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The kickstarter adventures of Sólás - solaswatches.com

  • 12-10-2019 6:20am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    I didn't expect to have an update so soon but this post does reflect the importance of being absolutely clear with Chinese suppliers (and the benefit of being able to speak Chinese...)

    Some of the people who got a sneak peak at the prototype did have comments (both positive and negative) on the dial - which I had described as enamel (because that's what the factories had said they were during our back and forth emails...in English).

    On reflection I did decide to triple check - and well it seems that factories themselves don't always know what they are producing. They came back and stated that it was a "natural stone called marble" which one would know is definitely not enamel (which is a non-natural material made from being fired up in kilns).

    Deciding to switch to Chinese to get to the bottom of exactly what the material is (since to my eyes it did not seem like natural marble either) - I finally got the full answer - the factory stated that their supplier said it is a "natural" material called goldstone...or aventurine (a material I had originally requested). Aventurine can be found in a natural or man-made state - but the type I had on my hands definitely wasn't natural (which is often green) - so after all that it turned out to be the case that I did get an enamel of sorts - aventurine is made in the kiln and a glass based material - but I won't be calling it enamel (which traditionally requires multiple firings to get the required height and consistency).

    The good news though is that I actually preferred aventurine in the first place and here's why:
    https://quillandpad.com/2018/03/13/aventurine-sparkling-glittering-mysterious-and-placing-a-galaxy-of-stars-on-your-wrist/
    You'll find in the article the confusion on natural/man-made "glass" or "stone" isn't reserved to just Chinese factories - even Christie's auction house and Omega themselves can get confused sometimes.

    Again this all goes towards my desire to bring Swiss X0,000 and X,000 dollar watches' design features down to the X00 level price. First saw aventurine in the flesh on Omega's speedmaster and loved it:
    Omega-adventurine_4686.jpg

    The factories did state they had trouble producing the dials (cracked dials which isn't surprising since we're dealing with 0.5-1mm glass slices) - which will go towards ultimate price considerations but it's an interesting development I wanted to share with people.

    Always double/triple check (in native language if possible) specifications :)

    And hopefully people can see I'm trying to wring as much bang for the buck out of the designs :D (which I accept may not be to everyone's tastes!)

    Going forward the website will have the more commercial/consumer facing updates/news but I will put more backstory up on this thread since it's our local forum here. It would have been egg on my face (and bad for the brand of course) if I were to flip flop between describing something as enamel, then natural stone, then an enamel of sorts again. Having said all that this is just the prototype though - things could still change by final production.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 832 ✭✭✭funkyouup


    Having no language barrier must be a huge advantage, the kickstarter im backing has had very little updates of any substance and i was putting it down to a lack of communication.

    Its a cool project you have there, best of luck bringing it forward Thirdfox!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    Big update today - the design of the watch face is pretty much finalised and I'm happy to reveal what the front will look like (and I'm seeking an input from members here).

    So today I'm happy to introduce people to the Sólás Starlight :)

    I'm pretty sure I'll start Ford-like and only offer one colour at this stage - so it's a battle between:

    Stainless steel version:
    x1Rs8UE.jpg


    Or rose-gold/stainless steel version:
    eABWqkb.jpg


    There was a rose-gold case version initially too (which the sneak-peek participants saw) - but some people indicated to me a PVD coated watch may lead to de-plating over time (or at least concerns about durability of plating from prospective purchasers). It's not something I can guarantee so for safety's sake and from a viewpoint that actually most people do prefer stainless steel watches I reverted to a non-coated case.

    I am only showing the front of the watch right now because the special treat is in the back - the movement will be something - the sneakpeekers know what it is - though I can say that there has even been a slight upgrade from the version that they've seen.

    So - which version do people like personally, and I guess from a commercial viewpoint - which colour version do people think will be the one that will appeal to the €329-379 (provisional super-early bird to "standard discount" price) watch buying crowd?


    Some finalised specs that I can reveal right now are:
    • Diameter - 38mm without crown
    • Height - 9.8mm (the aventurine added 1mm over a standard metal dial - but sub-10mm I think is still acceptable for a dress watch/3 hander)
    • Crystal - sapphire both sides, AR coating on inside.
    • Movement - *super secret still* :D
    • Case: 316L standard stainless steel
    • WR: 5atm - I go swimming with my 3atm speedmaster though I wouldn't recommend swimming/showering with a leather strap ;)
    • Dial material - aventurine

    Any questions feel free to ask :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,344 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    Usually I immediately discount anything with rose gold particularly cases as it just always strikes me as a ladies option.

    That said, the rose gold accent on the 2nd image is really striking.
    Particularly the date and seconds windows.
    Its the 1st time I've looked at a rose gold watch apart from a Sedna and immediately thought, "I'd wear that!"

    That said, the SS version would be my own preference still.
    The SS really seems to compliment the Aventurine, it is just a photo I know but I do feel IRL the sparkle in the aventurine would be better complimented by the SS rather than the RG.

    I would love to see that RG accenting on perhaps a red quartz stone style dial.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭Zagato


    Looks great. I prefer the SS.
    This thread may need a poll now.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    banie01 wrote: »
    Usually I immediately discount anything with rose gold particularly cases as it just always strikes me as a ladies option.

    That said, the rose gold accent on the 2nd image is really striking.
    Particularly the date and seconds windows.
    Its the 1st time I've looked at a rose gold watch apart from a Sedna and immediately thought, "I'd wear that!"

    That said, the SS version would be my own preference still.
    The SS really seems to compliment the Aventurine, it is just a photo I know but I do feel IRL the sparkle in the aventurine would be better complimented by the SS rather than the RG.

    I would love to see that RG accenting on perhaps a red quartz stone style dial.

    Just realised now that I've revealed the front I can show people the real life prototype photos - see below for how the aventurine will look in reality from different angles in muted lighting (in direct harsh sunlight there will definitely be more sparkle but to my eyes the photos below reflect how the dial looks most of the time - understated "starlight").
    Zagato wrote: »
    Looks great. I prefer the SS.
    This thread may need a poll now.

    I'm thinking that's the commercial/safe/correct version to go for too - though personally I really wanted a rose-gold version since I don't have one in my watch collection yet... but that I guess should also have given me a hint that actually gold/rose-gold watches aren't super popular amongst men nowadays.


    Here are real photos of the dial from different angles but in the same lighting conditions. Ignore the case/lugs/indices/hands - some of those are generics that I asked for during the prototyping stage to keep costs down. By way of reference - the case is 42mm diameter and 11.2mm in height - what the factory had in stock at the time.

    Oh and for anyone who thinks "Meh...I don't see anything here that offers a value proposition of €300+" (but is too nice to say so :D ) - I agree totally! The major value proposition of the watch will be seen from behind in its movement.

    jxw5dYlh.jpg

    u3gkyLmh.jpg

    fDeykuoh.jpg


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  • Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭Horoaddict


    Loving the look of the SS option.

    The indicies and case remind me of the tag carrera cal 5 somewhat.

    Really nice design and for that price should do really well.

    I'd for one be very interested, any idea when the kickstarter might launch? Would love to hear more about the movement and rest of the design, feel free to pm!


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,785 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    The SS is a fine looking watch

    Seven Worlds will Collide



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    Horoaddict wrote: »
    I'd for one be very interested, any idea when the kickstarter might launch? Would love to hear more about the movement and rest of the design, feel free to pm!

    Timelines are still in flux as I get some other things in order down the pipeline - very roughly I think the earliest I could attempt to start the 30 day campaign would be April/May 2020 since I'd need to build interest prior to the campaign kicking off via watch review sites/blogs/channels etc (which would involve me sending out the samples to be reviewed and waiting on them coming back to me).

    Maybe I'm being naive but I'm currently operating on the understanding that there are enough independent reviewers who do not need to be paid to "advertise" a product but would like to genuinely review something that is new/interesting in the watch world.

    I think once I get the review samples back from the factory I'll be able to reveal all and hopefully move onto the next phase of the project - awareness building.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,209 ✭✭✭✭Cienciano


    I think it's a great looking watch. Will the indices on the final product be triangle shape or rectangle? The triangle look much better imho


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,344 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    Cienciano wrote: »
    I think it's a great looking watch. Will the indices on the final product be triangle shape or rectangle? The triangle look much better imho

    100% agree, the triangle indices are lovely.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    banie01 wrote: »
    100% agree, the triangle indices are lovely.

    Yes, will be using the triantáin indices - I specifically chose them to subconsciously make reference to the síneadh fadas in the name of the brand and to Gaelige as a whole.

    The rectangular indices were just generic stock the factory had for the first cheap(er) prototypes.

    Hopefully over this weekend I can put up the history/motivations/aims of the brand up on the website which gives a bit more background to what I want to create.

    Rest assured - nothing was put in without some thought as to what might/might not work together and within the overall Irish theme :) - otherwise I wouldn't feel comfortable with a "designed in Ireland" moniker without actually having thought about the Irish elements and just cobble something together from random parts :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    1st draft of what's going to be put up on the website has been written up. Will go through it a few more times before putting it all online. It's been written from the perspective of explaining to someone who is sorta interested in mechanical watches but may not be a WIS why an aventurine dial and XXYYZZ secret movement (might be revealed this weekend) is a *big deal* (said in Harvey Norman voice).

    Something that would be super helpful would be if any boardsies know which watch review sites/youtube channels offer unpaid honest reviews?

    Some posters had already gotten in touch with suggestions about channels that people may watch - the plan currently is to get two "production ready" samples on a tour around the world to build interest.

    Some of the sites/channels identified already include:
    Wristwatchreview.co.uk
    TheTimeBum.com
    Wornandwound.com
    Fratellowatches.com
    Ablogtowatch.com
    Just One More Watch (Youtube channel)
    Random Rob (YT channel)
    Watchitallabout.com
    Watchreport.com

    Any others I'm missing? The obvious one Hodinkee appears to be paid for advertising only I think.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭bcklschaps


    OP, best of luck with your Kickstarter programme.

    Have you ever come accross D'Alton of Waterford? Might give you some guidance re designs and price points etc.


    https://www.dalton-watches.com/gents-watches-on-straps.html


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,800 ✭✭✭fat bloke


    I like "The Time Teller" on YouTube.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    bcklschaps wrote: »
    OP, best of luck with your Kickstarter programme.

    Have you ever come accross D'Alton of Waterford? Might give you some guidance re designs and price points etc.


    https://www.dalton-watches.com/gents-watches-on-straps.html

    Interesting brand - I see they're located in a number of physical shops too. Their main market seems to be the affordable quartz crowd - their automatic selection which are no longer offered seem to use a Chinese Liaoning movement (or at least one of them is anyway - the open heart one).

    Are you a previous purchaser of their brand or how did you get to know them? Their staff bios are a great read :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    Proposed text for the website - any comments? Hopefully the story below reads in a coherent and clear manner as to why someone might want to support the kickstarter project for me.

    There are definitely parts that remain unconfirmed/aside comments - those are highlighted.

    Once things go up on the website I'll be getting professional photos taken of the various elements - so right now you'll have to use your imagination somewhat :D

    I know that I've definitely emphasised the Irish element - might read somewhat saccharine/overbearing to an Irish audience but please keep in mind this will be marketed out at an international (American etc.) audience.








    1. [internal use]

    2. Welcome
    Céad míle fáilte – a hundred thousand welcomes to my website. Below you will find the results of over a year of work in relation to creating a new Irish watch brand. I hope you enjoy reading about the journey I’ve taken to create the product I am looking to share with people. I look forward to any comments you may want to send me at my email address solaswatches@gmail.com.

    3. Brand motivations
    Setting up this Irish brand I wanted to insert Irish elements into a watch brand that people would be happy to own based on its 1) design; 2) innovation; 3) overall feel and essence; and of course the essence of any micro-brand 4) value for money.

    This brand was set up in 2019 after a year of research, design and prototyping with a number of candidate suppliers. As a watch brand that is proudly “designed in Ireland” (deartha in Éirinn) I wanted to create something that first and foremost stands on its own as a great watch to own and wear. My second goal, as Irish watches are not often seen in the horological world, was to add an Irish twist to the brand.

    If this brand’s initial model proves to be successful, I will definitely explore the possibility of using Irish parts – for example Irish made leather straps – in future Irish projects.

    [insert link to kickstarter campaign]

    4. The name
    Sólás is Irish for “solace” – this name was chosen as this project began as a personal recovery from a period of illness in my family. The project allowed me to divert energies and put my focus into something that sought to bring comfort to myself and ultimately turned into an opportunity to share that energy and positivity with a wider audience of watch aficionados.

    It is intentional that “solas” (without the Irish fadas) is also relevant to the brand and means “light” – you will find that the model name and future planned models all have a celestial theme to them. The first model which I am introducing below is the Sólás Starlight.

    5. Description of first model – Sólás Starlight
    The Sólás Starlight is the first model that the brand is seeking crowdfunding for. The model name Starlight was chosen to reflect its special dial material. This model in its final form was arrived at after the creation and refinement of a number of prototypes over the course of a year of communications with a selection of factories.

    I believe I’ve chosen elements that make this first model an elegant, understated but still exciting timepiece. To distinguish this model from the variety of automatic mechanical watches available on the market currently I have incorporated design elements and features that all together I am almost certain has not been available for purchase in any watch under $6,000 (though of course those watches come with Swiss brand cachet and various other tangibles/intangibles). If you have $23,000 on hand to spend I might recommend trying the Parmigiani Tonda 1950 Galaxy as an alternative… Instead – my crowdfunding campaign will seek to make the watch available for [€329] to [€379] with a subsequent general retail price of [€500].
    I present to you the Sólás Starlight:
    [pictures of Starlight]

    The general specifications of the watch are as follows:
    5.1 Dial diameter: 38mm
    5.2 Height: 9.8mm [TBC]
    5.3 Glass material: sapphire both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
    5.4 Movement: 28800bph, ≥42hrs power reserve, -20/+20 s/d accuracy, non-hacking
    5.5 Water resistance: 50 metres [TBC]

    6. Explanation of non-standard elements
    6.1 Movement – Micro-rotor
    The watch uses a micro-rotor automatic mechanical movement. Many people will have heard about automatic watches i.e. watches that are powered by wrist movements and not by batteries). On a standard automatic movement the rotor (the piece that winds the watch) often covers up a large portion of the movement, meaning that the full beauty of the mechanical pieces is not on full display. The rotor piece often also adds height onto the movement and leads to thicker watches. Examples of a standard automatic movement can be seen below:
    [image of Sea-Gull ST2130]

    Conversely a manual wind watch allows the full movement to be seen unimpeded and usually makes for a slimmer watch since there is no rotor sitting on top of the base movement. The disadvantage of such a movement is the necessity to manually wind the movement usually every day or two. Here is an example of a decorated manual wind movement:
    [image of Beijing SB-18]

    For the Sólás Starlight we will be using a micro-rotor automatic movement. This movement seeks to combine the benefits of both an automatic movement (automatic winding) and a manual wind movement (visibility of the full movement, thinner design).
    Here is the micro-rotor movement used in the Sólás Starlight:
    [picture of Starlight movement]

    Usually these types of micro-rotor movements are only found in Swiss brands costing in the thousands to tens of thousands of euro. This is due to the complexity of miniaturising the movement and a difficulty in maintaining enough “power” in the watch as a smaller rotor has less winding power than a larger one. Some companies like Patek Philippe or Piaget would often use a solid gold rotor in their micro-rotor movements to combat this winding problem.

    For those who are interested in further information of the beauty and functionality of micro-rotors I would direct people to this website which sets out some beautiful examples from Piaget, Patek and others:
    https://www.horobox.com/en/news-detail/the-history-and-function-of-the-micro-rotor [link to horobox article]

    6.2 Dial – Aventurine
    [Sólás dial photo]

    The primary reason why the model was so named was due to this dial material. Aventurine is a material that can be either man-made or natural – in our case created in a kiln – that glistens with understated and subtle pinpoints of light. I first saw the material used “in the flesh” on a limited-edition Omega Speedmaster and fell in love with its dial. As the material itself is based on glass it is something that is difficult to work with and extra care must be taken when manufacturing the dials. I therefore sought a number of prototypes from various factories to ensure the chosen supplier can supply dials of requisite quality.

    [dial manufacture video]

    Again this dial material is not found usually at this price bracket and most often only in luxury Swiss watches. Some spectacular examples of aventurine dials (including my personal favourite the Omega Speedmaster) can be found described in the following link:
    https://quillandpad.com/2018/03/13/aventurine-sparkling-glittering-mysterious-and-placing-a-galaxy-of-stars-on-your-wrist/
    [link to Quillandpad aventurine article]

    6.3 Irish/thematic design features

    The watch itself is labelled all in Irish except for the English model name. For non-Irish speakers the text on the dial, caseback and strap translates to:
    (a) Sólás – Solace
    (b) deartha in Éirinn – designed in Ireland
    (c) criostal saifír – sapphire crystal
    (d) 5ATM – 5ATM (the Irish for atmosphere is atmaisféir)
    (e) eagrán teoranta uimh. 1 – limited edition no. 1
    (f) fíor leathair – genuine leather

    In addition, the triangular indices were chosen to give a subtle nod to the síneadh fadas (the ´ signs that are found above some vowels in the Irish language but not English).

    [photo of indices up close]

    On the stellar front besides the obvious star filled dial which shines in direct sunlight we have the seconds sub-dial at 7 o’clock – to me this circle within a circle conveys an idea of a celestial body moving against the background of a starry space.

    [photo of seconds sub-dial against background]

    6.4 Others (clasp, springbars)
    There were two minor elements that I’ve also upgraded from what can usually be found in a standard three hander watch at this price point:
    (a) Clasp
    The standard leather strap on watches in this price range and even dearer usually comes with a tang buckle or some form of butterfly deployant.
    A tang buckle resembles the standard belt and loop and is well loved for its simplicity of operation. It is also supremely comfortable as the wrist is only in contact with leather when the clasp is buckled. The disadvantage with such a closure is that the repetitive fastening motion can prematurely age the leather loopholes and on opening the clasp there is nothing preventing the watch from falling off your wrist.

    [tang buckle image]

    A butterfly deployant is commonly seen as an upgrade on the standard tang buckle. Here with the deployant once the buckle’s loophole pin is set there is no need to reinsert the pin for each re-fastening – this results in less stress on the strap’s loopholes with the additional benefit that even when the clasp is open a closed loop remains around the wrist making it much harder for the watch to fall off the wrist. For all the benefits this clasp brings there is a disadvantage – comfort – due to the construction of the butterfly deployant there remains a large piece of metal that touches and rubs against the bottom of your wrist. From personal experience it can be somewhat uncomfortable especially if the arm is resting for long periods on a desk as the metal piece can end up digging into the wrist.

    [butterfly deployant images]

    The clasp I’ve chosen to use in the Starlight is a special type of deployant clasp. It is very similar to the type of clasp used by Omega for their straps. Just like with my movement choice I’ve tried to combine the best of both worlds – with this form of deployant you have the benefit of:
    (i) reduced wear on the leather strap as the buckle pin needs to be set only once;
    (ii) reduced risk of watch falling off as the deployant remains a closed loop even when open; and
    (iii) maintains the comfort of a tang buckle as only a very small portion of the metal mechanism touches the wrist and instead, like the tang buckle your wrist will mostly be touching soft leather.
    [Starlight deployant images]

    (b) Springbars
    [Starlight quick release spring bar straps]
    I’ve opted for quick release springbars – these springbars are built into the leather strap and ensure the straps can be removed easily and without tools. Ask anyone who has struggled to change straps (whether to replace an old one or for a change of style) or stabbed themselves with a springbar removal tool and they will appreciate the simplicity and ease of a quick release spring bar.
    How many watch straps do you know that can be removed one-handed without tools?
    [video of one-handed strap removal]

    7. Personal story – me, myself and Yu
    [insert personal photo]

    I first fell in love with mechanical watches during my early twenties and slowly developed this love – first through expanding, then contracting and finally curating my modest collection of Swiss, Japanese, American, English, Russian, Soviet and Chinese watches. I’m country agnostic when it comes to watches and as long as a watch (within budget) presents something interesting, quirky or unique I am open to owning it.

    I’ve nurtured this love both by tinkering with basic watch servicing/watchmaking and making DIY watch accessories (my pride and joy is my homemade water resistance tester – it’s why I am confident of swimming with my 3ATM Speedmaster which has its seals regularly tested).
    [picture of DIY water resistance tester]

    As someone who has bought and sold multiple watches over the years it had been a personal goal of mine to own a modern affordable micro-rotor watch. After a number of years waiting for someone to bring out such a watch I decided to try and do it myself – after ending up with a design that I enjoyed personally I wished to share that design with others – and at an affordable price.

    The reason the price is accessible is because this project has been a personal passion of mine as a watch-lover. I wish to share my love of interesting complications in watches with others. I have my day job still and therefore do not need this project to make enough money to put food on the table for my family. Therefore there is no need for me to make anything more than a modest profit. [not putting this in the website but just as an aside – I’m guesstimating that at the prices I’m charging I’m making maybe 2-2.5 months net salary after 2 years of part-time work ha – definitely not in it for the profits!]

    As for my personal background I am a naturalised Irish citizen and someone who has a close affinity with the Irish language and culture. In fact some Irish people may recognise me as the actor who played the character of Yu Ming in “Yu Ming is Ainm Dom” (my name is Yu Ming) – a tragicomedy Irish language short film about a Chinese national who emigrates to Ireland and learns to speak Gaelige…better than the Irish themselves. If you have 13 minutes to spare I highly recommend checking out a copy of this short film on Youtube:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYtG9BNhfM
    [Yu Ming youtube link]

    which speaks to the pain that Irish people feel – now that daily use of our national language has been reduced to isolated areas and cannot be spoken fluently by the majority of the Irish population. I feel privileged to have been able to star in that role and advance the cause of Irish within my country.

    As someone who is able to communicate both with my suppliers in their native language and is proud of his Irish upbringing and background I feel like I am in a special position to try and bring this Irish watch brand to fruition and hopefully to success.

    I hope that after my explanation of why I feel the Sólás Starlight is worth your attention based on the design, features and its Irish background that you will join me to help kickstart this project when it launches on XXYYZZ 2020 [insert kickstarter link]

    Go raibh míle maith agat! That’s the Irish for a thousand thanks – literally “may you have a thousand good (things)”.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,301 ✭✭✭John Hutton


    The watch looks awesome. I know next to nothing about watches but I've been on the lookout for a new "good" watch with a budget of around 500, think I'll hang on and see how this project turns out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,800 ✭✭✭fat bloke


    Hey, that's fantastic man, fair play dhuit as the man says :). That's fascinating that you're the lad from the ad! No need to be so coy about making a few quid either. For the project to succeed and be viable in a business sense then it also needs to be viable for you personally.
    But either way, consider me interested and go n-éirí leat a bhuachaill. :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    The watch looks awesome. I know next to nothing about watches but I've been on the lookout for a new "good" watch with a budget of around 500, think I'll hang on and see how this project turns out.

    Hey that's great that you've taken an interest in the watch. I look forward to showing people the actual production version in the flesh (vs 3d renders) soon enough.
    fat bloke wrote: »
    Hey, that's fantastic man, fair play dhuit as the man says :). That's fascinating that you're the lad from the ad! No need to be so coy about making a few quid either. For the project to succeed and be viable in a business sense then it also needs to be viable for you personally.
    But either way, consider me interested and go n-éirí leat a bhuachaill. :D

    Ah for this it really is a project of passion - so the 2 years of "work" I suspect this will take won't actually feel like work to me - it'll be doing something enjoyable. I just want to make sure I hopefully don't end up making a loss on the whole thing. Fingers crossed I'll be able to have things like live youtube chats etc. - I love "talking shop" :D

    I think for the first project it's all about delivering a lot more than what you're promising - people should have their expectations exceeded where possible. Only by building a good reputation would a brand have any potential future.

    It does remind me that I should put in a "risks" section - but maybe that's more for the kickstarter side of things. Because it is taking a risk to support someone on their first ever project, infrastructure/processes aren't refined yet - I can take as many precautions as possible but it's still impossible to expect every unexpected element :pac:

    If I was a Swiss manufacturer with staff, overheads, physical brick and mortar stores, a supply/servicing chain the watch will definitely cost more than €300-400 - but at this price point I do hope that people will lower expectations accordingly. For example - I think people would prefer to meet a lower price point and have plain packaging rather than spending an extra 20-30 euro to get a wooden box etc. for the watch - hopefully I'm not wrong (within my target audience anyway). First project - it's all about the watch - all funds are being put into the watch itself. Future developments can look at putting together "nicer" peripherals like those Omega red boxes etc. It's why I'm not planning on offering personalised engraving/numbering yet - get the basic product right first of all for the first go. I don't want to overextend and deliver a less than perfect product due to over ambition.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,209 ✭✭✭✭Cienciano


    Any update on the watch? It's definitely something I'd be interested in


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    I've been promising to keep updates limited to when I've got something interesting to say - right now there's not much to update - the factories are sending on technical drawings, I'm approving design elements. The hope is that the final production samples will be finished before Chinese New Year (Jan 25) when all the factories close.

    I'll be flying out to the factories in early January to meet their representatives beforehand too just to inspect the factories/premises/working conditions etc.

    If there are interesting updates coming down the pipeline I'll be sure to let us boardsies know. The sólás website won't be updated for a while longer. Intend to start contacting watch review places once I have a firm date for when the review/production samples will be ready by.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,209 ✭✭✭✭Cienciano


    Thirdfox wrote: »
    I've been promising to keep updates limited to when I've got something interesting to say - right now there's not much to update - the factories are sending on technical drawings, I'm approving design elements. The hope is that the final production samples will be finished before Chinese New Year (Jan 25) when all the factories close.

    I'll be flying out to the factories in early January to meet their representatives beforehand too just to inspect the factories/premises/working conditions etc.

    If there are interesting updates coming down the pipeline I'll be sure to let us boardsies know. The sólás website won't be updated for a while longer. Intend to start contacting watch review places once I have a firm date for when the review/production samples will be ready by.
    Any updates since you wrote this?


    :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    Flights are booked - will be going over and meeting the factory owners on Jan 19th so very exciting on that front. The samples should all be ready and in hand before then too.

    At this stage I think it's about time to show off the USP of the watch brand (as well as what I'm banking on will draw watch aficionados to my product) - the movement...

    It's an affordable micro-rotor watch :) :
    497773.jpg

    And what it looks like "in the flesh":
    497774.jpg

    To date I think all affordable micro-rotor watches have been pre-owned ebay jobbies from Buren, Hamilton, Universal Geneve etc. And then you have a gap till the €6,000 Swiss new micro-rotors.

    ...What I'm hoping to offer is a new, with warranty, Irish influenced dress watch (with aventurine) for €329-379. Something you'd be happy to wear as a "nice watch" as well as thinking "hey, it's a cool micro-rotor too - not everyone has one of those". Something that will set it apart from the Seiko NH35 and ETA2824/SW200s of this world.

    It's been a long time coming and I think we're getting close to the "end of the beginning" portion of the project - and the beginning of the next leg (raising awareness/seeking reviews of production samples) of the project.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,693 ✭✭✭893bet


    What thickness are you planning again?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    9.8mm - a major part of that being the aventurine - the factory can't get it any lower while still ensuring the glass doesn't crack when the dial is made.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,692 ✭✭✭Lorddrakul


    I really like the stainless steel version too.

    That is a classy looking watch. I'd love to see what the dial looks like in real life.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,590 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    I'm late to the party. SS looks good. How stable is the averturine? Is there any possibility of pieces of it flaking off and finding their way down to the movement?

    I love the see through caseback. Have you any plans to put serial numbers on them?

    Fair play to you Thirdfox for getting the project off the ground, wishing you the very best for 2020.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭Thirdfox


    Lorddrakul wrote: »
    I really like the stainless steel version too.

    That is a classy looking watch. I'd love to see what the dial looks like in real life.

    Glad you like the stainless steel version since that is the one that will be produced for the campaign. Earlier on due to some people being concerned with the plating it was decided to move away from the rose gold version.

    After a few months of intentional rough use/abuse I can say the rose gold plating on the test model has held up completely so far. Today's pvd plating processes might be better than the old electroplating of the past. But anyway people were right in suggesting stainless steel will appeal to more potential customers.

    Once the sample production models are sent to me I'll put up some more photos/videos of the whole thing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,301 ✭✭✭John Hutton


    Looking forward to getting on board with this.

    Know feck all about watches but this looks great


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  • Registered Users Posts: 357 ✭✭Ian OB


    Think I've found next years Christmas present to me!!

    Best of luck with your venture.


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