In short, it is a story about a present, but it turned out to be way more at the end!
A few years back my dear brother had decided to give me a present for my 40th year anniversary and was the catalyst of a very involving project that became painfully dear to everyone involved and sparked a lot of creativity, ingenuity resurrected the love of old crafts and put in great use design and manufacturing tools from our modern era.
In short – all that I love !!!
He had the brilliant idea to contact behind my back a good friend of mine G. Livingstone – a watchmaker and a goldsmith who forged his craft in the UK and the Swiss watch industry working with names like Breguet and Kari Voutilainen (one of the few independent watchmakers). He thought it might be a great idea to make a watch for me (me, still unaware but how cool is that?).
Well, then the plot thickened and after one thing led to another, I was in the middle of it. Project was in no need for another overly optimistic creative head, but as I mentioned things happen and there we were, my architectural design studio (AECS) was involved along an experienced watchmaker driven by the same goal - designing and making a wristwatch (my own present from my little brother).
The ambition was to make a watch that is to my liking within an initial budget and timeframe and to make sure it follows the rules of the trade. The design ended up clean and modern with an unique feature that allowed the watch to be flipped. Budget and timeframe are a topic for a longer story.
Gideon made the first prototype as a proof of concept. The case was made by hand in his fully equipped workshop which on its own was I source of constant inspiration for me when visiting. The main body was made from aluminum, lugs form brass and it had a working movement inside. Dial was engine turned by him on one of his rose engines.
Engine turning (Guilloché or ornamental turning) is an ancient craft (dating back from the 16th century and was made popular by Abraham Breguet who used the technique for his pocket watches dials starting his activities in Paris in the late 18th century. Nowadays there are a handful of people on the planet keeping the secretive technique alive and the rose engines on they own are a piece of art so rare that very few people even form the watchmaking industry had laid eyes on one.
It is amazing to note that modern day machines and techniques (stamping predominantly) still cannot achieve this level of precision and established brands that maintain these century old watches still need the knowhow and skilled hands when it comes to engine turning. Just some interesting fact that take me away from the main story but cannot help myself when think about these old techniques.
Design was developed and constantly evaluated with the help of a digital twin using Dassault Systèms, CATIA. As an architect, it was very insightful to discover further the architecture of watches and how densely populated and beautifully efficient the tiny world of these precision machines are. Just an art in motion and a lot of common points to draw parallel with my day-to-day work! Being able to drive parametrically the whole geometry not only made any tweaks to the design very seamless but it allowed us to explore the limits with regard to utilising the space inside the watch, the solidity of the structure and various other design considerations.
As soon as we confirmed the final vision after carefully studying the first prototype, the parts for the case were sent to be CNC machined. The “flip-ability” of the main body is such an unique feature that required many considerations and demanded a design the will keep the geometry well aligned at both conditions, providing enough torsional strength without being overly tight.
The material choice was made in favor of titanium for a few obvious reasons - it provides great strength while being light and dissipates heat well, which keeps the escapement and the spring less prone to temperature changes. It allows anodizing as well, which improves some of its surface properties and gives a variety of colors depending on the electrical current during treatment. I learned a lot during this project about material properties and a bunch of other useful knowledge from my professional interaction with Gideon.
The movement- “the beating heart”! The movement is self-winding mechanical movement with proven track record and should keep the time well.
Parts came back and they needed an enormous amount of finishing work in order to clear all machine markings.
The next crucial part was the dial. Various tests were done on the rose engine and for the final version Gideon had to resurrect a different type of engine lathe that allowed radial patterns to be cut. The dial was made of silver and finished silver plated to achieve the white pristine look and protect its surface.
As I am writing these lines, the watch sits proudly on my wrist. I am very grateful to everyone that took part in and made this happen, including Dassault Systèms for equipping us with some of the best tools for this type of projects! Hence my decision to share a personal story with the community here and use the opportunity to wish to everyone reading best wishes for the New Year!
