separate train of gears for time correction, separated from the time train. So a completely different school. So I bought a banquet and everything I needed. I missed a washing machine though. So I built it myself. She is "Stellina". It is built in a simple way and therefore very versatile, it can be made all the washings you want, moving it from one jar to another, it also has a space heater for drying. It has 3 speeds and 2 rotation directions. It can operate on current or battery. It is built with readily available materials which are obviously adapted to my needs by hand. Wash very well, I'm satisfied. Hope you like it.



By the way: Why GRANDRÉCIF ??? Does everyone ask me the name? What will the name be? What will you call it? The name will be GRANDRÉCIF Is French It reads "GRONRESÍFF" (ask the Google translator for confirmation). Perfect name, found almost by accident. Why? I'll explain it to you! Grand Récif in French means Big Reef. - The FE 4612 A movement is a movement that was produced by the Jeambrun movement factory, part of the French consortium "France Ébauche". - My source of inspiration are those French watch brands such as Triton, ZRC, Yema, LIP and many others that in the golden age of watchmaking in Besançon have been a school, like Switzerland and Japan. - Through a decoration of the back, I wanted to pay homage to this wonder of our planet, the great coral reef, a temple of nature, and the dream of every diver and lover of the sea. - finally, in the middle of the two words, you can find my name in French and the initial of my surname (GR) ANDRÈ-C (IF) Hope you like it.



30 November: Sant'Andrea. The case wanted the package to arrive today. My greatest gift! Sorry if for the dials I have made you wait so long, but if for the rest I have arranged, I have surpassed myself and my limits turning myself into a watchmaker, a caser, a designer, a beater and another hundred trades, on the printing of the dials I stopped and I decided to let the professionals do it. And I chose the best in Italy. I turned to Enrico Coledan: just the name. Starting from the cliché to the realization, each dial was handmade by the best and most equipped in the sector. I explicitly asked for the realization to be done "by ancient use" and completely by hand, even accepting some imperfections. I didn't think about the cost of the job, in the end I'm satisfied even if talking to some owner of microbrand I would have been crazy. There are modern technologies that allow you to have a dial at lower prices and in ridiculous times. I DO NOT INTEREST, I'm not doing it for money. I only tell you that between costs and hours of work, a dial of this kind has cost me like a quadrant of a datejust, maybe one more thing ... but who cares. Another thing, in the end I decided for the sterile version. It was a long and hard decision: between my Ego and the passion the latter won. The name "GRANDRÉCIF" (in the center of which is my name in French: Andrè C) will appear on the caseback and on the bracelet and this is enough. In my opinion, this work of tribute to the vintage watch should not be contaminated with personalisms or distinctive signs that are part of a modern marketing concept, which has no reason to be in this specific case. Today, November 30th is my name, but today my name is Nobody: "το όνομά μου δεν είναι κανείς" (Cit. Homer - Odyssey) And like Ulysses I finally see Ithaca on the horizon ... We hope the gods are benevolent. Thank you very much for the attention.













Handmade ageing of the hands, using an incense vanilla stick..







Finally the first assembled











To recap: - Handmade by me - Hand finished case, in steel, 43mm sapphire crystal, ceramic ring. - case back in steel / single-domed glass. - Vintage NOS Movement (New Old stock) 70s caliber FE 4612 Made in France, 21600 A / H day-date quickset. - Dial made entirely by hand - twin-lock screw-in crown made in Italy - actually tested up to 200 meters at sea (prototype) - multi-tested in the laboratory (Vacuum tested, pressure dry, pressure wet, condensation) - Vintage NOS 70s Mesh Shark bracelet + Tropic + leather strap. - 12 pieces PLEASE NOTE The watch is not currently for sale and this is not a sales announcement. The watch was not produced for commercial purposes. All pieces was gone to my friends and them are not replicable. Thank you all for your attention. A greeting. Andrea








































This message has been edited by cazalea on 2019-03-18 16:31:29

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