A confirmation came from the Isle of Man, and the wait begins

[Ichiran]

My AD is an official partner of Roger Smith and he was invited to meet up with a small group of collectors in October 2023. Over the session, Roger heartily shared information of his manufacture, his watches and of course, stories of the late George Daniels. It was fun sitting next to a watchmaker who is charming, witty and passionate about his crafts.

He was wearing his Series 1 Great Britain (pictured) and we were given all the time to handle it. I was blown away by the fantastic engine-turned dial. It is simple but the Union Jack is subtle and tastefully done with his signature blue hands. The movement (sorry for the poor picture) does not have the typical anglage we see on other Swiss independents and there are no interior angles, but I respect his philosophy that focuses more on the mechanical aspects of the watches.

He told us his current production is 18 pieces annually and to date, he has made 150 watches since he started his career. He used to produce less watches but 18 is the current number. He also shared he is starting on a new Series 6 but I'm not sure if that info is embargoed hence can't divulge here now.

I understand he is not taking on new orders as the order book has been closed for a few years. After the meet up, I then tried my luck with my AD because my AD could have placed an order earlier with no particular allocation to a customer. This shooting the moon tactic works thankfully

After a few calls and emails, I decided on the Series 5 open dial (will post a pic in the next post). This means I will not get to enjoy the famed guilloche but I thought the open dial is aesthetically more appealing to me and I will enjoy that dial more. I also have some options with the engravings behind.

In terms of delivery, I'm not sure when I will get it and that remains to be ironed out with my AD. I will be expected to pay a 30% deposit closer to delivery date. Caroline informed me each watch takes 2 years to manufacture, and the variable here is when they will start to make my watch. The total duration is the start date plus another 2 years.

In the Patek subforum, I have a thread for an application for a minute repeater and that has since been canned due to my preference for this Series 5. All my friends have advised me against choosing a simple 4-hander over a minute repeater but I have followed my heart. I have also dropped my order for a Vingt-8 with the same AD. Effectively I'm choosing the Series 5 over a Patek MR plus a Vingt-8. It's ridiculous I know

Sorry for this long post and I hope to update as soon as I get more news from my AD.