The kickstarter adventures of Sólás - solaswatches.com

banie01

I have a 3d printer that I'd be happy to run some stuff off for you on TF if that could help?
I'm not going to volunteer him, but given Fitz' line of work, I'd hazard a guess that he may know a bit more about 3D printing than I do.
And while mine is FDM, it may well be that SLA or resin printing could better fit the precision needed?

New Home

Thirdfox wrote: »

Actually - something I'd be interested in knowing - does anyone know someone who offers 3D printing? While a sample case can be printed in China and shipped to me this just adds more delays in the timeline. Ideally I could get a model printed in Ireland and sent to me locally - I'm seeking some quotes now but if anyone knows someone they could recommeund I'd be interested in hearing from you

A lot of public libraries do 3D printing.

Thirdfox

Wow - never knew libraries do that (though I imagine right now they are all closed) - last time I visited the library it was great to see them offering ebooks and even games/blu-ray films etc. for borrowing. Got some watchmaking books from them on loan

@Banie 3D printing is an area I'm not too familiar with - I just know that it'll cost less than getting a $6000 mould done (that takes 5-6 months) that then can't be used if we change an aspect.

Right now it's all about getting a physical idea of the dimensions of the watch head and how that might work - the fine details aren't actually going to be in the 3d print - it's about getting the general proportions right - since fine details come with polishing/engraving etc. - it's more about "are the lugs the right length for the dimension of the case width, is the crown the general right size?" etc. It seems like FDM can't print super microscopic details - but that's probably not needed for something that's 42mm in width, 47mm lug to lug and 11.4mm in height - I would have thought that something this size would be well within the capabilities of such a printer?

If you're interested I can email you over the 3D file so you can have a look and see if you could make a model from it?

banie01

Thirdfox wrote: »

If you're interested I can email you over the 3D file so you can have a look and see if you could make a model from it?

It's well within the capability of the printer I have, can go to 0.1mm resolution.

I'd be happy to print of anything you need, can technically go to 400mm X 400mm X 400mm size wise so whatever you need.

No charge either, it gives me an excuse to fit the new hotend that's been sitting idle 7 months since I bought it and run it

banie01

@TF, just a thought.
If you are considering multiple designs and iterations before deciding on the one.

It's just as easy for me to fill up the printer bed with multiple variations as it would be to print of just one.

Happy to do it if it's any help to you.
In fairness, you found me my Bund and my starlight is in the bag too!
If running my idle printer can help?
It'd be a pleasure.

Fitz II

I have some pretty good 3d resin printers if you dont need PLA versions, The resin is more accurate. Send me the STL and I will print it for you.

banie01

Fitz II wrote: »

I have some pretty good 3d resin printers if you dont need PLA versions, The resin is more accurate. Send me the STL and I will print it for you.

banie01 wrote: »

I'm not going to volunteer him, but given Fitz' line of work, I'd hazard a guess that he may know a bit more about 3D printing than I do.

I told me so!

Thirdfox

Fitz II wrote: »

I have some pretty good 3d resin printers if you dont need PLA versions, The resin is more accurate. Send me the STL and I will print it for you.

Hey Fitz,

Thanks for the gracious offer - I've already sent on the files to Banie (I don't think we need the extra microns of accuracy) and apparently Banie needs to justify the cost of the printer to the missus :pac: so I think I'm sorted for now - I'll let you know if we run into any issues though.

And actually - while speaking to Banie about costs and VAT - it actually prompted me to think that for EU customers, I could probably do a pre-Kickstarter ordering round too (in 2021) - meaning that I don't need to add Irish VAT onto prices charged - so for people who are happy to order in 2021 instead of 2022 they could get treatment as if they were US customers - so hypothetically 480 instead of 599 - a big enough "discount" as it were (in 2022 - the 119 difference between 480 and 599 goes directly to Revenue, not myself so it makes no difference to my bottom line if I charge 480 in 2021 or 599 in 2022 (though obviously it makes a big difference to Sólás customers).

Thirdfox

Tá sé críochnaithe! All sold out - now I concentrate on delivery of this batch

Time

Huge congratulations, thats a massive achievement and we all know how much work you've put in, so selling them all is nothing less than you deserve.

Lorddrakul

^^ What he said! ^^

hammerdub

Well done and well deserved for all you hard work. Hope by the time everything is ready we may be able to have a meet and collect.

Thirdfox

hammerdub wrote: »

Well done and well deserved for all you hard work. Hope by the time everything is ready we may be able to have a meet and collect.

While the hope is there - I suspect that probably won't be possible unfortunately.

The box photos are here - I'll leave that till the April update (as expected the box quality is "nominal" as SpaceX would say - it does the job - has our embossed logo, inner and outer box, place for the extra strap etc., which may not be a commercially wise decision since so many people like to spend extra on the box and save on the watch features - but I wanted to go the opposite). Will give it a think to raise the box quality in the future - just for a more "neat unwrapping experience" - but I really do hate waste and if we go with a pleather travel roll - is that going to be a big deal for customers (cost isn't the issue really - it's the difference between 2 or 4 dollars... purely down to wastage of material - and 2 dollars over 500 units - I'd rather do another charity campaign personally).

Oh and there is something very special on the way to me too - after seeing Werenbach have success with their Soyuz rocket material watch - well I had some strings pulled and got some material too (not Soyuz and sadly not SpaceX but ”other" rocket) - probably to be used in unique pieces in the future too, should make for some interesting dials

Lorddrakul

I love that idea.
I lusted after a Poljot SS-18 for a long time.

A good provenance is pretty cool for a tool watch.

Thirdfox

300 padded envelopes ordered today - padded envelopes will work well because the boxes already foam insulation to protect the watches as well as two layers of carton/boxes.

tweek84

I was at home today with my son he is showing me a video on tiktok after the video finished I told him that the man in the video is making my watch for the wedding......big mistake :D it took me about 20 mins to explain to him the full story but funny at the same time, I was waiting for him to ask could you make one for him

Thirdfox

As we get closer to building our second model I recall people mentioning Pieta House as a potential charity Sólás could support... I think their Darkness into Light would make for a great campaign to support similar to the prize draw used for Alone. Having the Sólás Equinox supporting Darkness into Light seems apt to me.

I was wondering does anyone have contacts with Pieta House or was it purely a suggestion by a forum member? I'm happy to contact them myself - it would likely be in around their 2022 Darkness into Light walk event - I'm hoping to do another unique version of the Equinox to put up for charity raffle provisionally a "darkness into light" (just need to confirm the Gaelige) edition of 1 but would obviously need to speak to Pieta beforehand.

fat bloke

Be careful with that one anyway. "An dubh a chur ina gheal" ar dhuine would be a less than ideal fundraising slogan


In all seriousness though, I couldn't think of a better recipient of funds than Pieta House. Youth mental health is in an absolute jock at the moment and long waiting lists for services .

Thirdfox

fat bloke wrote: »

Be careful with that one anyway. "An dubh a chur ina gheal" ar dhuine would be a less than ideal fundraising slogan


In all seriousness though, I couldn't think of a better recipient of funds than Pieta House. Youth mental health is in an absolute jock at the moment and long waiting lists for services .

Very careful! Though ironically the phrase as translated would use the name the non-gaelgeoirs call the brand
"Ó dhorchadas go solas"

So a "Ó dhorchadas go Sólás " would be our campaign motto I think.

Like you say - a very worthy cause too and something very close to Sólás' ideals.

Oh and after speaking to my gaelgeoir friend it would seem that even in the Gaelteacht the campaign is known as "Darkness into light" so there isn't an "official" Irish name for it. The literal translation would work well I think.

Malachite dial and a very special green and gold salmon strap too (as well as the standard tungsten bracelet)…I expect lots of entries from Unkel

njburke

TF, you just got mentioned in a piece about watches on RTE radio 1, the business program.

Thirdfox

I did have a heads up about that - I’ll have to record that and put it on our social media too. We’re getting a lot of notice from a variety of sources actually but most of them are strictly confidential at the moment. All going well there will be some exciting announcements to be made over the next few months

Here's the Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM7EDb7FwtP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link - put a little extra info in there about McGonigle and Sidereus watches too

Cienciano

Nice comparison video with the 2 micro rotors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TEodo9Umuo

Thirdfox

Heh I'm speaking to James (and spoke to him about the Sólás aims/objectives/differences to Lobinni too).

Speaking to him now actually and I can totally understand his perspective as his channel is geared to Aliexpress brands - I think if a microbrand channel reviewer took a look between the two there would be some different perspectives covered including:
1. Without Sólás it could well be that Lobinni would never have released the 1888 - this model was released after we had a successful KS and Chinese factories are very much aware of what is selling etc. - unfortunately we're at the back of the queue in waiting for movements to be delivered from HZ whereas Lobinni would be a very valued customer of HZ. This is all conjecture however - but I see it as a positive in the market reacting to Sólás - I have no qualms about defending my prices especially for the KS.

2. The Lobinni German/Swiss grammar error on the engraved movement - I saw it on WUS being mentioned that some of the engraved text made no sense - which is unfortunate since that's permanent. I did say to James that this is kinda actually a really good synopsis of factory brands vs genuine microbrands - I'm doing something that wants to be genuinely Irish, Lobinni did a "Interlaken-ish" job and it looks 99% right.

3. Some of the extras that Sólás provides in terms of Irish servicing, Irish straps, having the import tax built in, doing the extra QC and regulation - genuinely more time will be spent on the Starlight than on the 1888 - and rightly so, the Starlight at retail may be almost 3x the price of the 1888.

^ Just some of the things that I think a microbrand focused channel may have covered from a microbrand perspective - the Aliexpress argument is quite clear price is the ultimate factor - but hey if it wasn't for us, there might not be a 1888 like I said.

And...if in 6-10 years' time Lobinni want to release a 2k repeater watch after we release a 4k one - then all the better for consumers to have choice about what they want - all that matters to me is to deliver a great watch to my customers, in line with my goals and I can sleep easy - I, for one, welcome our Chinese factory competitors (and other microbrands who will be offering their take on the microrotor too as...well I did say I waited 7 years for someone to release an affordable microrotor and now we have 2 choices - in the next few years we'll have even more choices too - I'd like to think that Sólás played a small part in that.

If after seeing the Equinox Lobinni (or Heimdallr or any other brand releases some awesome tungsten watches then I'd be *genuinely* happy to see that - since I'm a watch lover - why wouldn't I want people to have access to great watches at various price points ).

^ Hopefully the above doesn't read like "the lady doth protest too much" - I'm actually not protesting, but celebrating these developments

fat bloke

Man, that purple Bradán strap is absolutely gorgeous. I can't remember - is that for sale or an option at all? Or was it only that one-off prize?

Cienciano

Was thinking the same, the strap is cool.

Thirdfox

Hey FB - Turas still has some material in stock for purple (he was sceptical that purple would work!) But actually my main concern is that open scales salmon requires care to keep it looking fresh - it's why we went with closed scales for the mass offering as the sealing ensures it lasts much longer.

If you would be interested in the purple it is certainly I can place a few more orders of (few as in I think we can do maybe 3-4 more from the skin we have in stock) - but both Turas and myself are not super keen to offer it as a general public material as requiring people to be careful with their strap may be too onerous. You can imagine if you are daily wearing the strap and the scale edges are rubbing off the desk/clothing constantly it can age rapidly.

I do love it as a strap option and some people have begged to be allowed to order it even after my warning that it requires a lot of extra care and attention. I don't envision ever offering it publicly at scale for the reasons above.

Cienciano

What is the difference with open and closed? Closed is sealed with a lacquer?

fat bloke

Ah right. So the standard salmon offering is silver is it? Sorry, I know I remember ordering it, I just can't remember!

Thirdfox

Cienciano wrote: »

What is the difference with open and closed? Closed is sealed with a lacquer?

fat bloke wrote: »

Ah right. So the standard salmon offering is silver is it? Sorry, I know I remember ordering it, I just can't remember!

Standard is black - and closed - I'm not entirely sure what the salmon is sealed with but I do know that it keeps it looking great even after months of wear.

This would be an example of the standard black salmon strap (see the 2nd clip especially which shows off the salmon skin pattern):
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGivQd4HzkY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Fitz II