Laco Baumuster B Blued Hands: Who's in, who isn't ?

[Biggie_Robs]

Good work, Bhanu! :thanks

[hotnerd]

:thanks Gents

Our collective goal is to make this a special project and I am not giving up till it is complete. It may not be perfect steel blue hands but we'll work within the given constraints and still get the perfect design and blue hands

Cheers,
Bhanu

[Nalu]

I may be wrong, but here is where I think we are.

Flame Blued= Very expensive and doubtfull that we could get the number of hands needed to fill an order. It would seem that Laco has no interest in making this an option hence we are on our own. Not much chance here IMHO.

Chemically Blued= Hopefully less expensive than Flame Blued. The lower cost could help some people on the sidelines step up. Laco may possibly have some interest in offering these going forward as an option on a similar watch in the future as well.

Painted Hands= Not as nice as either of the other two options, but again better than retaining the stock hands. Again Laco may consider this an option for future watches.

For the most part we have around 30 wanting to do something. More may be interested in the 2nd, or 3rd choices if we had a firm price to offer them.

The bottom line is Laco has to be on board, and whatever process they are comfortable with if any will dictate what we can get. If they can tell us what they will support, and how much it will cost it is pretty much a take it, or leave it situation, and we can all vote yes, or no.

Not picking on Bullitt, but once again I'll state that the company offering to make the blued hands did not specify heat or chemically blued. All they specified was that they would do 100 sets and that each set would be 110 Euros. IOW, we don't have a three-way choice for blued hands. We have a two-way choice: painted brass or blued steel.

Bhanu, I can appreciate your frustration. Why not set up a poll? A poll makes it a simple matter to vote, no reasons need be included - we've all had our say who are willing to do so.

[hotnerd]

It was only a choice between steel blue hands and brass painted blue.

Laco has agreed to supply brass painted blue hands.

I am not sure what the poll will accomplish at this point since I have recieved several emails either stating that black hands are sufficient or steel blue hands to too expensive to participate. If we cannot get ALL 50 members to order the steel blue hands, that option is no longer valid.

But anyone is welcome to start a thread with poll. I will vote

Cheers,
Bhanu

[bullitt731]

Not much chance we can get all 50 members to get on board so it looks like this project may have to be shelved.

However, if someone wants to start another poll you can put me down for 2 sets at the price stated if it helps to get us to 50.

[yenfoolun]

begining i also opted for blued steel... but now seems not all take up and the price is killing off the project...

should we consider printed blued straight on the baumuster A and this... then ask laco to order 100 printed blue straight... its only euro10 for baumuster B member... and euro 560 for baumuster A project....

i was told most heat/flame blued also using chemical... no longer blued in flame and put into flax seed oil like the old days... its easier to control the color...

so to me as long the shape is correct i'm ok now... but black hands is not acceptable... we are not using old material to build our case, not using tritium for luminous paint... so nothing wrong with printed blued hands...

and time and money already pushing the project too far away now... i cant wait...

[Nalu]

not using tritium for luminous paint... so nothing wrong with printed blued hands...

The lume used on the original beobachtungsuhrs was Radium and there really was an option for using it. However, we do (did) have the option to use an authentic finish for the hands.

IME, there is a big difference between the appearance of flame blued hands, chemically blued hands and painted hands. It's amazing to me that we agonized over every case, dial, crown and hand detail, and then couldn't give a fig about the finish on the hands

[Janne]

You are right, Nalu, but the initial estimate was 30 Euro for 50 sets. Then it went up to 110 Euro for 50 (?) sets.
Unfortunately, only 32 sets were preliminarily ordered. I guess "the 32" would need to split the cost for the 50 sets?
50x 110 = 5500
5500/32 = 172
Or am I wrong?? Would Laco keep the remaining 18 sets and absorb the cost for these?
yes, I would prefer Blued hands. But 110 Euro is a bit steep.
If we had known this, we would have calculated with this from the beginning.
We could also have specified a Chronometer grade movement, to keep in line with the original. But we all felt it was not so important! As long as the "visual" aspect of the watch was as close to 100% as we could get it. Which we certainly did!!
Just mu 2 cents
Janne

[hotnerd]

Jan :thanks

This project was not about getting the exact movement, case, etc. This project was to build an affordable smaller replica of the Laco B.

I personally think forum members who will participate in the brass blue hands with Frank_be design will be again pleasantly surprised

Cheers,
Bhanu

[Janne]

Bhanu! I know what you say. I just wanted to exactly what you said, but you did it better!
To build an affordable smaller replica, which I think we did 100%!
(IMO, visually the BEST replica, by far, on the market, including far more costly alternatives)
That is why I am reluctant to pay 110+ Euro for the hands. 30 Euro as initially estimated is OK. In line with the cost of the watch.

What is more important now is Frank-be's suberb down scaling of the original hands will be succesfully reproduced by the handsmanufacturer.

Frank-be!! You know I am a "sucker" for measurements, so be prepared!!
N.B. Please do not think I am "cheap". I am not. :thanks