McGonigle Ogma

[Ichiran]

https://quillandpad.com/2023/08/25/n...mal-no-photos/

Stephen McGonigle (who lives near Neuchatel, Switzerland) and his brother John (who lives in Ireland) founded McGonigle Watches in 2006. John left the brand and in 2020 launched his own brand Oileán (Gaelic for island). Their first watch was a tourbillon, which was followed by a minute repeater, and in 2010 they launched their time-only Tuscar.

Now Stephen, who honed his talents working on complicated watches for brands including Christophe Claret, Breguet (where he worked on the restoration of the Pendule Sympathique), Franck Muller, and has now released the successor to the Tuscar: the Ogma. In Irish Mythology, Ogma was the God of Language, Literature and Eloquence, and of Ideas and Knowledge.

While the case of the Tuscar was 43 mm, the new Ogma is a much more wearable 39.5 mm tantalum case, and it also has a power reserve display. The Ogma features the distinctive pincer balance cock with concealed stud and screw as the Tuscar.

Delivery of the first Ogmas is scheduled for autumn 2024 and all 20 pieces are expected to be completed by late 2025. Price is CHF 79,000.

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All 20 pieces are all sold and congrats to Jay and Chronowonders.

My view of the Ogma is it is visually different from the other Swiss watches for which I appreciate as it adds to the variety. Instead of a big balance bridge adopted by other manufacturers, Stephen uses a pincer-like balance plate. The crown does look unique too. In the 2nd pic above, the hand-finishing appears to be better than the Tuscar. I look forward to Stephen's future works.