Hand made

The different approach of how something made.

The example of Roger Smith, for me it is hand made.
For an other watch enthusiast, lover, fan, etc it could it not hand made.
So what do a craftsman write on a dial? Hand made, Swiss made, Made in England, Hand Crafted, semi hand made, mass produced in Germany?
Is there a law on what somebody can write on a dial?

Other watch makers like Vianney Halter, Kari Voutilainen are seen as hand made artists, but F.P. Journe have a different way of making watches. What i see is they all do it for the fans, and they can keep on producing what they like the most, creating watches from the highest level possible.

CNC, this useful milling machine is a treasure for our imagination in what we want to create.
Writing this i almost want to go follow education in operating CNC machines. Knowing myself i like to make things by hand using tools the craft way.
I had today a pushpin which was a bit to long. With scratch paper i took off a little iron from the pushpins head just enough to fit in tight into the lug.
The case is a Longines, so knowing Longines they are extremely precise with sizes the matter of the price category the watch is in.
An inferior part from a third party is fast to recognize i discovered.
Tools can differ, i bought a cheap bracelet adjusting tool that works fine.
Now i consider a watch rate measure unit for checking accuracy.

💰272 Marketplace Listings for F.P. Journe›

A Time For Transparency

By: David Walter : February 23rd, 2021-16:58

For quite some time I have been working on a list of descriptions that would prove helpful in defining what "Hand Made" and other such phrases truly mean to both the collector and the independent maker. Recently Independent watchmaker, Kilian Leschnik in ...

These are great and I hope they become a reference. Could one be added for "hand-finished"?

By: Spangles - Dr. Tabby : February 23rd, 2021-17:01

Good thought, thank you...nt

By: David Walter : February 23rd, 2021-17:16

Very interesting and well done

By: Mike H : February 23rd, 2021-22:04

It is true that it is a grey zone with some have the temptation to play with sometimes by letting the consumer think he is in one category while he is in fact in another one. However another question that can be raised is the following : is it better or w...

IMHO

By: tristan.led : February 23rd, 2021-22:36

And looking at where the original insta post comes from, I belive it was not targeted for "Brands" but rather for "watchmakers" (Cramain, Dufour, Coyon, AdC etc). I guess this was intended to shed some light on what is "handmade" and what is not. A lot of...

Transparency

By: LiftAngle51 : February 24th, 2021-03:08

Interesting post. Example: Omega’s co-axial is definitely in-house. ETA is Èbauche. Sellita is Èbauche. Handmade independent must make a watch pure by hand. Like Roger Smith and his watch makers do. An independent which use a CNC machine to laser cut crea...

By that definition...

By: watching00000 : February 24th, 2021-15:01

Roger Smith no longer makes handmade watches. He uses (and has in his shop) CNC milling machines and CNC lathes which he uses not only for prototyping but also production parts. He started handmade but it seems for the sake of scaling, this path has been ...

Hand made

By: LiftAngle51 : February 24th, 2021-15:50

Well...

By: watching00000 : February 25th, 2021-04:44

Anyone can produce however they want to and there are many approaches. The issue is the transparency because sure anyone can write anything on a dial and there is no law against it (although Swiss Made is regulated) but it’s a problem because of the very ...

Believe “Made in Italy” is also regulated

By: CGJ0 : February 27th, 2021-08:19

Indeed interesting!

By: watching00000 : February 24th, 2021-14:58

Thanks for sharing and let's hope that the terminology of "handmade" get a truly transparent meaning.

Transparency is really the key issue here

By: Cozmopak : February 25th, 2021-11:54

As a collector, I personally have no qualms about watchmakers using CNC machines. This technology has allowed watchmakers to realize previously unrealizable dreams. I do have an issue with transparency, which is why I would ask Voutilainen to remove the d...

A watch is such a complex item that these brief terms are not helpful

By: cazalea : February 25th, 2021-14:08

I’ll bet We can’t narrow down hand made in less than 1000 words. It’s splitting hairs. For example, my drill and lathe are operated by a foot pedal. Are the components I drill and turn “hand made”? Does the box have to be hand-made? Does the booklet have ...

Nice try...

By: watching00000 : February 26th, 2021-01:58

To derail the discussion into ridiculous spheres. It’s absolutely not difficult to determine in a few words what handmade means IF you are following common sense and not trying to ridicule the issue. Simple ask yourself: Is the person involved in every st...

It is not the first time we cross path on a thread

By: tristan.led : February 26th, 2021-03:48

And I have to admit I quite enjoy reading your thoughts. One thing is sure, as I happen to make parts by hands, no one can do a pinion without a motor (you can use a steam engine if you want, but still). So IMHO any watchmaker out here that makes his part...

Not sure if this is the right time....

By: tourbillon1 : February 26th, 2021-10:36

to sort independent watchmakers by terminology while the industrial brands are representing 99% of the watch production. While I fully underline the need for transparancy and well understand what the young master would like to express, it just reflects hi...

Reading helps...

By: watching00000 : February 27th, 2021-04:29

It’s stated on the first picture that it’s a terminology concept for independent watchmaking. It’s not meant to cluster all of watchmaking but to approach the issue of lacking transparency in INDEPENDENT WATCHMAKING. And he stated it’s a concept plus from...

progress is highly welcome and supported.....

By: tourbillon1 : February 27th, 2021-07:00

but sorry, IMHO this concept is not progressive. The discussion itself is old and I witnessed quite some independent makers removing such phrases recently from their communication because of pressure on social media (coming from the same source?). So ther...

Like I said before...

By: watching00000 : February 27th, 2021-08:54

I know I should not be engaging in trolling questions like this. I’m sure common sense is a resources that should be used in any discussion. Also you’re saying progress is welcomed and that the discussion is old but at the same time tackling these „old“ i...

At least try to read...please.

By: watching00000 : February 27th, 2021-08:57

It’s always okay to use CNC or EDM or whatever. But disclose it openly. Otherwise labels and words loose all meaning. And regarding your comment on CAD: The wording is hand MADE. So I would understand it as it is stated on conscript as well. Execute the s...

Thanks for your time!

By: tourbillon1 : February 27th, 2021-13:36

I belong to a generation who been tought to do technical drawings by hand, sketching with pencil and drawing with ink on transparent paper. You are right about CAD can't design or calculate but in my understanding the technical drawing is a key part.

Transparancy is not only a duty for producers...

By: tourbillon1 : February 27th, 2021-14:28

it should be as well by the consumer. Oldfashioned is the idea trying to "regulate" things (something very typical german), progressive IMHO is to leave the decision with the client. There is growing awareness. Again, it has never been easier to get in co...