Struthers Watchmakers, U.K. visit Dec 2024

I made the trek over to Leek, Staffordshire from North Wales where I was staying with family over the Christmas Holidays. I had to drop off family members at Manchester airport at 6.30am, so headed down towards Leek in the dark of winter. I had set up our meeting prior with Dr. Rebecca & Craig Struthers and they kindly agreed to meet me quite early on the Sunday morning after Christmas Day. No coffee shops were open in Leek until 8am, however I got to see around the center of this lovely old town, a former textile mill town where the Struthers moved their workshop to a few years ago.

The Town square in Leek

The cobblestone center of town.

We had arranged to meet around 8am, so I headed over there as soon as I could grab a coffee. A short drive to the old mill building, where Craig & Rebecca have their atelier.

The non-descript doorway in the old Mill building, the “CRS” logo is all that announces them.

I was greeted by Craig with a smile and we headed upstairs. The new space is quite a bit smaller than their old space I visited back in 2019, in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham. They have their trusty old but restored “named” machines along one wall and their watchmaking benches facing each other as before. Familiar tools of the trade!

I was shown, but not allowed to take photos, a Project 248 model in red gold with a lovely black enamel dial that was in the workshop for some tweeking. As with many new watch models that are eagerly wanted on the wrists of those who order them from artisanal independent watchmakers, there is often a teething period where the actual live usage on the wrist of said wristwatch, reveals small issues that weren’t anticipated in the original design or protyping stage. There is nothing like real daily wear and tear on a wristwatch, to properly field test a watch design. Rare does the small artisanal independent have the time and ability to do this extensively enough to cover all types of events that can occur with wearing a watch. Luckily, this owner is understanding and knows that he/she is contributing massively to the Struthers’ ability to improve upon their work. Future collectors will benefit and in the spirit of being a patron, as the early adopters so often are, those collectors typically will readily and happily help out the watchmaker. My suspicion here may be off base, but I suspect I’m pretty close to the reality, so my hat’s off to the collector for supporting Rebecca & Craig in the early days.

Dr. Rebecca Struthers & Craig Struthers.

One thing to note that has changed since my prior visit, is that they have changed their business model now to reflect where they want to focus their precious time. They are only producing Project 248 watches from now on. No other models will be available, nor any outside repair or restoration work will be entertained by the Struthers anymore. My belief is that with this strict focus on one watch, they will be able to dedicate their resources more efficiently and build more watches for collectors, which is good news for those eagerly waiting a Struthers Project 248 watch!

I found this early production Project 248 watch to be quite charming, elegant and very well made for a first effort. Not an easy task to accomplish, it features a very slow beat balance wheel that is visible on the back of the caliber. The beautifully hand engraved movement in the classically English floral style is a joy to see. German silver has that lovely warm feel to it and the slow oscillating balance wheel, a real treat. They use several master craftspeople in different fields as in the old days. A superb hand engraver, Florian Guellert, does exquisite work. The enamel dial is created up in Glasgow, by AnOrdain, the enamel dial specialists in the UK.

Some of the heavier equipment in the outer office space.

A goldsmiths bench, that is well used. Rebecca initially trained as a goldsmith prior to moving over to watchmaking.

The Struthers explained what they are up to next with their inhouse watch Project 248, exciting things to come and those supporters will be well rewarded. I was told in confidence a couple of upcoming aspects of future watches, and these will remain untold until such time that these two people decide to reveal to the world, what they are up to. I realize that so much of their world is in flux and the mistake of revealing a feature or design too early can have negative consequences down the road.

I strongly recommend Rebecca’s book, Hands of Time, to anyone remotely interested in Horology and the history of watchmaking. As the sole PhD in Horology, Rebecca’s brilliant mind and experience is laid bare for the reader. Her documentation and way of writing is easy reading even for the non technical watch buff. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it definitely gives one a better of sense of the watchmaker that Rebecca has become.

The English and USA versions. Had to have both!

I am always in awe of artisanal independent watchmakers that have dedicated their lives to creating mechanical wristwatches to the best of their ability and who focus on fine hand work to reveal their understanding of the classical ways of finishing that improves and longevity, look and feel of a watch. Rebecca and Craig certainly embody this philosophy.

One of Craig’s many illustrations found within the brilliant book.

Thank you Rebecca and Craig for another lovely visit.

Cheers,

Tim

State of the Market 2/12/24

I arrived into a snowy Dresden from Geneva via Frankfurt back in early December for a visit with several of my independent watchmaker’s, some of whose work I have represented for almost 20 years. The Dresden airport is a shiny example of federal infrastructure funds being put to good use, albeit without fully understanding the commercial situation and location. There is not much call for flying into Dresden, when trains are efficient, economical and go direct to major international airports. Rather similar to many commercial watch brands. Too many un-saleable models, created under the concept that if we build it they will buy. The end user is in the driving seat more and more in todays world and the days of, and the ability, to foist off poorly designed and executed watches on unsuspecting and/or ignorant buyers, is rapidly coming to a close. The transparency and therefore honesty now required by the buyers is changing the market place, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The money involved in “Luxury Watches” is big and real. The likes of LVMH, Swatch Group and Richemont, are serious players who expect to continue to make good returns on their investments and be paying dividends to stock holders. They are more and more having their proverbial “feet held to the fire” and this is good for consumers. Honesty in the business of watchmaking, has shall we say “Not always been of paramount importance” in the marketing and selling of wristwatches. It’s high time that changed, and that is why I haven’t been associated with that end of the business since 2009. My focus has been the artisanal Independent Watchmaker and their craft. My sense in 2003, when I began along this path was that I was entering into a more honest and authentic albeit tiny niche of horology. The players seemed to represent a different end product, even though there were similarities to the main stream big marketed brands. It was perhaps an educated hunch more so that an analytical evaluation of what they were doing. For one, there was gobs of transparency from the initial watchmaker I began a commercial relationship with, Peter Speake. His fledgling company, The Watch Workshop, produced tiny quantities of watches under the Speake-Marin name. Never before had I come across a watchmaker or brand that used fired enamel dials on their entry level watches, nor had the beautiful hand finishing on it’s rotor. This was massively rare and getting to meet Peter, hear his story during Baselworld 2003, would change me and how I looked at the watch business going forward. His openess about his Caliber FW2012 in the Piccadilly, the base was the “tractor motor” caliber ETA 2824, which began life a Longines caliber from memory, was used for longevity and consistency. His upgrades of the automatic winding bridge and highly hand finished “Topping Tool” motif rotor made for what I believe is a solid and highly reliable caliber. It also allowed Peter to make and deliver watches without to massive investment required to design and execute one’s own “inhouse caliber”. It would be several years later that he was finally able to realize that dream with the SM2 caliber, albeit a short lived production run, prior to his leaving his eponymous company.

I didn’t know the degree to which this seminal meeting would affect me until many years later. I was still working with many of the legendary big marketed brands in my store. However a comment that Peter made to me a couple of years later in 2005 or 2006, remains with me. It was in response to me suggesting to him, that I thought a shop that only carried small production artisanal independent watchmakers work, was the what I saw for the future. This was due to the confusion and lack of knowledge with most watch consumers as to the actual value of fine artisanal watchmaking compared to relative mass produced on a production line watchmaking. Placing a steel Speake-Marin Piccadilly in steel next to Ulysse Nardin San Marco in steel or an IWC Mark XV, with the contrasting pricing, made for much confusion amongst watch buyers. Peter’s response was that, “how would I get buyers into the shop if I didn’t have the big marketed brands advertising of their products?” He didn’t see how it would or could work. In 2006, it probably would not have. However I believed this was the future for me. I have proven this concept could work.

Now, as ever, the retail selling landscape is changing and I now am connected to my clients and watchmakers through various websites, social media, email and messaging. The days of requiring a physical shop, are no longer needed for my niche world of horology. What is still needed for me, is doing the leg work to meet face to face with the watchmakers in their workshops or at the very least, a trade fair, such as the AHCI events held annually. I do have my corp. office in downtown San Francisco where I meet in person with clients.

The tools one has now for reaching the right type of buyers of artisanal wristwatches, has changed the dynamics even more, to benefit collectors and buyers, and it is a better and more honest landscape for consumers to make their best choices. The relationship is still very important, but how those relationships occur is forever changed and I believe for the better!

The latest American artisanal Independent Watchmaker breaks cover

Compelling is a word I do use often when it comes to independent watchmaking. The products and the people behind them both contribute to this. As one delves deeper, finding out who these amazing artisan watchmakers really are, what motivates them to create and why they produce these superb executions of micro-mechanical horological art, it grabs the heartstrings. 

Recently, I began a conversation with a fellow, who I’d followed for a year or so on social media, observing and noting his direction, talents and general demeanor. His claim to fame in the horology field was mostly with big brands, graduating quickly from what Watchmakers know as the most prestigious complication school in Switzerland, WOSTEP school in Neuchatel.  Then after owning a few private restoration service centers he went onto heading up Chopard complications atelier for North and South America, designing & teaching Chopard’s in-house complicated watchmaking courses to name a few. He also happens to be the former insane (in a good way!!!) lead guitarist and co-founding member of the multiple Grammy nominated heavy metal band Anthrax, so music, another extremely time sensitive exercise, is in his blood. 
He looked and sounded like the part, so more observation ensued. It was only in the past 3 months or so, did I realize that he had the chops for and had in fact created a new caliber! Excited to see this, I hungrily absorbed each new revelation and my admiration gained steam. Having followed and worked with several other Haute Horlogerie or high end watchmaking independent watchmakers here in the USA, I was intrigued and excited for what appeared to be a unique watchmaker doing what no one had done here in my adopted country, for around 100yrs. 

A wholly designed new caliber, that is being made in the USA by one guy, an American named Dan Spitz. 

One can read up on his website about his childhood, which is where he got the horology bug, by being exposed to high end watches through his grandfather’s vintage watch and jewelry store in the Catskill Mountains of upstate NY. As an artist, he is compelled to do what he does at an extraordinary high level of passion. His skills have been honed over 40yrs and counts many of the current crop of artisan independent watchmakers as dear friends as Dan and most have all come out of the WOSTEP school in Neuchatel around the same time. He admires their skill, courage and passion to create what is not an easy life for themselves. There are many barriers in the traditional watch business, and being able to create his own caliber, from the ground up, as an original mechanical design in the US is a task not easily done, in fact, not since the pocket watch era has it been. Years of study and practice to hone his traditional watchmaking skills are only one part, additional years of school to learn how to program the Watchmaking specific CNC machine’s (he’s also built himself) together with the 3D CAD/CAM needed for producing small series of the worlds most precise parts, repeatedly, is a whole field of study unto itself. Dan has an impressive array of skills with which to practice and aim to perfect his craft.

Dan has spent years acquiring and restoring extremely rare precision Swiss ancient machines for the manufacture all by himself and spent the hours and money to acquire many traditional old school hand tools with which to deliver his craft. Unless one wants to only make a watch or two a year, at this high level of execution, with all the hand finishing that goes into it, a prototype CNC machine is required to produce the accuracy of parts necessary. This accuracy is what I’m told around -2 microns and +0 microns. It all takes time and for one person to master all these different disciplines is very, very rare. 

From my perspective, there are perhaps less than 25 people on the planet with the skillset Dan has. When one considers all the tasks a Master has to accomplish in order to get to this place currently and be able to produce a handmade watch of this quality by himself. That speaks volumes to me as an observer specifically of the Independent Watchmaking field for over 20 yrs now.

 I’m excited to announce that Dan & I have entered into an agreement whereby Independent in Time have agreed to represent his work here in the USA and aid in his sales by providing clients a person to talk to, answer questions and promote his work together with the other renowned Independent artisanal Watchmakers who I’ve been working with for years. I’m happy to support American Independent Watchmaking at this level and we look forward to expanding the scope of Dan’s work. In addition, I’m supporting (and I think we all should) him by helping to eventually bring in up to three USA traditionally trained watchmakers who want learn the production aspects of independence in America from a Master Watchmaker, and gain practical skills, while helping him produce the still tiny quantities he plans on. 

His workshop with the myriad of tools and rare machines, will be available for use by these watchmakers “after hours” for their own projects and ultimately we want to create and help fund a scholarship like organization that aids these young and trained apprenticing watchmakers to gain the tools & equipment required to help USA independent watchmaking, and themselves get their micro mechanical art out there. Once they’ve gained the skills needed at Dan’s manufacture the plan is to help them further make sure there first timepieces get into the hands of collectors that would appreciate and support American Haute Horlogerie, at it’s highest form. Open source watchmaking is what he is about and Dan is keen to create a legacy for American watchmaking that he feels proud of with this next stage of his horological work.

 Let’s not forget Dan’s new Libre’ Excentrique oil-less escapement is part of a 4 year research and development partnership with some of the planets finest Watchmakers who develop for some of the big brands. An open source escapement that will be available to these young Watchmakers to use, for free! 

 I look forward to working with Dan for many years to come and helping him forge this long forgotten path for American Watchmaking.

 Cheers,

Tim